STUFF

Nuke operations halted after protesters entered TN complex. All I've seen on that.

Facebook C footprint: 27% coal. Then clean, then NG, then nuke (clean, duh). They say they will go more clean and go more efficient data centers.

About 1/2 of C being dumped into atmos taken up by land and ocean. Computer climate analyses have long predicted uptake will become less efficient sometime this century.

EPA regs barring sooty bunker fuel used by ships plying US coastal waters came into effect yesterday. EPA est. will avoid 14K premature deaths/y by '20, up to 31K/y by '30. In case you were wondering what can kill ye.

EIA: continuing shift from coal dropping emissions to lowest level since '92.

Enviro groups trying to deter US financing Australia coal project.

UK cutting solar panel tariff again. Again, all I've seen on it so far.

IREC: 12GW of distributed generation predicted for '20 in Calif.

FSLR stock looks ready for a climb. Revs, profits up ~80% in Q2 yoy. They're developing 2.9GW in US, Can and Austral already sold or under contract. Also planning 139MW new project in Cal for San Diego power. Good earnings viz into '13. But an analyst - and I stress anal of analyst - says FSLR is pulling forward future revs to cushion current #'s. Well, maybe he's not that anal. We shall see. Anyway, FSLR is going to make >$4/sh this year and if the market will be so kind to give them a 10 times earnings it's still a double from here. If they can get more projects outside US it will help.

Aerographite. Point2 milligrams/cubic centimeter. World's lightest material. 75x lighter than styrofoam. Electro conductive, 95% compressible and return to original form without damage, jet black and chemically stable. Good for batts for EV's. And other uses. Kiel U and Hamburg U of Tech found it. Zinc oxide with C nanotubes. There's some new multi millionaires.

Calif shale oil field - Monterey - thought to be one of biggest in US has been producing much less than hoped. Maybe peculiar geology.

Drought hampering oil production. Oil pitted against ag for water. Bakken, Marcellus, at least, affected.

Price of ethane-propane NG liquids mix down 58% from Jan high.

Despite oil industry claims of $10M fines for refineries over non-existent cellulosic fuels, they paid $19,010 for waivers in '10. Now investing millions in campaign to disable renewable fuel standards. The old playbook. Clean Air Act passed in '70, but sales of leaded gas didn't stop until 25 years later. They denied pollution was a prob, stoked fear of engine harm, threatened higher prices, then sought to ease regs (during Arab oil embargo) and finally sued EPA. It'd be laughable if not so sad. Though all's not right with cellulosic either. (Reported yesterday in stuff). And now near 50% refining capacity US east coast either shut down or near. Older refineries can't handle heavier crude from Saud, Venezuela or Canada oil sands. Biofuels industry building new refineries. Anyway, cellulosic waivers provide refiners an alternative. But now they say they've had to pay EPA $6.8M this year for the credits to meet '11 obligations. EPA hasn't posted numbers yet. And that's all I know about this. So far.

US drivers spent record $481B on gasoline in '11. $4,100 per household. I didn't spend a penny on gas. But that was just me. Others spent money on gas or diesel driving me around. Sadly, yes, I am also guilty. But I do walk a lot.

Baucus (D-MT) added 1-year extension of wind PTC in committee.

Neast regulators gave warning on diesel generators.

Nissan Leaf sales slump. Questions rising about EV's.

UV rays giving skin cancer to Great Barrier Reef fish.

Ethanol production rising after 2-month slump. What will that do to corn prices? What with the drought.

Lack of research dollars leaves questions about health effects of NG drilling boom unanswered.

Regulators shuttered a KY coal mine for repeat violations. Don't know what the violations are. Maybe forthcoming on the morrow. Could it be a mountaintop removal thing?

Miss court rejected Southern Co request to hike rates for coal plant.

Engineer testified he warned PG&E before San Bruno NG explosion.

Army Corps' plan for restoring wetlands harmed by post-Katrina levees. Well, there's something to be said for looking at everything before proceeding on anything.

Criminal investigation of Fukushima begun.

AFS BioOil (Calif) confirmed their biodiesel cost will be ~$2/gal when produced @ 1M gal/y or more.

Clean Emission Fluids (Detroit biodiesel comp) plans to open fueling stations at Oasis Trucking Centers in SW Detroit in next 2 weeks.

EU no longer views rapid increase in biofuel consumption as priority. Increased 3% '10 to '11. 13.6M tons oil equivalent in '11.

Shiller U and Max Planck says canola biodiesel ain't all that.

Jamaica Broilers expects to boost ethanol output 200% by '12-'13. Anhydrous eth from hydrous feedstock. Up to 120M gal/y. Most of it to go to US.

Senate Finance proposed $1.01/gal tax cred for cellulosic and $1/gal biodiesel tax cred thru '13. Repubs seem on board. But you know how they can change colors.

Alcatraz now powered by solar v. $700K/y for 2 diesel generators. 307KW of solar. And microgrid. Obama ordered all fed agencies to reduce GHG's 30% by '20.

6 of world's largest oil fields still to be developed. Politics, tech, geology, econ probs. Jubilee Field in Ghana est @ 1.8B bls. Chicontepec Basin in Mex est @ 10B bls. Very heavy oil. Kashagan in Kazakhistan 11B bls. That part of Caspian freezes over in winter. SW Iraq 45-100B bls. Infrastructure, war, terror, etc. Santos and Campos Basins in Brazil 123B bls. Miles below ocean surf and then salt layers. Orinoco Venezuela 513B bls. Politics. But Asia dealing with it.

Kuwait National Petrol Comp may go ahead with plans to build Mideast's largest oil refinery. G, remember when US spent blood and money to liberate them from Iraq?

Australia deal to supply UAE with uranium for foreseeable future. And Australia doesn't have to take the waste back.

ABB landed $55M el transmission contract in Brazil. Expected 4.1M EV charge stations by '17.

Siemens got Australia 270MW wind turb deal. Online '14.

NJ to invest $833M for 233MW of new solar capacity. Is that a good deal?

Mitsubishi Mirage - $12,800-16,500. 3 cylinder. 64mpg.

German wind power 1H12 greater than expected by 200MW. 2.4GW total. Up 26%. Offshore only 45MW. Connection delays.

RenuEn (US) got 50MW solar project in Pakistan. Govt of Pakistan to buy the power.

Higgs field (our new boson) makes universe messier. Like the universe was made by a hacker.

Happy trailers, pards.