All Energy Voices
Gas prices set record: 1000 days straight above $3 a gallonGas prices averaged more than $3.00 in the US Tuesday – a record 1,000 days in a row, according to AAA. If we have so much oil in the US, why are gas prices so high?
Typhoon Man-yi complicates Fukushima nuclear cleanupTyphoon Man-yi brought heavy rain and wind to Japan Monday, raising concerns over the fragile cleanup at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Workers already struggle to contain contaminated wastewater, and rain from Typhoon Man-yi adds to the complications at Fukushima.
Black swans and the oil market: how to profitBlack Swan events almost always push oil prices higher. Here's why.
Can anyone break Russia's hold on Europe's gas?Europeans want cheaper natural gas to jumpstart an economy crippled by high energy costs. The trouble is, alternatives to Russian gas are plenty in theory, but few in reality.
Move over Keystone XL. There's a new pipeline in town.With the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline up in the air, the company behind the controversial pipeline is pushing forward with a separate pipeline to refineries in Canada.
New LNG export approval: an export opening for Marcellus gasThe US approves a fourth facility to export liquefied natural gas: Dominion Energy's Cove Point terminal in Maryland. Via pipeline, Cove Point offers Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale producers direct access for LNG exports.
Will Europe go shopping for oil in the Caspian Sea?While the realignment of the energy map could bring short-term birth pangs to the European economy, Graeber writes, by the time the eurozone is in full swing, producers from the Caspian Sea may have taken Russia's place as the exporter of choice.
Can DOE build a better electric car battery?Last week, the Department of Energy's ARPA-E program announced funding for a new program aimed at rethinking electric car batteries. The program recognizes that significant breakthroughs in battery chemistry and vehicle architecture are crucial for electric cars to compete with internal combustion vehicles, Nicholson writes.
Strike on Syria would cause oil prices to ... drop?The prevailing opinion is that any American intervention in Syria will send the price of crude oil skyward, Johnston writes. But, some claim that the opposite will happen.
Solar panels: firefighters' clean-energy foeWith rooftop solar panels proliferating across the country, officials say they impede firefighting. The solar industry is working with fire departments and utilities to find ways to make solar panels less of an obstacle.
Syria: The energy crossroads that never wasBashar al-Assad once envisioned Syria as a future hub of oil transport in the region – a 'four seas strategy' to connect the region's major oil players to European markets. After two and a half years of civil war, that plan appears all but lost.
Tidal power: Energy's wave of the future?While marine and hydrokinetic energy may be quite literally the wave of the future, its moment may be beyond the current horizon, Graeber writes. That said, it's predictable, it's easy to get to, and some of the world's most densely populated areas are coastal communities, which means it's cheap to connect to the grid.
Oil worries extend beyond Libya and SyriaConversations surrounding last week's oil markets centered on Libyan production issues and the possibility that U.S. military strikes on Syria may have broader implications for crude oil, Graeber writes.
Our energy future: 'They'll think of something'Concerns over future supplies of oil and gas are often met with a 'They'll-think-of-something' mentality, Cobb writes. But the only sensible response to the looming possibility of depleted resources is to begin reducing our energy use now in earnest.
How I learned to stop worrying and love frackingFracking has drawn the ire of environmentalists but new reports document the economic benefits of tapping shale gas resources. They also suggest that many of the environmental concerns are either overstated or unfounded.
Electric cars vs. plug-in hybrids: What's the difference?Plug-in hybrids help drive demand for electric car charging stations that are critical to electric car success, Dikeman writes, and electric cars drive the cost down on the batteries that brings the plug-in costs into line. Unlike with the Prius over a decade ago, it’s not a single car changing the world, it’s the combination that’s working well for us.
How to cool an electric car batteryWhat is a manufacturer to do about electric car batteries susceptibility to heat? As it turns out, the answer depends on what the warranty says, not so much on what the owner’s manual warns you not to do, Finley writes.
Obama climate plan wins overseas support in run-up to G20President Obama's plan to cut overseas funding of coal plants got the support of five Nordic countries during the president's trip to Stockholm ahead of the G20 summit. Can China and other emerging economies reduce their coal dependence?
US refineries capitalize on Latin American shortfallAlthough Latin America’s oil production has grown steadily in recent years, the region’s refineries have been unable to keep pace with rising demand, Arthur writes. US Gulf Coast refineries have responded quickly to rising global demand, and Latin America has become their largest overseas market.
Oil's dwindling role in Middle East affairsThe US is becoming less dependent on Arab oil, Salhani writes, making it less of an issue when it comes to decisions about Syria and the Middle East.
