Solar-energy industry expects boom

The sun is only rising on solar energy, industry experts argued at a Central Hudson forum Wednesday.

The soaring prospects for solar energy are because in good part of a 60 percent reduction in overall costs since 1995 and a 200 percent reduction in solar panel costs since 2008.
 

Privatisation of Russian state nuclear giant

Rosatom is just one of several vertically integrated state holding companies Russia established to "discourage the decline of the more intellectual sectors of national industry" in the post-Soviet era, wrote Vladimir Putin in the Vedomosti newspaper on 30 January.
 

Venezuela’s oil exports to US decline, reflecting downward trend during Chavez government

Venezuela’s oil exports to the United States have dipped in recent months to their lowest level in nearly nine years, according to new U.S. government figures, reflecting a long-term trend of declining oil shipments during President Hugo Chavez’s 13-year-old government.

The U.S. imported 764,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude oil and refined products such as gasoline in November, the last month for which figures are available, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration figures released this week.
 

Obama expedites wind energy off Mid-Atlantic coast

As part of its clean energy agenda, the Obama administration announced Thursday that it''s moving forward to develop wind power off the coasts of four Mid-Atlantic states.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said federal environmental reviews for designated "wind energy areas" off Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia are now complete and find "no significant environmental impact from the development of wind." That finding clears the way for companies to seek leases.
 

Poland Gives Green Light to Massive Fracking Efforts

There is perhaps no more controversial energy source after nuclear than “hydraulic fracturing,” or “fracking,” of subterranean shale deposits containing pockets of natural gas.

While the process can liberate previously unusable sources of natural gas, political, environmental and scientific concerns have risen along with production, as evidence mounts that fracking is responsible for everything from polluting subterranean aquifers to causing regional earthquakes.
 

Natural gas gets cheaper as Exxon keeps drilling

Stupid is as stupid does and after Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, reported a net income of $9.4 billion for the quarter, up from $9.25 billion the year before and revenues of $121.6 billion, up 16 % from the year before, T. Boone Pickens seemed to suggest that it was stupid. You see Pickens, according to The Associated Press, after his company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., announced a deal with truck maker Navistar to make more vehicles that run on abundant fuel and build more fueling stations, which seemed to suggest that the only way to bolster U.S. natural gas prices and cut the market''s massive oversupply is to stop drilling. Pickens said, "This country is so overwhelmed with natural gas that the only way to get prices up is to stop companies [from] drilling gas wells," Pickens said at a news conference to promote the Navistar deal, which advances his aim to break U.S. dependence on oil for transport. "Don''t be afraid that this deal will be made and we will wake up in a year with natural gas prices three or four times higher," Pickens said.
 

Domestic Oil Production Rising

In a recent Seeking Alpha article titled, "North American Oil Production on the Rise," it is outlined that "American production is undergoing a renaissance." This could translate to higher production from major domestic companies such as Chesapeake (CHK) and Linn Energy (LINE) as well as smaller exploration companies like AER Energy Resources (pinksheets:AERN) and Double Eagle Petroleum (DBLE).

Released yesterday by Bloomberg News, an Article by Peter Orszag, Vice Chairman or Global Banking at Citigroup Copyright, explains further the information pointing towards the US expanding domestic production. The article points out The Energy Information Administration estimates on the rise of domestic production from 5.5 million barrels a day to 6.7 million by 2020.
 

Chevrolet Volt sales fall in wake of fed''s probe

The government''s high-profile probe into fires in Chevrolet Volts after serious crashes appear to be taking their toll on sales.

General Motors recorded the worst month for sales of Volts in January since August. Only 603 of the innovative plug-in extended-range electrics were sold, Automotive News points out.
 

Shell sees large global oil refining surplus

Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday the global oil refining industry is facing about 6 million barrels per day (bpd) of surplus capacity, and predicted more plants would close in Europe.

Refining crude oil into fuels such as gasoline and diesel, traditionally the second-largest business for global oil firms such as Shell and rivals like BP Plc, has come under pressure from weak profit margins.
 

Fracking disclosures are now required in Texas

A new Texas Railroad Commission rule requiring oil and natural gas operators to publicly disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells takes effect Wednesday.

The rule also requires that operators disclose how much water is used in fracking, a process that may require 1 million to 5 million gallons for a well drilled in North Texas'' Barnett Shale.
 

How Even Alternative Energy Could Threaten the Planet

A large part of the world’s technological know-how is focused on developing ways to reduce CO2 emissions by finding alternatives to fossil fuel. But, what if even “clean energy” from wind, solar and nuclear fusion could affect the climate.
 

Cyprus may get a natural gas terminal

NOBLE Energy is considering the option of building a terminal in Cyprus to provide natural gas for the domestic market and for exports, Vice President Noble Energy Terry Gerhart has said, noting that the estimation for 5 to 8 trillion cubic feet natural gas in Cyprus’ block 12 is a very large accumulation of gas.
 

Higher oil prices lift Exxon''s 4Q profit

Exxon Mobil had a simple formula for success last quarter: It sold oil at higher prices.

Everything else was a struggle for the largest U.S. oil company. Production fell, its refineries suffered from high costs and falling fuel demand, and it made less money on chemicals. Even its big investment in natural gas hasn''t paid off.
 

Are micro-hybrids the next big thing?

The market for gasoline-electric hybrids and electric cars is expected to grow over the next few years, but they aren''t the only energy-efficient vehicles expected to become more popular.

Also looking at an increase in popularity are micro-hybrids and mild hybrids, according to a Lux Research report.
 

Save money with an energy audit

While you''re busy cutting the clutter out of your life, how about cutting some wires, cords and energy waste, too? This week, Surf Report highlights some of the most interesting power products and innovations.
 

Natural gas prices to stay low

Area residents who use natural gas will see some relief in their utility bills as prices for the fossil fuel continue to plummet at an unexpectedly high rate.

According to an Associated Press report, prices for natural gas futures dropped 35 percent in the past year, mostly due to new technologies which allow companies to find and drill for the gas in places they never could before.
 

France must extend nuclear reactor lifespans-audit

France has no option but to extend the lifespan of existing nuclear plants, because any investments in new nuclear capacity or an increase in its reliance on other forms of energy would be too costly and come too late, the French Court of Audit said.
 

Texas ain’t the oil king that it used to be

Texas used to be a king of the energy industry, but Texas circa-2012 isn’t the same oil giant that it was in the 1970s – in fact few states are, according to a new report.

Economist James Hamilton wrote in his new National Bureau of Economic Research paper that the boom in domestic oil production is still nowhere near enough to reverse the severe decline since 1970.
 

New USDA Plant Hardiness Map Reflects Warming Trends

A new government map gives gardeners in many parts of the nation a chance to turn over a new leaf for the first time in decades.
 

6 More Coal Plants To Close

FirstEnergy says it will retire six older coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland by Sept. 1 because of tighter federal rules on emissions.
 

EU Sees No Need to Further Regulate Shale Gas

There is no need for new legislation to regulate shale gas exploration in the European Union, according to a study published Friday that proposed the bloc adopt a low profile on the controversial issue.
 

SA Coal Industry To Grow Amid Uncertainties, Says McCloskey

South Africa’s coal industry will continue to develop to meet domestic energy demands, and the thermal coal needs of India, Europe and Asia, says international coal markets specialist McCloskey Group chairperson and founder Gerard McCloskey, who will be speaking at the Commodities Outlook and Review Forum at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, in Cape Town.
 

2000MW Tunisian Solar Farm To Power European Homes

A 2000MW solar power plant will be constructed in Tunisia that will export electricity across continental borders to Italy - a distance of just over 600km.
 

French Nuclear Giant Areva’s 2011 Revenue Falls 2.6 Pct From Previous Year To $11.66 billion

France’s state-controlled nuclear giant Areva said Thursday that its consolidated revenue fell 2.6 percent in a bruising year that saw the company struggle with a management shake-up, a troubled uranium mining venture and a global rethinking of nuclear in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster.
 

IAEA Lauds Kuwait Contribution To Nuclear Fuel Bank Project

Kuwait has signed here Friday an agreement in which it will contribute a sum of USD 10 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) nuclear fuel bank, a step lauded by the agency.