All Environment
Energy efficiency: how retailers save moneyEnergy efficiency offers retailers like Walgreens and Kohls an edge over their competitors, Asplin writes. It’s about the bottom line, pure and simple.
Struggling at home, US coal finds markets overseasCoal companies in the US have been unable to compete with natural gas at home, Alic writes, but overseas this coal market is getting hotter by the minute.
Why the US military should continue biofuel researchThe sequester should not excuse the US military from making the important investments into the future, Holland writes. It is strategically important for the military to develop new sources of energy like biofuels.
'Unconventional' energy: rise of women in oil and gas industryNearly half of new oil and gas jobs in the US went to women in the first three months of this year, according to an analysis. Men still dominate the field, but new technologies are diversifying the workforce of the oil and gas industry.
GOP senators boycott vote on McCarthy for EPAFrustrated by what they call a lack of transparency from the EPA, all eight Republican senators on the Environment and Public Works committee boycotted a scheduled vote on Obama nominee Gina McCarthy to head the EPA.
A solar charger that turns your window into an outletA simple solar charger is designed to attach, via a suction pad, to any window that receives sunlight, and immediately begin producing electricity. Despite the lack of energy storage and low current, Burgess writes, the solar charger is impressive.
Genel Energy capitalizes on Kurdistan, Africa oil findsNew and increased oil production in Northern Iraq and Africa has come as good news to Genel Energy. The latest feather in its cap is the securing of a rig contract for offshore drilling in its Africa portfolio.
Natural gas glut crimps nuclear powerNatural gas has already been blamed for shuttering of coal plants and slowing wind and solar financing. Evidence suggests nuclear is also falling victim to the glut of cheap natural gas. The closure of a nuclear plant in Wisconsin Tuesday is exhibit A.
- Meet the floating plant that has Lake Victoria's economy in a chokehold
Massive mats of invasive water hyacinth are creeping their way across the lake, severely disrupting local fishermen and sending scientists scrambling for a way to stop the runaway weed.
California urges record $2.5 billion fine for natural gas blastPacific Gas and Electric Co. could face a record fine for a deadly 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion in a San Francisco suburb. Officials hope it will help prevent future accidents while some warn that rising natural gas demand is outpacing investment in energy infrastructure.
US oil boom means oil prices must drop, right? Wrong.Even though production of oil from new fields in the U.S. is booming, there is a consistent decline in production from old fields around the world, and OPEC members have not increased production. Meanwhile, though demand for oil is falling in the US, it continues to grow around the world.
Brood II: After 17 years, billions of eastern US cicadas rise againAfter 17 years out of sight and under foot, billions of noisy, bulge-eyed Brood II cicadas are crawling out of the ground in the eastern US to mate, hatch offspring, and start the cycle anew.
As Kurds gain power, Baghdad may be ready for oil dealThe Iraqi central government and authorities of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government put together a seven-point deal last week that could see the Kurds resume oil exports to Iraq in return for a revision of the Iraqi 2013 budget, Alic writes.
JPMorgan Chase accused of rigging energy marketsJPMorgan Chase developed schemes to sell electricity at falsely attractive prices in Michigan and California, according to The New York Times. The market manipulation could result in JPMorgan Chase receiving penalties from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Is OPEC coming apart at the seams?In a lackluster economy, there hasn't been much from OPEC members to suggest there was any sort of revival, Graeber writes. But with seven of the 12 members of the cartel experiencing at least some form of upheaval, the cost of doing business suggests members may need more than a little bit of luck to return to glory.
Drive to make energy cleaner has stalled. Shale gas could help.Average unit of energy is 'basically as dirty' as two decades ago, says new IEA report, despite boom in renewables. Among its recommendations: Encourage move from coal to gas by developing unconventional gas.
How much water in that snowpack? Scientists seek a better gauge.More accurate, more frequent measurements of mountain snowpacks will allow water managers to mete out reservoirs with greater confidence. Two watersheds in the western US are testing grounds for a new aerial approach.
Oil companies near multi-year highs. Still undervalued.Oil companies should no longer be valued by their reserves. New drilling technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling mean oil companies operate more like advanced manufacturers, which have much higher price-earnings ratios.
Solar Impulse departs for first sun-powered flight across USSolar Impulse embarked on the first transcontinental flight of its kind Friday. The Solar Impulse is a dramatic endorsement of clean-energy technology, but probably doesn't represent the future of aviation.
Is nuclear fusion power now possible?The quest for nuclear fusion power is well known, Daly writes, having been around since the dawn of the nuclear age, but the physics have precluded significant research. Until now.
