Energy Industry Archive

Another 600 megawatts of power from the sun and wind could be coursing through power lines by next year, if the plans of two major companies, Iberdrola Renewables and Sempra Generation, are successful in their plans. Iberdrola is suffering through a rough patch, having just told investors that its first quarter net profit is down 34 percent. However, much of the bad result was due not to bad...

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What if there were an energy storage device for vehicles that was cheaper, more compact and much faster to charge than a battery? EEStor’s ultracapacitors promise all of those things. Unfortunately, the startup doesn’t talk very much about itself. But, perhaps in honor of Earth Day, EEStor just decided to put out a brief press release boasting a huge achievement, a relative...

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Apache cuts 200 staff as activity slows –  Independent oil and gas firm Apache still may be looking to buy up assets from cash-strapped companies, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hurting from a decrease in oil prices. Apache joined a growing list of oil-related companies including ConocoPhillips, Baker Hughes and Halliburton by laying off about 6 percent or 200 of its...

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It’s Earth Day - the perfect time to reflect on what’s in store this year for the energy industry.  And what better way to illustrate the challenges the industry — that’s everything from oil and coal to solar and wind energy — is facing this year then to take a look at the polar opposite approaches of President Obama and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh...

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In the United States, it’s vehicle fuel; in the United Kingdom, electricity generation. But in both places, officials are casting a wary eye toward using wood, corn, grasses and other plant matter for energy. They fear that growing and transporting the material could actually add to greenhouse gas emissions. The detractor in the States is the California Air Resources Board, which is...

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Clean coal isn’t about science; it’s about name-calling, influence games and shifting voter opinion. The NYTimes has a piece, pulled from Greenwire, detailing the growing “propaganda war” between the coal industry and environmentalists set on shutting the business down. The Times piece is just the latest to detail the essentially information-free publicity battles taking...

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The United States’ 500 highest-grossing corporations had their worst year ever in 2008 – with profits plummeting 85 percent to $98.9 billion — as nearly every sector of the economy felt the slap of tight credit markets and skyrocketing energy costs. And then there was Big Oil, which scooped up billions in the first three quarters of the year as crude reached $147 per...

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Los Angeles has its eye set on becoming the “global capital of clean technology” — just don’t tell the dozen or so cities that are well ahead of it. The LA Times reports that the West Coast’s metropolis has put itself into the running with a partnership between local universities, aimed at competing for Federal subsidies. The competitors for that “global...

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EPA proposal on greenhouse gases could trigger regulation – The Environmental Protection Agency issued its proposal on greenhouse gases today, and as expected the agency has determined that CO2 — and five other gases including methane and hydrofluorocarbons – is bad for humans and contributes to global warming. The proposal may push lawmakers to begin drafting legislation or...

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Several companies including U.S. oil refiner Valero Energy have swooped up ethanol plants from bankrupt-plagued VeraSun Energy. But employees at many of these plants are still worrying and waiting for the deals to close so they can get back to work. Valero has the highest profile deal — seven ethanol plants, plus a development site for $477 million– an acquisition that launched the...

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