STUFF

TOP STUFF

Sandy. 5 refineries in path. Shutdown or scaled back. 600Kb/d. Heating oil supplies in NY area far below norm. 20 nuke reactors in line of storm. Extra inspectors headed to plants. Oil down to $85 because demand will be lower for awhile. But pump prices will go up with refinery shutdowns/shutbacks. Though Trans Canada reopened up 590kb/d Keystone pipe at lower delivery rates for Midwest refineries. Stock market closed tomorrow too. $20B estimated cost of storm. Will probably rise higher. Europe, Asian markets slightly lower.

Romney changed position. "We will support nuke and "renewables" ... (I presume some clean energy to be supported with that talk) ... "but phase out subsidies once an industry is on its feet". G, could that mean oil, NG or coal?

London Array, world's largest approved offshore wind project, produced it's 1st power. 630Mw 1st phase completion by yearend. Total 1Gw approved. Costs ~21 cents/Kwh to produce. Dong, EON, Masdar developing.

Denmark minister says Denmark can't bail out Vestas.

Sources say Iran has finished installing last of 3K centrifuges @ Fordo.

Using shadowy middle men, multiple bank accounts, fleet of "ghost ships", Iran's coal trade quietly booming, sidestepping sanctions.

China has lifted moratorium on new nuke plant construction.

Antarctica losing avg 190M tons of ice a day. Study used satellites to "weigh" landmass. Parts of E Antarctica growing ice. But W Antartica glaciers melting faster.

Bank of Israel lowered interest rates with limits on mortgages.

China bought 10% share of offshore Brazil oil and gas reserves.

THE REST OF STUFF

Green Plains (GPRE) selling 83% of its grain storage capacity (12 elevators, 32.6M bushel cap), all of its agronomy and retail petrol operations for $133M to Andersons.

China govt promising to cancel expansion of petrochem refinery after 3rd day of protests.

In '49, China relied on coal for 96% of elgen. Now ~70%. Consuming half of world's coal.

German wind turbines overloading Euro grid. Problems will be for years until they upgrade the grids.

Bright Source Energy and Alstom (Europe's 2nd largest power equipment maker) plan to expand their partnership to India and Australia. BSE raised $80M in new equity financing, led by Alstom and Vantage Point Capital Partners. BSE builds CSP solar plants - the mirrored solar to a central tower that stores the heat with molten salt or whatever so it can yield near 24/7 energy. Goldman Sachs, Chevron, BP also invested.

Softbank's (Japan) SB Energy to develop up to 300Mw of wind power in Mongolia Gobi.

Ocean Power Tech (OPTT) got $900K contract from Mitsui (JP) to further develop their tech for Japan sea conditions.

Australia's 20% by '20 clean/ren target has delivered $18.5B of investment, half of potential.

Indonesia wants 25% clean/ren elgen by '25. 7% now.

Asia-Pacific energy storage market projected $12B in 10 years. 25Gw capacity.

S Africa seeking new bids for 3.2Gw of clean/ren projects by '20. Targets 1.47Gw onshore wind, 400Mw CSP,  > 1Gw solar PV, 60Mw small hydro,  > 47Mw each from biomass and biogas, 100Mw from other small projects. They also want to produce 2.5Gw more from coal and 2.4Gw more from large hydro by '24 and 2.5Gw of extra NG power by '25.

US Oil Sands' Utah oil sands project  to initially produce 2Kb/d.

Canada's Terraseis discovered oil along Afghan, Turkmenistan border.

China imported 1.38M tons LNG in Sept, up 20% yoy.

Australia's Santos launched country's 1st commercial shale gas well.

Canada's Suncor said Firebug oil sands facility hit design cap of ~120Kb/d.

Novozymes (Denmark) bought 10% of Beta Renewables (Italy) for $115M. To jointly market, demo, guarantee cellulosic biofuels.

BIOX (Canada)  halted biodiesel production at Ontario plant. 67M liters.

Google ran biofuel car 2,500 miles on 5% Cool Planet blend. Working on high-octane gas @ $1.50/gal w/out govt subsidies. Cool Planet concurring.

Petrobras, Brazil Ministry of Fisheries and Aquiculture to explore production of biodiesel from residual fish oil. Brazil wants to increase its fishing industry to 2M tons by '14.

FAA to form Center of Excellence to further alternate jet fuels research, enviro research.

Total (FR) made oil discovery in Norway's North Sea. (I might have previously reported this.)

Sunportal - JV with Brit, S Korea scientists - can deliver natural sunlight to unlit areas in buildings. Pipes, mirrors, relay lenses, diffusers. Can lower costs 20-25% (v. LED's?).

Michigan Tech study found solar panels work better with snow on ground (and in trees) because of higher reflection. Albedo effect. Ever needed sunglasses with snow on ground? Let alone sunglasses above clouds if flying IFR.