Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is one of the most renowned venture outfits in the world, so when they make a new investment, it’s usually worth a look. On Friday, Greentech Media reported that Kleiner Perkins has put money into an electric or hybrid car manufacturer, making it a doubly interesting investment. Just one problem — the firm...
Energy Industry Archive
May 2009
Geothermal energy, which uses the planet’s sub-surface heat to generate electricity, is a valued resource because it doesn’t emit greenhouse gases and can provide baseload power, in contrast to more unreliable sources like wind. For many years, the only problem has been that geothermal power is not readily accessible. But today, quite a few companies are searching for new ways to...
Bankrupt ethanol producer Aventine Renewable Energy is no longer tying up all its effort and hopes into recapitalization. Company leaders obviously aware of the massive hurdles it faces, has put its business up on the public selling block. Will another oil refiner, like Valero Energy, jump into the biz and buy up Aventine or will one of the remaining ethanol producers add to their growing...
Shell shakeup causes layoffs, efficiency measures — New Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser will preside over a division of Shell’s upstream business into separate Americas and international units, and see off hundreds to several thousand employees. Linda Cook, the gas and power chief passed over in favor of Voser, also resigned. The company envisions an overall reorganization that...
High-level international talks are increasingly about curbing the effects of climate change. Governments of all stripes should certainly be involved, no matter what their status as polluters is. But who else should be present? What about the oil, gas and coal businesses whose success rests on years of pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere? So far the feeling among environmental leaders...
Imperial Oil’s approval of its $7.1 billion Kearl Lake project snapped the Canadian oil sands industry out of an investment rut that has plagued it for months and has renewed hopes that the tide of job cuts, project delays and cancellations has turned for good. It’s also putting money — much to the chagrin of some Canadians – into Exxon’s pockets. It’s hard...
PetroChina buys 45.5 percent stake of Singapore Petroleum — In a sign that overseas investment by Chinese companies will continue unabated, PetroChina snapped up 45.5 percent of Singapore Petroleum for $1 billion from Keppel Corp., the world’s largest builder of offshore oil rigs. PetroChina’s purchase of Singapore Petroleum’s assets, which include a refining facility,...
It’s remarkable what ethanol plants are going for these days. Two separate ethanol plant purchases this week shine a glaring light on how far prices have dropped since last year. With prices this low, the ethanol-producing industry is going to experience rapid consolidation, that’s already begun. Philadelphia-based oil refiner Sunoco — jumped into the ethanol-producing...
Big Oil’s embrace of social media falls somewhere between a limp handshake and a bear hug. So I was intrigued by Shell’s announcement that it will use Twitter to publish hurricane updates for the upcoming storm season. Shell’s not the only one riding the Twitter bandwagon. Chevron, for example, has a new media adviser, whose tasks include official company Twitterer. With...
Wave power developer loses majority investor — Bad luck again for Pelamis Wave Power, which is testing out a series of ocean generators near Portugal. The company’s major investor, Babcock & Brown, has filed for bankruptcy, leaving Pelamis adrift until someone else steps in to take up Babcock’s stake. Late last month, Pelamis lost its UK partner E.ON, and other wave...
- Geoengineering Gets a Hearing in Congress -- and in the U.K., Too
- Lobbyists Accused of Blocking Climate Change Efforts
- Boxer Rolls Political Dice, Climate Bill Moves Onto Senate Floor
- Fossil Fuel Resource Leader? U.S. is No. 1 in World, Thanks to Coal
- Mariah Power Taps into iPhone App Cachet to Promote Wind Energy
- Buffet Bets the Farm on Strong Rail, Cheap Coal, Expensive Oil
- Week in Oil & Gas: Climate Bill Hurdles and Refining Blues
- Replacing Cars With Bikes? Not So Fast
- Chevron CEO O'Reilly: Refining Outlook Looks Sloppy Through 2011
- Clean Coal, a Global Failure in the Making
- First Solar: Knocked Off Course by an Acquisition
- Cow Burps OK: House, Senate Block EPA From Regulating Livestock Emissions
- Valero CEO: Climate Bill Threatens U.S. National Security
- China's Big Bet on Rail Transportation
- Week in Oil & Gas: Foreign Oil Sands Grab and Climate Shenanigans
- Week in Renewables: Glowing and Grim Reports, a New Bank, and Big Wind
- Sue Big Oil Over Global Warming? Court Tells Katrina Victims, Yes You Can!
- Clinton: Energy Efficiency Is Not Sexy, But Important Low-Hanging Fruit
- Geoengineering: From Crackpot Theorizing to Excuse Du Jour
- Clean Coal, a Global Failure in the Making
- Week in Renewables: Obama vs. Public Opinion, and New Energy Bets
- Wind Power Poised For a Possible Fast Recovery
- Boxer Rolls Political Dice, Climate Bill Moves Onto Senate Floor
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- Clinton: Energy Efficiency Is Not Sexy, But Important Low-Hanging Fruit
- Boxer Rolls Political Dice, Climate Bill Moves Onto Senate Floor
- Carbon Offsets: The Next Cash Crop for Farmers?
- Valero to Shutter Some Refinery Operations, Cut Hundreds of Jobs
- Canada Starts Doling Out Carbon Capture Dollars
- Big Three Automakers, Michigan Nab Bulk of U.S. Battery Grants
- POET CEO: Future of Second-Gen Biofuels Depends on E15
- Laureate Effect: Will a Nobel Prize In Obama's Hand Help or Hurt the Climate Bill Cause?
Industry Transcripts by Seeking Alpha
- Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Q3 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
- Syntroleum Corporation Q3 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
- BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. Q3 2009 Earnings Conference Call
- Central Vermont Public Services Q3 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
- Mariner Energy, Inc. Q3 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
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