US: State makes progress in kicking oil habit
While politicians in Washington appear to be making little headway in breaking the nation’s addiction to imported oil, California has made some real progress with innovative policies.
Renewable Energy
Scotland: Green energy scheme to connect Hebridean islands
THE wild Atlantic sound that divides the Hebridean islands of Harris and North Uist may be bridged for the first time by a £30m structure that harnesses the power of the waves to produce electricity.
The technofix isn’t. On “greening the petroleum economy”
Renewable energy works almost solely on the basis of using local resources, and can’t contribute efficiently to a grid in the quantities desired. What Amory Lovins knows, deep down, is that the peak of oil extraction globally will not allow for a transition to a less-intensive energy diet. His plan would have made sense three decades ago, perhaps, when global warming seemed just a theory.
Killing germs, reducing waste, making oil: TDP might be the next big thing
TDP turns just about anything into oil and fertilizer. And when I say “anything,” I mean that: animal waste, medical waste, human waste. Used diapers, used computers, used tires. Anything that’s not radioactive can be tossed into the hopper.
Raise the Roof: Power Source
The shingles that help to protect you from the elements could soon help to keep your lights on. Solar companies have developed light-absorbing roof tiles as a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to solar panels.
Oil and gas industries set to struggle
The renewable energy expert Harald Rostvik has warned of an imminent collapse in the oil and gas industries as supplies run dry.
Breaking free from energy dependence
Short of radically altering America’s driving habits, the United States cannot achieve energy independence without spending billions of dollars on new initiatives. And no political consensus exists to spend those sums despite decades of promises to cut oil imports. But new plans are emerging that might sway lawmakers.
Rising fossil fuel prices boost prospects for renewable energy
With oil reaching a record-high $54 a barrel and natural gas doubling in price in the last two years, renewable energy is looking a lot better – not just on environmental merits but on price.
China drafts law to promote green energy
China, plagued by a persistent energy shortage, is drafting a law requiring power companies to buy electricity generated by green energy sources, the China Daily said on Thursday.
Crude Will Hit “$60 Before $40”
Energy tycoon Boone Pickens says “we’ve seen $40 oil for the last time” and expects “$10 natural gas” probably within “four months”
From Wood to Coal in an Effort to Stop Deforestation
The competition between energy and environmental needs in Niger has taken centre stage of late, with authorities seeking to promote the use of coal in a bid to halt deforestation in the North African country.
Brown Sees Short Path to Oil Independence
“With the price of oil above $50 a barrel, with political
instability in the Middle East on the rise, and with little
slack in the world oil economy, we need a new energy strategy,”
says Lester R. Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, a
Washington, DC-based research institute. “Fortunately, the
outline of a new strategy is emerging with two new technologies.”
