Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
When Gloria Flora took the helm of Lewis & Clark National Forest in Montana in 1995, she found priceless wildlands threatened by oil and gas speculators. Defying convention, she declared the area off-limits to oil and gas development, adding a definitive new twist to the interplay between community groups, the fossil fuel industry,and the government that is playing out in surprising ways.
•Dick Smith vs Tim Flannery, and the solar revolution •Solar Energy Friendly Communities Help Mitigate Soft Costs •The Energiewende: An introductory look at Germany’s energy transformation •Solar Power Can Provide One-Third of U.S. West’s Energy Needs •Support local communities to install renewable energy systems, urge MPs •Gamechanger: Next Generation Wind Turbines With Storage Are Cheap, Reliable And Brilliant •Pilot Projects Bury CO2 in Basalt •Is Natural Gas the Cheapest Path to Clean Grid Power?
A mid-week update…Oil prices were flat on Monday, fell a bit on Tuesday on the economic outlook, and then bounced up $2 a barrel
Welcome to the first edition of Energy Crunch, the new newsletter from nef devoted to the crucial nexus between energy, the economy and the environment.
Oil and gas production data are unreliable and the UN should oblige every country to publish true, updated and complete data on energy. This is especially important for fossils fuels, which are a gift to humanity, alas, sadly soon to be reduced because of energy supply constraints.
•Study raises new concern about earthquakes and fracking fluids •OPEC Output Drops 1.2 Percent on Libya-Led Disruptions, IEA Says •Emerging nations to drive oil demand to a high, says IEA •The Issue is Trust, Not Pipelines vs. Railways •Unnatural Gas: How Government Made Fracking Profitable (and Left Renewables Behind) •Colorado joins in suit to knock down Longmont fracking ban •The shale gas revolution: is it already over? •A clear decision: Sydney water catchment fracking ruled out for now •The trend is against bribes—except in the US
No matter who is ruling Egypt and for how long, this country faces a crippling energy crunch…
As the United States contemplates exporting natural gas to the rest of the world, previously energy-poor Israel seems about to jump on the export bandwagon. The current government is seeking approval to export about 40 percent of the production from its newly discovered offshore natural gas fields.
The purpose of this draft paper is to assess what will happen if, as expected, many gigawatts of intermittent renewables are added to the UK grid alongside large amounts of standby gas power.
Here’s a politician who thinks his constituents can handle an honest dialogue about climate change. Andrew Weaver doesn’t hide the facts or pander to the wishful thinking of infinite growth. His refreshing candidness might have something to do with his background as one of the world’s preeminent climate scientists.
The famous Danish physicist Niels Bohr once humorously observed, "Predictions are very difficult, especially about the future." And so, as the world considers yet another rosy oil supply forecast, this time from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, it is worth reviewing the agency’s record.
The Obama administration has come out in support of the idea of exporting U.S. natural gas. This stance is counterproductive and shortsighted, and if followed, it will prove harmful to domestic manufacturing (i.e., value generation) and to future generations of Americans.
