Rich nations must contribute more to a climate change fund and help fight deforestation, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in opening a conference Thursday on saving the world's forests - a key defense against global warming.

Solar Power Inc. installed solar panels at Marshall Medical Center. View Larger Solar Power Inc.

The disruptive power of innovation will not end when solar energy is $.01 per kilowatt-hour, or water is reused, recycled and desalinated so efficiently that water again becomes a cheap commodity.

Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law Wednesday offshore drilling legislation intended to realize his goal of making Virginia the East Coast's energy superpower.

Early last year, wind energy appeared poised for new heights, buoyed by a new administration, a push to cut greenhouse gases and dependence on foreign oil, and a Congress with comfortable Democratic majorities.

Solar thermal is a way of harnessing the largest source of energy available to us, so in this post I'll have a look at the upswing in interest in the use of this technology for electricity generation in recent years and look at some of the approaches being pursued to make it economically competitive with coal fired power generation.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/

Interest continues to bubble away in solar thermal power in Australia, with energy policy advocacy group "Beyond Zero Emissions" launching their "T10" campaign to switch Australia to 100% renewable power in a decade, largely using solar thermal power, and the Desertec Asia proposal also featuring concentrating solar power (CSP) heavily. At one point Prime Minster Kevin Rudd was promising to build the world's largest CSP plant here but that idea hasn't had any media airtime lately - and neither has Worley Parsons' proposal to build a large scale plant in north west WA. The most active plans to build a local CSP plant seem to be coming out of ERM Power, who are proposing gas / solar hybrid plants to be built in Queensland and/or NSW in conjunction with Siemens.

The company making the most waves from a technology point of view lately is Californian company eSolar, founded by IdeaLab's Bill Gross. eSolar has been in the news lately as a result of their partnership to construct turnkey CSP systems with German company Ferrostaal in Spain, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. eSolar has also received attention for Chinese plans to build 2000 MW of combined solar/biomass facilities using their technology.

Gross was recently interviewed for Yale Environment 360 and outlined his vision for improving the performance of solar thermal power generation, with some of his key points being :

* Use software to analyse and optimise performance of plants

The biggest lesson that we brought was ? I don?t know if it was a lesson, but it was a philosophy ? which is Internet-enable everything and put monitoring into everything. So we have a microprocessor in every mirror and we have statistics second-by-second on the status, position, reliability, pointing accuracy ? everything ? of every single mirror. We structured ourselves almost like an Internet company from the beginning to have logs of everything ? every revolution of the turbine, every control from the control room, every Web cam image captured ? so we could do data mining and data analysis on everything. We want the ability to make software upgrades and impact every power plant around the world. That?s probably one of the biggest differences between our technology and all other solar technology. If you [have] a big field of [photovoltaic] panels, those PV panels are there for 25 years. They?ll have that same performance, and there?s nothing you can do to change that. We can make a software upgrade and every power plant in the world can suddenly put out 3 percent more power potentially. And we found already a number of software improvements that we can make even over the past six months, which significantly boosts performance of an already-constructed power plant. There?s new improvements we can make to the actual hardware, too, but even without changing the hardware there are software changes that can make more power, so we?re really excited about that.

For renewable energy, about 80 percent, maybe 90 percent, of the cost is upfront and there?s no fuel costs and the only cost over the years is operation and maintenance, which is small. The biggest bottleneck is that these things cost big dollars, and you?re limited how fast you can grow by how much money you can raise to build plants. Our particular strategy to deal with that is to not have us be the bottleneck for raising that money. Our customers raise that money. If we want to renewably power this planet, it?s going to take a lot of capital, and that capital has to be spent upfront.

We have a strategy at eSolar to never impact pristine land. And the way we address that is several-fold. First, we have a higher output per acre, so we take a smaller footprint. Second, we?re economical at a smaller size. We can be fully economical at our 46-megawatt size. Those two things combined let us use a small enough footprint that we can locate on private land closer to population centers. So rather than needing 2,000 acres contiguous to make the economics work ? which you almost only can find far away on pristine land or [federal] land ? we can locate on only 200 acres very close to a city and we can buy previously disturbed farmland or other properties that?s already been developed so we?re not causing any disturbance to natural habitat. And that?s an important part of our philosophy. It gives us an economic advantage because we?re locating closer to transmission. That?s probably even a bigger factor. It takes years and years to build the transmission out to the pristine lands. [But] the power plant, for example, in Lancaster [California], is across the street from a transmission line. We didn?t have to build miles and miles of transmission, which takes years and years to get people to approve.

I feel we still need to get almost another factor of two in the reduction of energy costs to potentially compete with coal. We?re already close to competing with natural gas. It depends on the sunshine and the region. Another factor of two is going to require two things to make that happen: Approximately 25 percent of that can be gotten by adding [energy] storage, and 25 percent can be gotten by increasing efficiency and lowering costs by volume production. We produced 500 mirrors two years ago, 24,000 last year, and this year we?ll produce a million. So we?re going to get a quantity break just by going to a million mirrors from 24,000. And everything gets more efficient in the supply chains as you get up to those volumes. Anything that we buy in our lives that has dramatic cost reduction has seen a million ? a million cars, or a million iPhones, or a million laptops. So far there?s only been thousands of heliostats. So finally this year we?ll cross the million number and that?s when we can get the price reduction to really be competitive with fossil fuels.

Previously at The Oil Drum :

Concentrating On The Important Things - Solar Thermal Power

Concentrating Solar Power

Cross posted from Peak Energy.

John Michael Greer: Barbarism and good brandy

Think of it this way. The individual photons that heat the planet Mercury each contain, on average, the same quantity of energy as the individual photons that heat the planet Neptune. Is Neptune as warm as Mercury? Not hardly, and the reason is that by the time they get out to the orbit of Neptune, the Sun?s rays are spread out over a much vaster area, so each square foot of Neptune gets a lot fewer photons than a corresponding square foot of Mercury. The photons are less concentrated in space, and that, not the quantity of energy they contain, determines how much of the hard work of heating a planet they are able to do. There are stars in the night sky that produce photons far more energetic, on average, than those released by the Sun, but you?re not going to get a star tan from their light!

This may seem like an obvious point. Still, it deserves restatement, because so many contemporary plans for using solar energy ignore it, fixating on the raw quantity of solar energy that reaches the Earth rather than the very modest concentration of that energy. A habit of comforting abstraction feeds that sort of thinking. It?s easy to insist, for example, that the quantity of solar energy falling annually on some fairly small fraction of the state of Nevada, let?s say, is equal to the quantity of energy that the US uses as electricity each year, and to jump from there to insist that if we just cover a hundred square miles of Nevada with mirrors, so all that sunlight can be used to generate steam, we?ll be fine.

What gets misplaced in appealing fantasies of this sort? Broadly speaking, three things.

ANALYSIS - OPEC may face Iraq challenge sooner than expected

DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - The storm brewing on OPEC's horizon over future Iraqi oil output could engulf the producer group sooner than it would like.

OPEC was unlikely to discuss Iraq at its meeting on March 17 but it may need to do so within a couple of years.

"There's only one issue, but it's a big one. It's a tsunami. Iraq," said Leo Drollas at the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

After years of sanctions and war, Iraq is exempt from the output targets OPEC uses to set supply levels.

But as Baghdad embarks on an unprecedented oil industry development, OPEC will at some point need to bring Iraq back into the fold to prevent millions of barrels of new oil supply undoing its work to balance markets.

Drilling starts on Saudi ?supergiant? Manifa oil project

Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with the biggest offshore oil development in its history, despite having about 4 million barrels per day (bpd) of idle crude production capacity.

Development of the ?supergiant? Manifa oilfield, containing an estimated 10 billion barrels of reserves, is ?on time and on budget?, said Mohammed al Abdulkarim, the manager of the Manifa project for Saudi Aramco, the national petroleum company, on the sidelines of the DrillTech conference in Abu Dhabi.

According to a statement on Aramco?s website, oil production from Manifa will start in 2013, two years before the project?s scheduled completion. Manifa is one of several oil developments the kingdom is pursuing to maintain its production capacity at the record 12.5 million bpd reached last June.

Shale gas could supply 100 yrs of consumption

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The natural gas shale boom in North America has more than doubled discovered gas resources and can supply more than a century of consumption at current rates, an IHS CERA study released Wednesday said.

As recently as 2007, it was widely thought that natural gas was in tight supply and the U.S. would need to import gas, said Daniel Yergin, chairman of IHS CERA.

But a long-lasting "shale gale" has squashed that outlook, he said at the annual CERAWeek conference in Houston.

Ecuador Oil Min sees no OPEC production change

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador Oil Minister and OPEC President Germano Pinto said Thursday that OPEC has no need to change output policies at its meeting on March 17 and sees oil prices stable in the range of $70 to $80 a barrel for the rest of 2010.

"Right now there is no change planned for (OPEC) production policy," Pinto told reporters.

Iran Oil Fund to Expand If Crude Stays Above $65

(Bloomberg) -- Iran, holder of the world?s second- biggest oil and gas reserves, will add to its oil stabilization fund if crude prices remain over $65 in the coming 12 months, the deputy central bank governor said.

?As long as the price of petroleum is over $65 per barrel Iran will gain extra petroleum revenue, which will find its way into the oil stabilization fund,? Hossein Ghazavi said in a phone interview from Tehran late yesterday. He declined to comment on the current balance of the fund, which is aimed at providing protection for the economy should oil prices slide.

FACTBOX - China in Central Asia: latest investments

(Reuters) - Energy-hungry China is stepping up its presence in former Soviet Central Asia by handing out billions of dollars in loans, snapping up energy assets and building a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan.

Below is the list of recent Chinese investments.

ExxonMobil plans 4% spending boost

US supermajor ExxonMobil will increase its capital spending nearly 4% this year to $28 billion as it evaluates new fields around the world, but it cautioned that the global economy remained unsteady.

Venezuelan president says government not to blame for energy crisis

President of the Republic Hugo Chavez Frias rejected accusations by industrial sectors in the country blaming his government for the energy crisis and he called them irresponsible for the recent comments by the leaders of Fedecamaras [Venezuelan Federation of Associations and Chambers of Commerce and Industry].

The president asked for understanding from the country's different sectors during the ceremony to see off the Venezuelan team that will travel to the South American Games.

Mindanao now under state of calamity

President Gloria Arroyo on Thursday placed Mindanao under a state of calamity as the region continued to reel from the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Chairman Norberto Gonzales proposed to President Arroyo on Wednesday the declaration of the state of calamity in Mindanao to counter the effects of El Niño in the region.

Now, that's how you treat the 'won't pays'

Spare a thought for three protest leaders in Mexico who've been jailed for contesting electricity charges. Not sent a final demand, mind, nor had their electricity cut off - sent to jail. It happened after residents of the state of Campeche in the east of Mexico refused to pay electricity bills, which they claimed were unreasonably high.

Is Saudi Aramco laughing off clean tech?

Saudi Arabia faces a conundrum on renewables. It is a wealthy country thanks to its oil exports, and its own domestic economy also benefits from heavily-subsidised oil, which is used in electricity generation. But i does share some common interests with the renewable energy industry - and not just building the odd solar plant.

Because of its role as the swing producer of the world?s oil, Saudi Arabia is more responsible for keeping oil prices high than any other country.

Without Opec?s production quotas - even with compliance levels falling - it?s widely believed oil prices would be much lower than they currently are. That almost certainly would have made the slump in renewables investment that began in 2008 much worse.

Nukes in my backyard

(Fortune Magazine) -- Long left for dead, the U.S. nuclear power industry appears poised for a comeback.

President Barack Obama earlier this year announced an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to help the Georgia utility Southern Co. build two large reactors, and he wants to triple the amount of federal loan guarantees for plant construction to $54 billion. Obama hopes a slew of new plants will create jobs and lots of affordable, clean electricity.

The problem: Even with the help of loan guarantees, full-scale nuclear power plants remain insanely expensive to build (conventional plants start at $5 billion, industry executives say).

Some industry players, such as Toshiba, Hyperion Power Generation, and NuScale Power, think they have a better idea: small, distributed units designed to power the equivalent of a midsize town.

How to provide relief to rural Americans, create jobs, and lower emissions ... all at once!

Who does that leave out? Who doesn't have upfront capital and doesn't live in a city with money to spend on PACE? You guessed it: rural homeowners.

This matters for several reasons. First off, rural homes -- over 20 percent of which are manufactured homes -- are substantially less efficient than their urban and suburban counterparts. That's why, even though their homes are generally smaller and their electricity is generally cheaper, the average rural household pays $200-$400 more a year on energy bills than comparable urban households. And given that they make roughly $10,000 less per year, that's not chump change.

Second, rural Americans are precisely the ones most politically hostile to climate action, which they see as a liberal political program that primarily benefits cities and coastal elites. Direct energy benefits to rural homeowners could help change the political landscape and ease further action.

James Howard Kunstler in Cleveland

Sunday, March 14 - The incisive social critic known for "The Long Emergency" and "The Geography of Nowhere," a widely taught book on suburban sprawl, makes a rare appearance to discuss his ideas, and his first novel, "World Made by Hand," which debuted to mostly strong notices in 2008.

Sprawling Misconceptions

James Howard Kunstler doesn?t think highly of libertarian newsman John Stossel. Assuming this is what Kunstler is talking about (see No. 2), you can?t blame him. Stossel defends suburban sprawl and accuses its opponents ? like Kunstler ? of forcing lifestyle choices onto others ?by limiting where they can build.? The fallacy of this view has been pointed out about 100 times. For the 101st time: sprawl ? an umbrella term for the pattern of development seen virtually everywhere in the United States ? is not caused by the free market. It is, rather, mandated by a vast and seemingly intractable network of government regulations, from zoning laws and building codes to street design regulations. If Stossel wants to expand Americans? lifestyle choices, he should attack the very thing he was defending, namely, suburban sprawl.

It?s odd that self-described libertarians such as Stossel are so slow to grasp that government planning makes sprawl ubiquitous. You would think that libertarians would instinctively grasp the deeply statist nature of suburban development. First of all, with a depressingly few exceptions, virtually every town in America looks the same. That is, it has the same landscape of arterial roads, strip malls, and residential subdivisions, accessibly only by car. Surely, given America?s celebrated diversity, you would also see a diversity of places. As it turns out, all but a few people live the same suburban lifestyle. Government, as libertarian assumptions would predict, is the culprit.

Are "More Jobs" Sustainable or Necessary in the Post-Peak Oil World?

What was required for a growing economy, that was supposed to uplift all of modern humanity, is at root a false notion for the manipulated public: the overwhelming majority must work for others to enrich the few so that all of society benefits through unlimited expansion. This problematic profit-scheme is failing to hold up, what with general economic uncertainty on the rise (apart from ?Hope?) and the advanced depletion of easily extracted, cheap oil.

To put even greater pressure on our bankrupt (in so many ways) system, the ecological crisis is knocking at the door ever more threateningly, demanding not mere policy adjustments but a radically different approach to treating the Earth and all its people and species.

How Your Twitter Account Could Land You in Jail

The raid occurred just as the protests were starting, but even as Madison and Wallschlaeger were arrested, the information flowed from the other tweeters without a blip. "A comms facility was raided, but we are still fully operational please continue to submit reports" stated one subsequent tweet.

The real-time updates were available to anyone who followed the feed, allowing protesters to see the theater of operations and add information to the picture. It was as if the demonstrators had gotten their own helicopter. Tin Can Comms sent out messages such as "SWAT teams rolling down 5th Ave towards Schenley" and "40 cops, w/ bus, headed towards friendship park." The police knew they were being outflanked, but could do little against a decentralized foe: "SCANNER JUST SAID: BE ADVISED WE'RE BEING MONITORED BY ANARCHISTS THROUGH SCANNER," noted one Tin Can tweet.

...Madison calls the arrest an attempt to "stifle dissent" and says his actions were "perfectly legal." His lawyer, Martin Stolar, calls them "absolutely protected speech." Madison also points out the irony that last June the State Department asked Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance so as not to interrupt Iranian protesters tweeting from the barricades.

The curious story of Chinese oil refining

The narrowing gap between current and forward crude oil contract prices in recent weeks has been been widely attributed to two things.

OECD oil storage, the story goes, is falling and oil stored at sea is also widely believed to be declining - both paving the way for Asian demand growth to really kick in, in terms of prices. Yet it?s not completely clear cut: crude inventory volumes are mostly a pretty opaque affair, and the all-important Chinese demand for crude and products is particularly fuzzy. In fact the IEA pointed out in November that uncertainty over demand for, and storage of, refined products in China was such that it made the entire worldwide demand outlook rather challenging.

Now, Olivier Jakob of PetroMatrix makes a strong case that, far from using up its product inventories, China is awash in product - so much so that it?s exporting it.

Oil near $82 as traders eye weak US demand

Oil prices hovered around $82 a barrel Thursday in Europe as traders weighed stagnant U.S. crude demand against a gradual global economic recovery.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for April delivery was up 20 cents to $82.29 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 60 cents to settle at $82.09 on Wednesday.

IEA?s Oil Demand Forecast Will Be Little Changed, Tanaka Says

(Bloomberg) -- The International Energy Agency?s global oil demand forecast will likely be little changed this month, as economic uncertainty in developed nations overshadows emerging-market growth, Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said.

The AGE of ENERGY SCARE city

There is an assumption many on this Earth share: one that says the world revolves around money. It doesn?t. It revolves around oil. Cheap oil. And without it, the gears that run this current globalized economy will come screeching to a halt. Over the last few decades, we were warned about a time when the demand for petroleum would outpace supply.

Unfortunately, this time will soon come: it?s called peak oil.

Natural gas industry charged with making case to policymakers

The emergence of natural gas shales could extend U.S. energy supplies for decades and help address climate change concerns, but the industry faces what one executive called a ?promotion challenge? in convincing policymakers and the public of the fuel?s benefits.

The industry must do more to make the case, oil and gas leaders said Wednesday at the CERAWeek energy conference. That means dispelling what they consider myths about the ability of renewables to quickly replace fossil fuels and about environmental dangers of new natural gas extraction techniques.

No ?crude expropriation? of BP gas field

MOSCOW - A top Russian official said Thursday there should be no ?crude expropriation? of a huge Siberian gas field owned by a unit of British energy giant BP amid a dispute over its license.

The dispute over the Kovykta field ? seen as a potential source of energy to China ? should be resolved amicably, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

India Seeks Partnerships With Rosneft, Gazprom for Russia Areas

(Bloomberg) -- India will seek stakes in Russia?s oil and gas fields in partnership with Rosneft Oil Co. and Gazprom OAO during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin?s visit to New Delhi, a government official said.

The South Asian nation wants stakes in fields in the Yamal Peninsula, East Siberia and the Sakhalin-3 project for state- owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp., the official said in New Delhi today, asking not to be identified before the talks.

Russia may invite India ONGC to energy projects-govt

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is considering inviting India's state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp to develop oil and gas fields in Russia, the government said on Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to India.

BP wins foothold in Brazil with £4.7 bln deal

LONDON (AFP) ? Oil giant BP said Thursday it will pay US firm Devon Energy $7 billion (£4.7 billion) for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the Gulf of Mexico.

The London-listed firm will pay US firm Devon Energy in cash for the assets, the group said in an official statement, which announced the "broad-ranging deal."

"BP today announced a transaction that will deliver a material exploration position in ... deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas," the company said.

The Brazilian assets will mark the British group's first foray into the emerging market country.

Brazil Lawmakers Pass Bill to Boost Some States? Oil Royalties

(Bloomberg) -- Brazilian states and cities that don?t produce oil would get a bigger share of revenue raised from offshore output under a measure passed by the lower house.

Shell confirms shift away from oil sands

EDMONTON - Royal Dutch Shell's apparent change of investment emphasis away from the oil sands could put future Canadian projects in jeopardy.

In yesterday's edition of London's Financial Times, chief executive Peter Voser said future oil sands developments would be "very much slower."

Shell shelved long-term planning in late 2008 for new projects, and has not revisited the decision.

Alberta?s Tar Sands and the Dead Duck Trial

In an Alberta court, the oil sands giant Syncrude Canada has entered the second week of a high-profile case brought by federal and provincial prosecutors over the widely publicized deaths two years ago of 1,600 migrating ducks that were trapped in the toxic sludge floating on one of the company?s vast tailings ponds.

Insisting that the failure of its bird-deterring air cannons doesn?t constitute a crime, Syncrude has pleaded not guilty.

Texas earthquakes may be linked to wells for gas mining

Saltwater pumped deep into the earth in a natural gas mining operation offers a "plausible," though not definitive, explanation for small earthquakes in Texas in 2008 and 2009, scientists say.

Middletown Building Official Declares 6 Major Buildings At Kleen Energy Power Plant Unsafe

MIDDLETOWN ? - The owners of the Kleen Energy power plant, extensively damaged in a Feb. 7 natural gas explosion that killed six people, face a substantial rebuilding project.

Six major buildings at the site have been declared unsafe by Middletown's building official, John Parker. These include the plant's central core ? the power block building that houses the three turbines, the generators and the pair of 220-foot high stacks that make up the heat-recovery system.

Toyota could face criminal charges related to safety recalls

Toyota could be the first automaker to face tough penalties enacted after rollover recalls involving Ford autos and Firestone tires in 2000.

Oil Execs Chortle as Obama Admin Promotes Renewables

HOUSTON -- Renewable energy is being praised in Washington, but it is generating snickers here in the nation's traditional energy capital, where oil, gas and utility leaders are gathered for a major industry conference.

The Lithium Chase

For many years, few metals drew bigger yawns from mining executives than lithium, a lightweight element long associated mostly with mood-stabilizing drugs.

Suddenly, the yawns are being replaced by eurekas. As awareness spreads that lithium is a crucial ingredient for hybrid and electric cars, a global hunt is under way for new supplies of the metal.

China Idles 40% of Windpower Turbine Output Capacity

(Bloomberg) -- China is idling as much as 40 percent of its wind-turbine factories following a surge in investment driven by the government?s renewable-energy goals, the vice president of Shanghai Electric Group Corp. said.

Prices of turbines have tumbled more than 30 percent from 2004 levels in the world?s third-biggest windpower market by generating capacity because there are ?too many? plants, Lu Yachen said in an interview in Beijing today.

Developers Lament Loss of Federal Wind Subsidies in Canada

The Canadian Wind Energy Association is expressing disappointment with the federal government?s recent decision not to expand or extend the so-called ecoEnergy program ? which delivered subsidies to renewable energy developers ? in its new budget.

Solar power could provide 10% of US energy: report

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? The United States could source 10 percent of its electricity from solar power by 2030, a report said Tuesday, winning support from a US lawmaker who wants to boost the number of US solar panels.

The report, produced by the independent environmental group Environment America, was presented to Congress with backing from Senator Bernie Sanders who in February introduced legislation to install 10 million solar panels across the United States within a decade.

Solar Prospectors Chase Italian, Israeli ?Gold Mines?

(Bloomberg) -- Olivier de Vergnies quit managing family fortunes at Dexia Private Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. in 2008 to run a New York start-up at 100 Wall St. that?s trying to tap riches in solar energy.

The chief executive officer of two-year-old Prime Sun Power Inc. is hiring hundreds of workers to build solar plants in Italy, where he can sell electricity for about six times the price paid to coal- and natural gas-fired generators.

Los Angeles Electric Rate Linked to Solar Power

LOS ANGELES ? Los Angeles averages more than 300 days of sunshine a year, and it often seems as if environmentalists outnumber rattlesnakes in many parts of the sprawling city. It would seem, then, that solar energy would be a thriving local industry here.

But that has never been the case, and experts cite cost as the main reason.

Now, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the United States, is poised to pass a roughly 5 percent rate increase on electricity use. The proceeds would be earmarked for renewable energy purchases and programs, including one that would repay people or businesses that use solar panels to contribute to the power grid.

California Utility Regulators Not Quite Ready for Fuel Cells

While Google, Wal-Mart and other corporations have embraced fuel cells, California regulators have turned down requests from the state?s two biggest utilities to install the technology.

In a preliminary decision, an administrative law judge with the California Public Utilities Commission found unwarranted an application from Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California to spend more than $43 million to install fuel cells that would generate six megawatts of electricity.

Coffee, an alternative fuel? "Car-puccino" runs on espresso

The car, averaging 56 espressos per mile, has a system that converts used coffee grounds into flammable gas.

More maize ethanol may boost greenhouse gas emissions

In the March issue of BioScience, researchers present a sophisticated new analysis of the effects of boosting use of maize-derived ethanol on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, conducted by Thomas W. Hertel of Purdue University and five co-authors, focuses on how mandated increases in production of the biofuel in the United States will trigger land-use changes domestically and elsewhere. In response to the increased demand for maize, farmers convert additional land to crops, and this conversion can boost carbon dioxide emissions.

The analysis combines ecological data with a global economic commodity and trade model to project the effects of US maize ethanol production on carbon dioxide emissions resulting from land-use changes in 18 regions across the globe. The researchers' main conclusion is stark: these indirect, market-mediated effects on greenhouse gas emissions "are enough to cancel out the benefits the corn ethanol has on global warming."

City sets out healthy amibitions for local food

Bristol City Council has launched its first ever Food Charter, setting out its ambitions for healthier and more locally produced food.

The charter aims to promote Fairtrade and locally produced food, encourage people to get their ?five a day?, and deal with the impact of Peak Oil and the challenges it presents our food supply.

Increasing Yields and Decreasing Fertilizer Waste on Subsistence Farms

A new agricultural technology that cuts nitrogen fertilizer waste in half while increasing rice yields is spreading quickly in Bangladesh and is being investigated by 15 other nations, including more than a dozen in sub-Saharan Africa.

The water-energy nexus

Available water, says Simmons, is increasingly brackish or saline, which is energy-intensive to convert to drinkable water.

And energy - particularly some newer sources, such as solar thermal and shale gas, are extremely water-intensive:

Simmons is not alone in this view. At the CERA Week conference under way in Houston, the water problem was addressed in a panel on Wednesday.

Cyprus conflict closes leaders' eyes to water shortage

Water has been rapidly disappearing in Cyprus since the 1970s, but conflict between Turkish and Greek communities means fixing the problem is not high on the political agenda. The BBC's Alex Bell finds that Cypriots are now struggling for control of land that is slowly dying.

No longer the great white north

The future presents lots of things to worry about -- melting glaciers, giant asteroids, Iranian nukes, peak oil. The smart futurists, however, know that nothing is as scary as the declining birthrates in western countries like Canada. Without people we won't have workers, and without workers we won't have an economy.

Arctic 'doomsday vault' growing

A "doomsday" vault storing crop seeds in an Arctic deep freeze is surpassing 500,000 samples, to become the most diverse collection of food seeds in history.

Set up on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard two years ago, the vault aims to store seeds of all food crops deep beneath permafrost to withstand threats ranging from a cataclysmic nuclear war to a mundane power cut.

How Green Is My Mansion?

MITCH KAPOR, the software mogul and philanthropist, has given millions of dollars to environmental groups.

Now Mr. Kapor wants to build a 10,000-square-foot house, complete with a 10-car garage, in Berkeley, Calif.

When the house won planning approval earlier this year, many neighbors were surprised ? not so much by the size of the house, or by its sleek design, but by the fact that, under Berkeley regulations, the house will qualify as ?green.? In Berkeley, building proposals are evaluated on a ?green point? scale, earning credit for such eco-conscious features as low-flow shower heads and insulation. A house with more than 60 points is labeled green, regardless of its size.

Noel Kempff project is 'saving the forest' by forcing destruction elsewhere

It is the ultimate greenwash nightmare. A tough international deal to curb emissions of greenhouse gases is passed in Mexico later this year. Companies then meet their targets not by cutting their own pollution but by buying into hundreds of forest "conservation" projects round the world. But those projects then fail to deliver real benefits for forests or staunch the flow of carbon into the atmosphere.

Some big-time green groups prosper but the planet burns.

UN is not working, says Sarkozy

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday demanded a revamp of the United Nations and urged negotiations under a small group of countries to accelerate efforts to fight climate change.

Sarkozy, in a speech to open a one-day conference on fighting deforestation, stood by the UN, saying there was "no alternative strategy" to a forum that gave all nations, rich and poor, a voice in a global arena.

But he said changes to the UN were way overdue.

Industry slow to sell biocharcoal climate merits

LONDON (Reuters) - Industry has struggled to commercialize a charcoal technology which some say could reverse the effect of manmade carbon emissions, as countries fail to implement incentives and technical problems nag.

Questions about research slow climate change efforts

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? The violent threats are not what bother Michael Mann the most. He's used to them.

Instead, it's the fact that his life's work ? the effort to stop global warming ? has been under siege since last fall. That's when Mann suddenly found himself in the middle of the so-called "climategate" scandal, in which more than 1,000 e-mails among top climate scientists ? including Mann ? were obtained illegally by hackers and published on the Internet.

Japan weakens climate bill after industry pressure

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan watered down legislation to fight climate change on Thursday after weeks of wrangling within the government over plans for an emissions trading system that has met stiff opposition from industry.

The climate bill, set to be enacted by parliament by mid-June, said the government would consider using emission caps per unit of production in the planned trading scheme, which would allow rises in emissions when output grows.

Emissions figures don't stack up: professor

THE Rudd government ramped up the environmental benefits of its botched $2.45 billion home insulation scheme by grossly overstating the cuts in greenhouse gas emissions that could be achieved by households, expert independent analysis says.

Greenhouse gas limits to change ops

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. - In June, the air station will know how much it needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and that could lead to some big changes in station operations.

The Department of Defense is expected to soon release reduction goals for military bases after President Barack Obama tasked all federal agencies to establish new greenhouse gas policies in an executive order, released Oct. 8, 2009.

This is a guest post by Megan Quinn Bachman.

The failure of the Copenhagen climate talks taught us one thing?that hoping for intelligent responses to climate change from the world?s governments is an exercise in futility. It?s just not going to happen in time.

But my disappointment in government leaders in the U.S. and elsewhere is matched by my admiration for a new influential group of Americans, whom I call lifestyle leaders?for they are taking matters into their own hands, such as through building gardens, weatherizing their homes, getting rid of their cars, moving off-grid, bartering with neighbors and joining Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

Believing this group may hold the key to the rapid dissemination of low-energy lifestyles among the general public, I conducted an online survey on two sustainability-oriented listservs in late 2009 of 2,005 of those who have made changes to their lifestyles in response to climate change, peak oil and other environmental threats.

What have these early adopters done in response to these threats? More than two-thirds of survey takers said they cut purchases, bought more local goods and services, conserved energy in their homes and put in a garden. One-sixth have started new careers, such as a truck driver who became a permaculture teacher.

And these early adopters are reaching out to others. Nine out of ten are helping others to make similar changes, mostly by talking to people and modeling sustainable behaviors. Take the case of a 40-year-old man from Pennsylvania, who helps his neighbors grow their own food. ?Our goal is to produce an example of what suburbanites must do to survive the collapse of our current system,? he wrote.

What were the hardest changes to make? Driving less and changing their diet, both a product of bad habits. ?Not jumping into a car every time I turned around,? was how one respondent, a 52-year old man from rural Wisconsin, explained it.

What To Do? Other barriers to effective action were cost, especially financing expensive home retrofits and renewable energy systems, lack of support from one?s family, especially when it comes to diet change, and lack of community and societal support, particularly when local food products and mass transit services were not available.

Understanding these barriers is critical?for if these exceptionally motivated individuals are held back, we can assume other people will have similar difficulties. These findings may help us all to learn what to expect.

The good news is that it hasn?t been all hard times for these lifestyle leaders. Many changes have made their lives better, like adopting a low-energy and local diet, gardening (which was frequently described as ?fun?) and walking and bicycling more. More than three-quarters of respondents reported greater happiness satisfaction or personal growth since embracing new ways of living.

Those lifestyle change leaders making the more significant reductions in fossil fuel use are pioneering a new way to live on this planet that everyone will eventually have to adopt to preserve climate stability and survive the end of the fossil fuel age. Some survey findings that may help those working to accelerate awareness and action among the general public are:

• People are driven to act in the face of global threats largely by a sense of right and wrong ? their conscience ? with some encouragement and inspiration from books, movies, media programs and articles.
• Emphasizing the positive consequences of particular lifestyle changes, and focusing on health and wellness benefits and a simpler, more satisfying life may be more effective ways to encourage change than promoting financial savings.
• The lack of support from one?s community and family and lack of assistance with overcoming unhelpful personal habits and attitudes are more significant roadblocks to effective response than not having enough information on what actions to take.
• Growing one?s own food is a popular and transformative way to begin living a more sustainable lifestyle, and may lead to a new career opportunity and the development of more community support.
• Most people do not feel they need to measure the impact of their lifestyle changes, but some think such feedback would motivate and assist them with doing more. Setting goals, even without measurement, is extremely helpful.
• Nine out of ten people plan to make additional changes, including starting or expanding a garden, installing a renewable energy system, or working with others in their local community to make broader, more systemic changes.

Instead of waiting for the results of the next climate change summit in Mexico, why not get to work as individuals and communities? Ultimately whether we meet carbon dioxide reduction targets or not comes down to what we do, or not do, as energy consumers.

As a 59-year-old rural Kentucky man said in the survey, ?Though I don?t have much faith that we as a nation, or world, are willing to make the needed changes, I believe we must work toward those changes...The only true way to fail is to not try.?

Megan Quinn Bachman did this survey as part of her course work for a master?s degree in earth and environmental education at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. For a complete report on the survey?s findings, email her at megan@ecowatch.org

This is a guest post by Richard Heinberg. It is a shortened version of a longer post published by the Post Carbon Institute.

What if the economy doesn?t recover?

In 2008 the U.S. economy tripped down a steep, rocky slope. Employment levels plummeted; so did purchases of autos and other consumer goods. Property values crashed; foreclosure and bankruptcy rates bled. For states, counties, cities, and towns; for manufacturers, retailers, and middle- and low-income families, the consequences were?and continue to be?catastrophic. Other nations were soon caught up in the undertow.

In late 2009, the economy showed some signs of renewed vigor. Understandably, everyone wants it to get ?back to normal.? But here?s a disturbing thought: What if that is not possible? What if the goalposts have been moved, the rules rewritten, the game changed? What if the decades-long era of economic growth based on ever-increasing rates of resource extraction, manufacturing, and consumption is over, finished, and done? What if the economic conditions that all of us grew up expecting to continue practically forever were merely a blip on history?s timeline?

It?s an uncomfortable idea, but one that cannot be ignored: The ?normal? late-20^th century economy of seemingly endless growth actually emerged from an aberrant set of conditions that cannot be perpetuated.

That ?normal? is gone. One way or another, a ?new normal? will emerge to replace it. Can we build a different, more sustainable economy to replace the one now in tatters?

Let?s be clear: I believe we are in for some very hard times. The transitional period on our way toward a post-growth, equilibrium economy will prove to be the most challenging time any of us has ever lived through. Nevertheless, I am convinced that we can survive this collective journey, and that if we make sound choices as families and communities, life can actually be better for us in the decades ahead than it was during the heady days of seemingly endless economic expansion.

Four Propositions

The following summary statements are fundamental both to grasping our current situation and managing our way toward a desirable future:

1. We have reached the end of economic growth as we have known it. The ?growth? we are talking about consists of the expansion of the overall size of the economy (with more people being served and more money changing hands) and of the quantities of energy and material goods flowing through it. The economic crisis that began in 2008 was both foreseeable and inevitable, and it marks a permanent, fundamental break from past decades?a period in which economists adopted the unrealistic view that perpetual economic growth is necessary and also possible to achieve.

As we will see, there are fundamental constraints to ongoing economic expansion, and the world is beginning to encounter those constraints. This is not to say the U.S. or the world will never see another quarter or year of growth relative to the previous year. Rather, the point is that when the bumps are averaged out, the general trend-line of the economy (measured in terms of production and consumption of real goods) will be level or downward rather than upward from now on.

2. The basic factors that will inevitably shape whatever replaces the growth economy are knowable. To survive and thrive for long, societies have to operate within the planet?s budget of sustainably extractable resources. This means that even if we don?t know exactly what a desirable post-growth economy and lifestyle will look like, we know enough to begin working toward them.

3. It is possible for economies to persist for centuries or millennia with no or minimal growth. That is how most economies operated until recent times. If billions of people (cumulatively) through countless generations lived without economic growth, we can do so as well?now and far into the future. The end of growth does not mean the end of the world.

4. Life in a non-growing economy can be fulfilling, interesting, and secure. The absence of growth does not imply a lack of change or improvement. Within a non-growing or equilibrium economy, there can still be a continuous development of practical skills, artistic expression, and technology.

In fact, some historians and social scientists argue that life in an equilibrium economy can be superior to life in a fast-growing economy: while growth creates opportunities for some, it also typically intensifies competition?there are big winners and big losers, and (as in most boom towns) the quality of relations within the community can suffer as a result. Within a non-growing economy it is possible to maximize benefits and reduce factors leading to decay, but doing so will require pursuing appropriate goals: instead of more, we must strive for better; rather than promoting increased economic activity for its own sake, we must emphasize whatever increases quality of life without stoking consumption. One way to do this is to reinvent and redefine growth itself.

The transition to a no-growth economy (or one in which growth is defined in a fundamentally different way) is inevitable, but it will go much better if we plan for it rather than simply watching in dismay as institutions we have come to rely upon fail, and then try to improvise a survival strategy in their absence.

In effect, we have to create a desirable ?new normal? that fits the constraints imposed by depleting natural resources. Maintaining the ?old normal? is not an option; if we do not find new goals for ourselves and plan our transition from a growth-based economy to a healthy equilibrium economy, we will by default create a much less desirable ?new normal? whose emergence we are already beginning to see in the forms of persistent high unemployment, a widening gap between rich and poor, and ever more frequent and worsening financial and environmental crises?all of which translate to profound distress for individuals, families, and communities.

Journey to a New Economy

The propositions described above are the starting points for a search that can be summarized in a single question: What are the guideposts toward a livable, inviting post-growth society?

This search has in many instances entailed a literal, geographic journey. During the past few years, as I traveled the lecture circuit, I met thousands of people who had already concluded on their own that the global stage was being set for an economic crash of epic proportions. They had passed through the psychological stages of grief?denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They were thinking creatively, building new lives, and experimenting with a wide range of strategies for meeting basic human needs while using much less of just about everything.

Some of these folks, like me, had been thinking along these lines for a long time?since the 1970s. Many were much younger, though, had learned about Peak Oil or climate change just within the past few years, and had recently decided to devote their lives to building a post-hydrocarbon world. Some were clearly members of what was known in the 1970s as the ?counterculture.? Others were mainstream citizens?investment bankers, real estate sellers, high school teachers, small business owners, corporate middle managers?who had chanced upon information that awakened them forcibly from their routines. Many of these folks lived in large cities, but others in small towns or on farms; some were rich, some poor (a few by choice); some were devout, others agnostic or atheist; some were working alone on survivalist projects, while others were building community organizations; some saw the transition as a business opportunity while others were working through non-profit organizations. Here are just three examples that stand out.

In 2005, while on a lecture tour in Ireland, I met a young college teacher named Rob Hopkins who believed that life could be better without fossil fuels. He had led his students in developing an ?Energy Descent Action Plan? for their town, and believed he had the seed for something larger and more significant. He soon moved back to his native England to earn his Ph.D., and designed his thesis project around helping the village of Totnes begin a cooperative, phased process of transitioning away from its dependence on fossil fuels. This project in turn led to the start of a series of Transition Initiatives in villages, towns, and neighborhoods throughout the U.K. In 2007, a version of Rob?s written Ph.D. thesis was published as a book (The Transition Handbook) that quickly began inspiring others to take up this strategy. Today there are hundreds of Transition Initiatives at various stages of development in a dozen countries (including about 60 in the U.S.).

While in Montana for a speaking engagement at the University of Montana in Helena in spring 2009, some local Peak Oil activists drove me to the town of Ronan and introduced me to Billie Lee, who had helped start Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center. The Center is housed in a fairly small, non-descript building and features medium-scale food processing equipment that local small food producers can rent at reasonable rates. This enables small farmers to produce value-added products (everything from canned soups to herbal tea bags) that are profitable and are price-competitive with those made by industrial food companies located hundreds or thousands of miles from Ronan. Local food has become an obsession for the sustainability-minded during the past few years, and local food systems will be a necessary pillar of post-growth economies. Yet aspiring small-scale farmers often have a hard time getting started because they cannot afford the equipment to enable them to produce profitable value-added products. Here in the tiny hamlet of Ronan was an ingenious solution to the problem, and one that deserves to be replicated in every agricultural county in the nation.

On a trip to New England in 2007, I met Lynn Benander, a community energy activist and entrepreneur who had started a project called Co-op Power to bring renewable energy to low-income and multi-ethnic communities throughout the Northeast. Typically, renewable energy projects cost more to get going than conventional coal or gas power projects, and so they tend to be found in wealthier communities and regions. Conversely, the most polluting energy projects tend to be sited in or near poor neighborhoods or regions. Co-op Power aims to change that imbalance of power?in a way that any community can copy. A typical project: You help four people put up a solar hot water system and everyone comes to help you put up yours; you save 40 to 50 percent off your total system price, get to know your neighbors, and learn how your system works. Co-op Power had also pioneered a cooperative financing method that cuts through the usual roadblocks to renewable energy projects in poorer neighborhoods by leveraging member equity.

Individually, these initiatives and projects may seem to be on too small a scale to make much of a difference. But multiplied by thousands, with examples in nearly every community, they represent a quiet yet powerful movement.

Few of these efforts have gained national media attention. Most media commentators who address economic issues are focused on the prospects?positive or negative?of the existing growth-based economy. These projects don?t seem all that important within that framework of thinking. But in the new context of the no-growth economy, they may mean the difference between ruinous poverty and happy sufficiency.

The trends are already in evidence: as the financial crisis worsens, more people are planting gardens, and seed companies working hard to keep up with the demand. More young people are taking up farming now than in any recent decade. In 2008, more bicycles were sold in the U.S. than automobiles (not good news for the struggling car companies, but great news for the climate). And since the crisis started, Americans have been spending much less on non-essentials?repairing and re-using rather than replacing and adding.

Many economists assume these trends are short-term and that Americans will return to consumerism as economic crisis shifts into recovery. But if there is no ?recovery? in the usual sense, then these trends will only grow.

This is what the early adopters are assuming. They believe that the nation and the world have turned a corner. They understand something the media either ignore or deny. They?re betting on a future of local food systems, not global agribusiness; of community credit co-ops rather than too-big-to-fail Wall Street megabanks; of small-scale renewable energy projects, not a world-spanning system of fossil-fuel extraction, trade, and consumption. A future in which we do for ourselves, share, and cooperate.

They?re embarking on a life after growth.

* * *

The realization that growth is at an end raises many questions. Will the financial impact be inflationary or deflationary? Will some nations fare better than others, leading to protectionist trade wars? Will the ?down-sizing? of social and economic complexity lead also to a substantial die-off of the human species? How quickly will all of this happen?

There simply are no hard and fast answers to such questions. The financial, energy, food, transport, and political systems on which we rely are complex, so it is almost impossible to reliably model their response to a shock such as a resource limits-imposed end to economic growth. The only reasonable response, it seems to me, is to act as if survival is possible, and to build resilience throughout society as quickly as can be, acting locally wherever there are individuals or groups with the understanding and wherewithal. We must assume that a satisfactory, sustainable way of life is achievable in the absence of fossil fuels and conventional economic growth, and go about building it.

World crude oil production may peak a decade earlier than some predict

In a finding that may speed efforts to conserve oil and intensify the search for alternative fuel sources, scientists in Kuwait predict that world conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014 ? almost a decade earlier than some other predictions. Their study is in ACS' Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal.

Ibrahim Nashawi and colleagues point out that rapid growth in global oil consumption has sparked a growing interest in predicting "peak oil" ? the point where oil production reaches a maximum and then declines. Scientists have developed several models to forecast this point, and some put the date at 2020 or later. One of the most famous forecast models, called the Hubbert model, accurately predicted that oil production would peak in the United States in 1970. The model has since gained in popularity and has been used to forecast oil production worldwide. However, recent studies show that the model is insufficient to account for more complex oil production cycles of some countries. Those cycles can be heavily influenced by technology changes, politics, and other factors, the scientists say.

The new study describe development of a new version of the Hubbert model that accounts for these individual production trends to provide a more realistic and accurate oil production forecast.

Shale Gas Can Transform U.S. Power Generation, IHS CERA Says

(Bloomberg) -- Technology to develop natural gas from hard-to-access rock formations can expand U.S. supplies, shift the price outlook for gas and realign choices for fueling power generation, according to a study by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Gas locked in shale formations is expected to account for 50 percent of U.S. supply by 2035, up from 20 percent today, according to the report released today at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston. Shale gas is produced by a technique known as hydraulic fracturing in which millions of gallons of chemically treated water are forced into wells to break up rock and allow gas to flow

Skepticism Over OPEC's Demand Forecast

One analyst is skeptical about reports of consumption increases in China. While the OPEC report states that oil demand in China is expected to grow 4.7% year-over-year in 2010, Mark Gilman, an oil analyst with The Benchmark Company, thinks that is an overstatement.

While many reports have pointed to China as the center of spiking oil consumption, Gilman contends that the increased demand is actually a factor of inventory building rather than increased consumption. Moreover, he points out that OPEC has an interest in increasing supply in the market.

How a 22-year-old student uncovered peak oil fraud

Lionel Badal was working on his undergraduate dissertation when he suddenly found himself privy to information that he knew must be made public.

The Three most IMMINENT Economic Disasters. How to survive...

Disaster #2: Peak Oil Is Rushing Toward Us Like a Runaway Train. The only reason oil prices aren?t higher right now is because of weakness in the U.S. and European economies.

Meanwhile, however, the two most populous countries in the world ? China and India ? are adding to their fuel demand at a rip-roaring pace.

The Myth of Energy Breakthroughs

Renewed belief in the concept of Energy Breakthrough seems resurgent these days, as a versatile scientist now helms the Department of Energy, and famous people such as Bill Gates invoke the need (and thus our quest) for energy miracles. The notion of a technological breakthrough was also, unsurprisingly, at play this weekend when I attended the MIT Energy Conference. And of course, in February, the world was treated to the roll out of Bloom Energy?s Bloom Box.

The problem with energy breakthroughs is that they actually require a Built Environment breakthrough. Energy transition, or the notion of disruptive energy technologies, are affairs that occur at the interface between an energy-source, energy-tools, and the built environment. I suppose coal was a kind of breakthrough for early 18th century (and wood-based) England but the barrier to coal adoption was that alot of England?s built environment was running on wood. You see, new energy sources or new energy technologies don?t distribute easily, or quickly, through the built environment.

How to Reduce Foreign Oil Imports

It makes no sense for Americans to have to ditch their $30-40K SUVs in order to purchase an electric car. What we should be doing is converting these vehicles to run on natural gas. These conversion kits would cost much less than buying a new electric car and the cost of the kits would be drastically reduced were the volume to go up with prudent government policy changes.

Norway Oil Output Falls, May Signal Lower Statoil Production

(Bloomberg) -- Norway?s crude production fell for a second consecutive month in February from a year earlier, possibly signaling lower-than-estimated output at Statoil ASA in the first three months of the year.

Norway?s oil production dropped 7.4 percent to 2.007 million barrels a day in February from a year earlier, after a 5.7 percent annual decline in January, according to preliminary figures published today by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Stavanger-based Statoil operates about 80 percent of the Scandinavian nation?s petroleum production.

Argentina May Limit Fuel Exports to Ensure Supply

(Bloomberg) -- Argentina may limit fuel exports and force refineries to step up production to ensure domestic supplies after Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc cut output.

Petrobras and Shell pared refinery output in Argentina to push up gasoline prices, Planning Minister Julio de Vido said today in a statement.

?There?s been a decision by these companies to refine less oil to cause this shortage situation,? de Vido said in the statement. The government may ?regulate fuel exports so that local markets may be properly supplied? and ?intervene so that these refineries utilize their maximum capacity.?

Where Policy Starts for Right Now

Here in the United States, consumers expect to have a reliable and affordable supply of energy that helps them heat their homes and fuel their transportation needs. Consumers today also are grappling with a serious economic environment. Job losses and uncertainty make it difficult to plan for the future. Having a stable source of energy can help. In fact, expanding energy exploration and production can have a positive impact on the U.S. economy and the lives of all Americans.

Google Maps now features bike lanes

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google Inc. is adding a bike lane with its latest online mapping option.

The new bicycling directions available on Google Maps starting Wednesday supplement the guidance already provided to motorists and pedestrians. The biking directions initially will be available only for the United States.

Oil King Warns Of 'Green Bubble'

It's Ghawar that is of utmost interest to the industry. The biggest oilfield ever found, it has been producing for five decades, often putting out more than 5 million bpd, a level that Aramco has been able to maintain by injecting millions of barrels a day of water into the field to push up the oil. Cynics in the Peak Oil crowd say that an ulterior motive of Aramco adding so much unneeded capacity is to prepare for the pending collapse of Ghawar.

Al-Khalid says that couldn't be further from the truth. Ghawar is currently producing above 5 million bpd, and he says it will be able to do 4 million bpd for more than a decade. "Ghawar still has recoverable reserves equivalent to 55 billion barrels. As we improve our technology we will add to Ghawar's reserves." This is not a homogeneous field, he says. "There are reservoirs in the north that are in gentle decline. While some areas of the field like Haradh are nearly virgin."

Official: Saudis have plenty of oil capacity as demand returns

Arabia?s 4 million barrels a day of spare capacity can easily be absorbed into the market when global energy demand recovers after the recession, the head of the kingdom?s state-owned oil company said today.

?Oil supply will decline if there is no investment, so that 4 million could be absorbed by demand alone,? said Khalid al-Falih, chief executive officer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., in a speech today at a Cambridge Energy Research Associates conference in Houston.

CERAWEEK - Oil companies take more risks with price rebound

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A rebound in oil prices has encouraged oil and gas companies to take more risks in their quest for reserves, drilling deeper in more remote waters or finding new sources of energy, top executives said on Tuesday.

After the trauma of oil's 2008 collapse and tentative recovery last year, oil executives at the CERAWeek annual conference brimmed with confidence in the future of oil, particularly in the wake of high-profile successes in the ultradeep waters in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and offshore Brazil.

CERAWEEK 2010: On ?Oil Day,' most see a future in fossil fuels

On one side was the oil and gas industry, which said fossil fuels will be the dominant energy source for decades and that improving technology and abundant natural gas supplies hold the potential to extend that life further.

Vastly outnumbered on the other was Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who said the U.S. must accelerate efforts to wean itself from oil in what will amount to a ?new industrial revolution,? or risk losing the clean technology race to other countries and doing further damage to the environment.

Top oil user, producer agree on oil dominance

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The world's top oil producer and consumer agreed on one thing when they took the podium at a high-profile energy conference on Tuesday: The world is unlikely to kick its oil habit anytime soon.

Jeff Rubin: Looking for oil demand in all the wrong places

It certainly wasn?t U.S. fuel demand that took oil prices over $100 (U.S.) in the first place, and it won?t be U.S. fuel demand that will push them back into that range any time soon. U.S. oil consumption is almost 3 million barrels per day short of its pre-recession peak -- a level never to be regained, just as U.S. motor vehicle sales will never again see the levels that prevailed before the recession. Ditto for oil consumption in Canada, Western Europe, Japan, or, for that matter, anywhere in the OECD economies.

Back in the 1990s, that kind of demand contraction in the OECD would have foretold a big decline in oil prices, since those countries accounted for almost three quarters of global oil demand. Today, they account for barely half, and tomorrow they will account for even less.

Is East Africa the Next Frontier for Oil?

According to local lore, Portuguese travelers as far back as the late 19th century suspected oil might lie beneath parts of East Africa after noticing a thick, greasy sediment wash up on the shores of Mozambique. More interested in finding cheap labor, though, the explorers had little use for oil.

A century on, it turns out the Portuguese were right. Seismic tests over the past 50 years have shown countries up the coast of East Africa have natural gas in abundance. Early data compiled by industry consultants also suggest the presence of massive offshore oil deposits. Those finds have spurred oil explorers to start dropping more wells in East Africa, a region they say is an oil and gas bonanza just waiting to be tapped, one of the last great frontiers in the hunt for hydrocarbons.

Gazprom Neft Posts $638 Million Quarterly Net, Reversing Loss

(Bloomberg) -- OAO Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russia?s state gas producer, posted profit in the fourth quarter as crude prices and output rose.

Net income increased to $638 million after a net loss of $543 million in the year earlier period, the St. Petersburg- based oil producer said today in an e-mailed statement. Adjusted for a loss on asset sales, net came to $861 million. The result missed the $955 million median estimate of six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Europe Needs to Push Gas Infrastructure Spending, Scaroni Says

(Bloomberg) -- Europe should promote spending on infrastructure to deliver natural gas to consumers from new sources of the fuel from Africa, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, Eni SpA Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni said.

FACTBOX - Facts about Venezuela's energy crisis

(Reuters) - Venezuela's worsening electricity crisis, caused in part by a drought linked to the El Nino climate phenomenon, puts its $300 billion economy at risk of contraction and may cut the OPEC country's oil product exports.

Report: Egypt imports 47% of its diesel fuel

A recent report issued by the state-run Egyptian General Petroleum Authority (EGPA) revealed that Egypt imported 5.6 million tons of diesel fuel in the 2008/2009 fiscal year at a total cost of LE9.5 billon, accounting for 47 percent of total domestic consumption. The figures suggest that the country is suffering from a serious shortage of petroleum resources.

Diesel shortage claims first fatality

Shortages of diesel fuel and gasoline continued for the third consecutive day in Cairo and the governorates. The crisis claimed its first fatality on Tuesday in Sharqiya, where a local resident was reportedly killed in a fight with his relatives over who would be first to fill up their tractors.

Argentina to import gasoline for first time in 30 years

Argentine oil company YPF has said that it plans to import 50 million litres of gasoline as demand outstrips supply in the South American nation.

Argentina, an oil-producing country where fuel is subject to government price controls, has not imported gasoline in 30 years.

Indonesia: Natural gas supply to see 23.3 percent deficit this year

Natural gas supply and demand in 2010 will see a deficit of 23.3 percent based on demand specified in contracts and commitments combined in relation to available supply. The shortage equals to 2,554 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), an official says.

Monbiot vs. Leggett duking it out over solar panels and feed-in tariffs

Those who hate environmentalism have spent years looking for the definitive example of a great green rip-off. Finally it arrives, and nobody notices. The government is about to shift £8.6bn from the poor to the middle classes. It expects a loss on this scheme of £8.2bn, or 95%. Yet the media is silent. The opposition urges only that the scam should be expanded.

North Korea Trying to Reverse Urbanization

The North Korean authorities are reportedly offering an incentive to city dwellers, cadres of the party apparatus and the People?s Security Agency in an attempt to encourage them to move to rural areas.

...In the lectures, the authorities explained that a severe shortage of manpower in agricultural areas needed to be made up, and asked cadres to step forward and help.

Korea faces a long road in resources race

Korea?s state-run energy companies, such as the KNOC, are now struggling to secure independent supplies, but the country lacks China?s financial resources. Government officials who toured oil-rich nations in Africa said they now realize how aggressive China has become.

?I was puzzled after hearing from Angolan government officials that there was no point in talking unless we were going to invest billions of dollars,? Lee Jae-hoon, a former vice minister of knowledge economy, said at a seminar, discussing a trip to explore and acquire rights to African oil fields. ?China was easily offering billions of dollars, while we only suggested hundreds of millions maximum. We were simply no competition for China.?

China's Feb copper, oil imports surprisingly strong

BEIJING - Copper and oil were in surprisingly strong demand in China in February, with imports rising despite a week-long Lunar New Year holiday and a crippling winter freeze that iced up many of the country's northern ports.

Trade in other commodities, such as iron ore, steel, and soybeans, slowed or remained close to sluggish January levels.

World Bank Gives South Africa Lumps of Coal

In case you didn't catch it, the World Bank's top official for Africa just thumbed her nose at the dozens of renewable energy companies lining up to build clean energy in Africa's dirtiest economy.

Obiageli Ezekwesili, the Bank's Vice President for Africa, defended a controversial $3.75-billion loan to build a massive coal plant in South Africa with this head-in-the-sand statement: "There is no viable alternative to safeguard South Africa's energy security at this particular time."

Alternative energy 'needs to be proven'

Australia will struggle to reduce its contribution to global greenhouse emissions unless a viable alternative energy source can be developed within the next decade, Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson says.

The federal government is investing in biofuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS) research, but beyond that, it insists it does not want to pick winners in the alternative energy sector.

German fishing boat flies giant kite to save fuel

Germany's largest fishing vessel will leave the Netherlands this week, towed by a giant kite harnessing trade winds for South America that will help cut its fuel consumption by up to a third.

The 15,000 tonne 'Maartje Theadora' is the first fishing vessel to use the system, in which a 160 square metre blue and white kite similar to a paraglider pulls the ship on a 300 metre rope, assisting its main engine.

Impact of 'Cash for Clunkers' was underestimated, researchers say

Search online for ?Cash for Clunkers,? and here?s one thing you?ll find: stories about its negligible overall impact on the economy.

Wrong, says Maritz Automotive Research Group. The Toledo, Ohio, independent automotive research company recently surveyed participants in last summer?s federal program designed to stimulate new-car sales and get gas-guzzlers off the road. On Tuesday, the company shared its results.

One key finding: 90 percent of those participating in Cash for Clunkers said they would not otherwise have bought a new car.

Increased Solar Radiation Requires Additional CO2 Reduction of 50 Million Tonnes, Analysis Finds

ScienceDaily ? The recently observed reduction in air pollution implies that more solar radiation reaches the Earth's surface. This could lead to a far more rapid increase in the Earth's temperature in the coming decades than has previously been expected based on calculations of CO2 emissions alone.

The Peak Oil Crisis: The Looming Fiscal Storm

All this says that despite the incessant media repetition that the economic situation is getting better, there is growing evidence that the economy is in fact growing worse. Federal Reserve support of the Treasury security market and purchases of mortgage backed securities is supposed to end in the next few months. Many fear that this action will send interest rates much higher before the year is out.

Where all this leaves oil prices is not yet clear. Gasoline has been rising in recent weeks and now averages $2.75 nationwide. If normal patterns pertain this year, we could see $3 gasoline by summer, but these are not normal times. Two years ago high gas prices are believed to have done much damage to the economy. Asian and Middle Eastern demand for oil appears to be on track to remain strong. But even China's leaders are becoming concerned about too much pointless growth. Geopolitical dangers ranging from the Venezuelan drought to Iran and political stagnation in Iraq remain.

Oil drifts near $81 amid mixed US inventory data

Crude inventories jumped last week by 6.5 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute said late Wednesday. Analysts, eyeing a cold weather spell in much of the U.S. this month, had expected a drop of 1.6 million barrels, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

However, inventories of gasoline and distillates fell more than analysts expected, the API said.

Gas prices? run likely won?t top $3

As the economy recovers, energy prices are rising and that is placing extra strain on families' budgets.

Each spring brings a familiar ritual in gasoline markets ? rising prices ? and this year won't be an exception. But motorists aren't likely to pay much more than $3 a gallon, on average, during the peak summer driving season.

OPEC Raises Forecast for Oil Demand on Lower NGL Estimate

(Bloomberg) -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it will need to pump more crude than previously forecast this year after cutting its outlook for production of natural gas liquids.

OPEC, which produces about 40 percent of the world?s oil, predicts members will need to produce 28.94 million barrels a day to satisfy demand in 2010. That?s about 190,000 barrels a day more than last month?s projection. Still, OPEC expects demand for its crude this year to be lower than last year after it increased its estimate for 2009 by 200,000 barrels a day.

Saudi Aramco to Invest $90B in O&G Projects to 2015

The development and deployment of viable alternatives to fossil fuels "does remain an open question," Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Khalid Al-Falih said Tuesday.

Speaking at an IHS CERA conference in Houston, Al-Falih said that oil still underpins the global economy and is likely to remain at the core of the world's energy needs in the future. The conference, known as CERAWeek, reunites some of the world's top oil and gas executives.

OPEC President Vows to Reduce Oil-Price Speculation, Volatility

(Bloomberg) -- OPEC President Germanico Pinto said he will seek to reduce price speculation and volatility during his term as leader of the oil cartel, adding to calls from the U.S. to Europe for measures to minimize market swings.

?The fact that there?s volatility produces difficulties in the markets and in defining a long-term strategy for public investment in the oil industry,? Pinto, who is also Ecuador?s minister of natural non-renewable resources, said yesterday in a statement.

Natural gas focus of oil conference, pointing to source of future

For years, the so-called Oil Day of the annual IHS CERA energy conference, which draws thousands of industry executives to Houston, has been the highlight of this weeklong event. It comes first - before Gas Day and Power Day. The biggest names are keynote speakers that day (This year, for example, Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy, was among the keynote speakers). And attendence is at its highest.

But the irony of how natural gas is beginning to overtake oil in importance to the industry was underscored by the lunchtime keynote speaker Jim Mulva, chief executive of ConocoPhillips, the third biggest US oil and gas company. Even though Conoco is an oil company first and foremost, and Mr Mulva was speaking on Oil Day to a room filled with oil executives, his speech was called Natural Gas - The Gift.

Musings: Gas Shales May Change More Than U.S. Energy Markets

The U.S. natural gas industry has been focused on the effect the commerciality of gas shale formations is having on the domestic industry. One result is that after years of declining gas production, the U.S. has experienced a rise in domestic supplies. Secondly, the Potential Gas Committee has suggested, based on its study, the country has huge gas resources that can be developed with today?s drilling and completion technologies. They did not, however, suggest that all the potential natural gas resources identified are commercial at current gas prices, and especially at the sub-$5 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) prices being experienced now. One of the key new basins that will supply this growth in natural gas production is the Marcellus Shale that extends from West Virginia through Pennsylvania and Ohio and into New York. Reportedly this is the largest basin in areal extent (95,000 square miles vs. 5,000 square miles for the Barnett Shale) and possibly in the amount of gas potential with an estimated 500 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of reserves.

Royal Dutch Shell stops gasoline sales to Iran - trade

DUBAI (Reuters) - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has stopped gasoline sales to Iran, oil traders said on Wednesday, the latest addition to a growing list of firms that have halted supplies under threat of future U.S. sanctions.

The Anglo-Dutch oil firm will join the likes of BP, Reliance Industries (RELI.BO), and independent Swiss trader Glencore, among suppliers that have either stopped fuel sales to Iran or have made a decision not to enter into new trading agreements with the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

"Shell has stopped selling gasoline to Iran, we have not seen them there for a while now," a gasoline trader said.

Russia lowers oil export tariff

The Russian government said it had lowered its oil export tariff from the current 270.7 U.S. dollars per ton to 253.6 dollars, starting March 1.

Tullow Says Total, Cnooc to Help Ramp Up Ugandan Oil Production

(Bloomberg) -- Tullow Oil Plc said the addition of China National Offshore Oil Corp. and Total SA as its partners in Uganda will allow the U.K. explorer to ramp up production from the African nation.

Ugandan oil output may exceed 200,000 barrels a day beyond 2014 after starting next year, Chief Operating Officer Paul McDade said today. Tullow expects Cnooc and Total to each take a one-third stake in its three blocks in the Lake Albert region, subject to government approval.

Land Rig Review: Land Rig Utilization Trends

Although the recent land rig hiring spree has gone a long way towards improving utilization, total land rig utilization still has room for improvement. With the 2005-2009 construction cycle helping to increase available land rig supply by over 1,000 net units, a rig surplus remains despite the ongoing recovery. It is also worth noting that today's hottest onshore plays require higher spec rigs, thus some of the more marginal capacity has been left out of the recovery in demand and overall supply should be discounted to some extent due to legacy equipment.

OPEC's Oil Output on the Rise - Platts Survey

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' crude oil production rose to 29.31 million barrels per day (b/d) in February, an increase of 60,000 (b/d) from an estimated January level of 29.25 million b/d, according to a just-released Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts.

Excluding Iraq, which does not participate in the oil producing group's production agreements, output from the 11 members bound by quotas (OPEC-11) -- under a 24.845 million b/d collective target -- dipped by 10,000 b/d to 26.75 million b/d in February.

Increases totaling 170,000 b/d from Angola, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Venezuela were partly offset by decreases totaling 110,000 b/d from Libya and Nigeria, the latter's production dropping by 100,000 b/d to 1.98 million b/d in February.

PREVIEW - Arms, energy to dominate Russia's Putin India trip

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Premier Vladimir Putin will offer a traditional cocktail of arms and oil deals when he travels to India on Thursday to persuade a Cold War ally to buy new weapons amid rising competition with the United States.

The Russian economy shrank by 7.9 percent last year after a decade of oil-fuelled boom and Putin sees the defence sector as key to reviving growth. But Moscow often needs to offer incentives to sell its usually outdated military equipment.

India Is Seeking Coal Deals in Australia, ANZ Says

(Bloomberg) -- Indian companies are stepping up interest to secure coal resources in Indonesia and Australia to meet the power needs of the world?s second-most populous country, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. said.

Natural gas crystals: Energy under the sea

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It looks like ice -- but this ice could one day be used to heat your home.

It's actually not ice at all, but crystallized natural gas, and if scientists can figure out how to harvest it cheaply enough, it could become a vast new source of energy available in just about every country in the world.

Offshore wind farm a no-go in Jefferson County

The head of the New York Power Authority addressed the Jefferson County Legislature Tuesday night to clear up misconceptions and encourage the board to entertain the idea of an offshore wind farm, but legislators were not swayed on their opposition.

A Rough Rollout for Smart Meters in Texas

So-called ?smart? electric meters, heralded as vital for an energy-conscious era, are having a rough rollout in Texas.

The devices, which enable utilities to vary their rates according to the time of day, allow consumers to save money ? in theory. But according to The Dallas Morning News, hundreds of Texas customers have called to complain that the meters, which are being installed by a Dallas-based electric company called Oncor, are inaccurately raising their electric bills.

Japan, New Mexico collaborate on smart grid tech

SANTA FE, N.M. ? Two national laboratories, the state of New Mexico and a Japanese agency are developing smart grid technology to give homeowners and businesses more access to renewable energy sources by controlling the supply and demand of electric power.

US Department of Energy to grant $40m for development of next generation nuclear plant

The award has been made to Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric and San Diego-based General Atomics.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has revealed selections for the award of approximately $40m in total to two teams led by Westinghouse Electric and General Atomics for conceptual design and planning work for the next generation nuclear plant (NGNP).

Debating the Nuclear Waste Problem

With Nevada?s Yucca Mountain facility apparently out of the picture as a nuclear waste repository, government nuclear experts say interim measures might be needed for a very long time.

Drought Has Venezuela Looking at Alternatives to Hydropower

A severe drought in Venezuela appears to be pushing the country?s president, Hugo Chávez, to ramp up efforts to diversify the country?s energy portfolio.

Up to now, hydropower has been the major energy source in Venezuela ? providing residents and industry with up to two-thirds of the total electricity produced. But a record lack of rainfall has resulted in low water flows and several power interruptions ? as well as angry recriminations of the government from some Venezuelans ahead of upcoming legislative elections scheduled for September.

New Zealand: Govt's $21 Billion Bet On Cheap Petrol

This week, Shell CEO Peter Voser joined a growing chorus of voices announcing the end to cheap oil. When asked about whether the theory of "peak oil" was dead the theory that oil production will no longer be able to keep up with demand Mr Voser said "I think what is dead is cheap oil."

"This Government is placing all their bets on electric car technology to keep us moving in the future. But the new cars are expensive, their uptake will be slow, and they don't solve the problem of congestion or where the power will come from," said Dr Norman.

Rail summit rallies support

Mark Robynowitz, was one of two attendees to frame the projects through the lens of peak oil projections, said he believed the federal money would probably only be enough to fix up existing wear and tear, and less highway- and automobile-related expenditures to fund the project should be considered.

?One of the ways that we could afford to improve the trains is to transfer funds from widening (Interstate 5), which the state has to spend billions on, towards fixing the rail ... The Amtrak Cascade is capable of going a 120 miles per hour, but it can barely go half that on most of the routes because the rail network is decrepit.?

Future of public transit in Orillia is now

There are many reasons why limiting automobile useage is considered important -- in large cities gridlock is a multimillion-dollar problem; air pollution is far worse than many people believe (5,800 premature deaths due to smog in southern Ontario, according to the Ontario Medical Association in 2005); climate change; inactive lifestyles leading to fantastically spiking diabetes and obesity rates; parking problems; and recurrent "peak oil" concerns regarding how much petroleum is actually left in the earth to fuel our cars.

All of these problems were considered in a 2007 report titledHealthy Communities, Sustainable Communities: The 21st Century Planning Challenge.

Write a sequel to Ridge author?s book

?GETI?s main objective in promoting the writing contest is to create awareness that peak oil and climate change are issues that will force change upon us,? said CEED director, Gerry Pinel.

?To prepare for those changes, GETI?s mandate is to build resiliency into our area through grassroots-driven, community-based initiatives. We have a positive vision of our community?s future and this writing contest is a great start in that direction.?

Athamas Hedge Fund Will Sell More Wood, Fewer Carbon Credits

(Bloomberg) -- A forestry and carbon hedge fund proposed by Athamas SA will focus on wood rather than carbon credits after United Nations climate talks in December failed to set international targets after 2012.

First Climate Seeks $136 Million for Carbon Credits After 2012

(Bloomberg) -- First Climate AG said it signed letters of intent with major European utilities to invest in projects that may generate emission credits good after 2012.

Sun Activity Reaches Century Low, May Slow Warming ?Slightly?

(Bloomberg) -- Solar activity is at its lowest level in almost 100 years and should that continue may slow the pace of global warming ?slightly,? Potsdam Institute for Climate Research scientists said today in a study.

Climate Myths and Questions, Part II

In Part One of our series, we looked at polar bears, hockey sticks, Medieval Warm Periods and Little Ice Ages, among other topics. Today our list includes water vapor, volcanoes, and CO2.

California global warming law may lead to job losses, report says

Debate over the economic effects of California's first-in-the-nation global warming law flared this week, with a report saying short-term job losses can be expected.

China unsure on warming cause, to stick with CO2 cuts

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top climate negotiator said on Wednesday that the cause of global warming was still not clear but the problems it was creating were so serious that the world must anyway act to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

China urges greater US commitments on climate change, technical and financial support

BEIJING - China told the United States on Wednesday to make stronger commitments on climate change and provide environmental expertise and financing to developing nations.

At the same time, China said its own efforts to reduce energy intensity have been hampered by its economic recovery in the latter part of last year, which brought growth in heavy energy-consuming industries.

At White House: 14 senators discuss climate-energy legislation

The fate of President Obama's plan to shift America toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels may depend on the outcome of a crucial White House meeting Tuesday with 14 key senators, many from coal- and oil-producing states, who have long opposed curbs on carbon emissions.

Mr. Obama ? often criticized for being too hands off on complex and controversial climate-energy legislation after it became stalled in the Senate last year ? now appears to be making a full-court press to win the 60 votes he needs for Senate passage of revamped climate-energy legislation, several observers agree.

Last week, we released the sustainability rankings of the world's largest oil and gas companies. Despite the skepticism of whether the industry can ever be green, there are plenty of reasons to rank their sustainability efforts.

"The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability" makes the business case for why companies should be rethinking their corporate structures, processes and performance, while also offering advice and case studies of how companies are putting these practices to work.

NASA will conduct its first-ever water sustainability forum next week at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is singling out 10 firms from around the world to showcase innovative solutions to water management.

A LEED-Platinum rated zero net energy live/work unit opens its doors to the public today before a deal closes to buy the unique property near the Oakland Estuary.
 

As consumers, we define ourselves by the brands we keep. We believe in them, yet they seldom give us new reasons to do so. But that's changing now as we find ourselves in the early stages of a new industrial revolution.