While those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are in the coldest part of the winter, it’s easy to forget about the dangerous potential of climate change in the years ahead. But keeping our eye South of the equator helps to prevent seasonal complacency. BBC reports that the state of Victoria is facing the hottest week since 1908, as temperatures exceed 43 degrees Celsius (109 F). (more…)
Archive for January, 2009
Southern Australia faces worst heatwave in 100 years
Friday, January 30th, 2009Top Wind States Emerge from the Great Plains
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
The Great Plains have long been touted as an area of vast wind power potential. And I’m glad to report that the people living there are now beginning to take significant advantage of their renewable resource. North Dakota, the state with the most wind potential in the lower 48, just became the biggest wind producing state by percentage of electricity consumption at ~20.8%. (more…)
2008 a Record Year for Wind
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
As I posted a couple months back, wind has been expected to grow a record amount in 2008. But the credit crisis made me wonder whether growth would really be more than 7.5 GW like the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) projected. Lo and behold, that number was low. Wind power capacity grew (more…)
May not be sexy-tech, but it sure can help
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
Oak Ridge National Laboratory put out an important report last Fall that you probably didn’t hear about. It’s not on solar, wind, or other sexy renewables technologies. But the technology can pack a great climate mitigation punch at a relatively low cost. It has been around over 100 years and is called co-generation or combined heat and power (CHP). (more…)
Oil in Mexico: Where is it headed?
Monday, January 26th, 2009
As I have reported many times these past few months, Mexican oil production has been declining rapidly. Last year’s full numbers were just released, and the country produced ~9% less oil in 2008 than the year before, even though prices hit their highest ever. But there was an interesting trend at the end of last year that could determine whether their exports will fall to zero by the end of Obama’s first term. (more…)
It’s Electric: US Emissions Drop Further
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
The EIA recently released estimates for US electricity consumption in Oil & Gas Inventories Remain High
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
The EIA released its weekly inventory reports for oil and natural gas these past two days, and even the cold weather hasn’t been able to bring supplies down to the historical average. Industrial demand has fallen so significantly that our inventory numbers leave little cause for worry in the weeks ahead. For instance, crude supplies are (more…)
Inaugural Rickshaws
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
I’m back. These past few days have been an amazing step for our country. My friend John David and I gave scores of bicycle rickshaw rides to many of the millions of people celebrating our nation’s first African-American President. We helped the elderly, the injured, and the lost as well as young revelers who wanted to enjoy the novelty. There’s even a Huffington Post article on our green job endeavor this past weekend. (more…)
Can the Current Cold Snap Raise Fuel Prices?
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
This week is a cold one in the Midwest and East. Here in New York City the high is below 20 degrees and we’ll see single digits at night. Luckily I’m headed South for the inauguration tomorrow, but temperatures will still be below freezing in DC. Can this cold snap raise oil and natural gas prices from their current lows? (more…)
Saudi Arabia good at limbo: Oil prices may rise
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009It seems pretty silly to caution that oil prices could rise in 2009 as we face the worst recession in decades. Demand fell more than 5% in the largest oil consumer in 2008 (our United States of America) and global oil demand is expected to fall another significant amount in the year ahead. But the long-term supply picture is not a rosy one and Saudi Arabia has shown a willingness to lower production in such circumstances. (more…)