STUFF

Biofuels market to grow to $112B by '20. $56B in '10. Another opinion is 44% growth in revs in '11.

Japan to import more LNG, oil to replace elgen lost from downed nukes.

China now #1 manufacturer in world. Made 19.9% of goods in '10. USA 19.4%.

Xcel Energy asked MN regulators to let them retire the last 2 coal-burn units at Black Dog and replace them with NG units. Also, MN push to lift nuke moratorium may be set back.

Italy to continue nuke revival plan. EU planning stress tests for their nukes. China holding up new nuke approvals.

Nova Scotia funding $7M, Canada $20M for tidal energy demo in Bay of Fundy. 8GW potential. IEA says world potential tidal power 100TW. Nova Scotia plans to intro FIT (feed-in tariffs) for tidal this year.

Clean E, carbon markets saw $243B in investment in '10, up 30% over '09.

From the "If This Is True" department:
A metric ton of Thorium produces as much energy as 200 tons of U or 3.5M tons of coal. A thorium reactor consumes its own waste and can scavenge plutonium leftovers of U reactors. Thorium a common element at rare earth mines. US, Australia has plenty of it. Cost savings over U fission processes. And weapons from thorium impractical. And if all this is true, when do we start using it? When we wake up I guess.

DOE affirmed it will continue to finance loan guarantees for nukes. "Tech quite different than that in Japan". $36B involved. $71B for entire loan program, more projects to be funded before Sept expiration.

EPA proposed national standard for mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium and other pollutant emissions from coal plants. $10B cost/year balanced by $100B/year in health/environmental costs if we don't. May raise household utility rates $4/month. In force in '15. Utilities have delayed this for over 2 decades. 400 coal plants in US. '99-'05 Hg emissions from power plants up 8% to 53 tons/y. Arsenic up 31% to 210tons/y. Final rule late this year or early next.

EPA also says NYC's 10-yr plan to replace school building lighting fixtures leaking toxic (PCB's) chems should be hastened. You think?

Department of IF:
IF the diesel backup generators/electrical rooms at the nuke reactors in Japan had been built 40 feet up with a tsunami wall around them we would not have had this problem. And remembering the '07 offshore quake that brought us radiation leakage and a 2-year shutdown of 7 reactors. Do we not learn anything from problems anymore? God.

IL governor vetoed the $1B coal gasification plant this week.

8% of US fuel supply goes to make plastics. Agolyx closed on $22M of financing lately. $29M raised previously. Claim they can recycle mixed plastics/dirty plastics into crude competitive at $65-70 oil. Projecting $15M revs this year.

FSLR to build $300M plant in AZ to double US production capacity. 600 jobs. 250MW cap. Shipments expected by 3Q12.

Brent oil ~$110.

Japan: 27% elgen from 54 nuke reactors. Not any more.

IEA: world oil supply in Feb rose to 89mbpd, up 200kbpd from Jan. China el consumption up 16% year on year in Feb.

Trails.