Over a Barrel
Experts say we’re about to run out of oil. But we’re nowhere near having another technology ready to take its place.
Renewable Energy
Waving goodbye to oil
Soaring oil prices have convinced governments of the need for a change in energy technology – the race to build wave and tidal stream machines is on.
Future looking dim for power-line foes
Hastings Mesa, a rural US town in the San Juan Mountains is fighting to stay off the electricity grid. This low energy testbed community is under threat just as long term energy crises begin to loom on the horizon.
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.
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.
US: Energy independence may be a pipe dream
The presidential candidates are touting their plans to reduce the USA’s reliance on foreign energy sources. Are the campaign promises simply running on empty?
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.
