STUFF

US wind gen capac now reached 50GW: AWEA. Doubled in last 4 years. 10GW more to be online by yearend. Wind power accounted for 32% of newly-installed power gen capac in '11 in US with ~$14B investment.

Wildfires raging in bone-dry N Cal, OR, ID.

880MW Dominion Power reactor at Millstone nuke plant in Conn shut down. Long Island Sound water too warm. Designers never thought that would be a prob. Temp can be no higher than 75F. 1 unit still on, tightly monitored. 3rd already decommissioned.

BP to sell Calif refinery. And big deal announced today on their GOM lease. Or at least ask price.

Floating LNG terminal got export go-ahead.

Petrobras to face significant crude output drop at aging field.

Intl Food Policy Research Institute calling on govts to halt ethanol production. 40% of US corn crop going to biofuels. Soybeans, too, going to biodiesel. So now US buying meat. What is the govt going to do with all that meat? Feed the troops?

Former 100M gal/y eth plant now known as Penn Grain Processing re-started eth prod July 16. Currently operating at 90% capac.

2 S Korea solar comps launching large-scale US-based ops. Nexelon, a Si ingot and solar wafer maker, opening HQ in San Antonio. Part of consortium for 400MW of TX solar projects. Also to build 200MW manufacturing facil. Hanwha started US division to finance, build solar projects in US. Bought stake in Solar Monkey (Calif) last year. New division to allow them to sell their panels in 1GW contract to service pipeline.

TX Commission on Enviro Quality to vote on 22nd to change rules for biofuel blends and testing regs for low-emission diesel known as TxLED. Expected to boost biodiesel demand significantly in state.

Indian Railways (India) to invest $11M in 2 biodiesel plants. Should be online next year. Plans to invest in 2 more. 1st 2 to prod 60 metric tons/d (~175b/d by my math).

India cabinet to set eth pricing this week in light of commodity shortages.

Argentina overnight last weekend boosted biodiesel export tax 32% from 20%.

Qualcomm (Calif) partnering with Renault for field trial of wireless EV charging later this year in London. Delta Motorsport (UK) plans to put the tech into their EV's to be used in same trial. Gamechanger if it works.

Mich State U researchers say they can increase amount of E recovered during eth prod by 2K%. Bioelectrochem process uses microbial electrolysis cells in steps. 35-40% of energy recovered v. 4.5% now. Waste products then used to gen H which takes E produced up to 73% of potential. Gamechanger if it can scale.

Last week 7 solar and wind power projects totaling near 5GW expedited from White House exec order. OMB to fast-track BP Wind's 425MW AZ project, Solar Reserve's AZ project, enXco's solar project in Calif, Next Era's 750MW Cal solar project, RES Americas' solar project, FSLR's NV solar project and Chokecherry/Sierra Madre wind farm in WY.

Russia warning US against additional sanctions on Iran that would affect Russian firms. Asia's major crude buyers finding ways around sanctions to maintain Iran oil imports.