STUFF

TOP STUFF

Fed appeals court declined to rehear GHG rule challenge, teed up case for Supreme Court.

EV's appealing to only 3% of US car market.

EU approved Czech, Hungarian carbon reduction systems.

Iraq President, a Kurd, suffered serious stroke.

Moscow sending ships to evac 5K Russians in Syria.

US oil production increase of 766Kb/d largest since 1st well in 1859. 6.41Mb/d current production. Petrol imports down to 41% from 60%. 1,432 rigs set up in '12, most since records began in 1987.

FERC to track impact of Calif cap and trade program on power prices.

Utilities starting to train workers for next gen reactors.

32% of folks say their own energy savings actions can make a difference in arresting global warming. Doubt growing that even widespread concerted action can make a difference. 60% now say energy saving habits could help curb climate change if adopted by most Americans.

DOI plan calls for half of 23M acre National Petrol Reserve in AK be opened up for oil/gas development.

OTHER STUFF

Retired Exxon engineer got $300K grant from Pay Pal co-founder's foundation to show how waste heat from power plants can create more el. Exhaust can create vortex of warm air to cause change in pressure at bottom to drive turbine. Vortex 200 meters wide, 10km high could produce 200Mw. Could boost power plant efficiency 20%. (Combined-cycle plants now at 60%.) Proof of concept end of summer.

30 Keystone XL 'tree sitters" face jail time in TX.

Report: US can store 2.4T metric tons of CO2.

AEP to shut down coal-fired units at Big Sandy KY. Plant dates from '60's. Too expensive to retrofit to meet new EPA regs.

Drax Group got $163M from Brit Green Investment Bank to help fund $1B plan to convert country's largest coal-fired power plant to burn wood pellets. $400M Pounds more credit from banks. Plans to switchover 1st of 6 units by June.

PSC of SC approved $97M increase in retail el revs for SCE&G.

Brit Green Investment Bank contributing to $365M loan for wind farm offshore England. 367Mw farm off Cumbria world's largest operating offshore wind farm. Lloyd's, RBS among lenders. GIB opened in Nov with 3B Pounds. Already announced investments in anaerobic digestion plant and fitting out energy efficient bldgs.

Strata Solar powered up 6.4Mw solar farm in NC. Power for 700 homes. 30 acres. 26K panels. Selling el to Duke. NC requires utilities to have 3% clean/ren this yr. 6% in '15. 12.5% in '21. Strata built 12 farms this yr. Plans 25 next yr.

Paradigm Bio Aviation (IL) plans to build $120M facility to turn muni solid waste into el and fuels. Construction start in '14. Power gen in '15. Full scale fuels production in '17. 5Mw elgen, 8M gal fuels/yr.

Neste Oil (Fin) joined av biofuels project funded by EU. 36-month project granted 10M Euro. Airbus, Embraer among those in consortium. Neste will make 4K tons bio-avfuel primarily from Spanish camelina oil, possibly also used cooking oil. 50/50 blend with fossil fuel then for Euro airlines.

Abengoa shut down 480M liters/yr ethanol plant - Europe's largest - in Rotterdam for up to 3 months for retrofits.

Neutral Fuels (UAE) to build biodiesel processing plant in Australia to supply fuel to McDonald's truck fleet from used cooking oil from McD restaurants. Plans to roll out 16 similar projects around world in next 3 yrs. (When will we see the TV ads?)

Brazil ethanol blend may jump back up to 25% as soon as May. Expected record sugarcane crop next yr.

Green Plains (GPRE) subsid began ops at 96-car train terminal in Ala. BNSF line. Capac 300M gal of ethanol per yr.

EC awarded UPM a 170M Euro grant for biorefinery project in France. Solid wood feedstock. Funds from emission allowance sales.

Petrobras' (Bra) transport arm to open shipyard to build 20 ethanol barges - $400M worth. To replace 80K truck round-trips (/yr?).

Thailand agency teaming with Japanese org to launch pilot project to use cassava pulp feedstock for ethanol. $9M R&D grant.

Cellufuel (Can) set to build demo facility for its biodiesel tech that should produce ~1M liters/yr. $500K govt grant.

Rice U researchers turning light into heat at point of need on nanoscale to trigger biochem reactions. Combines enzymes from thermophiles with plasmonic gold nano particles that heat up when exposed to near-IR light. Activates the enzymes.