STUFF

Earlier this month, Penn State researchers created world's 1st fiber optic solar cell. Thinner than hair. Can weave into cloth. Typical US soldier carries 16-20 lbs of batts.

MIT researchers looking at graphene as cheaper alternative for solar cells.

All the gold ever mined can fit into 2 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Venzuela sees '12 inflation @ 19.9%, below target. Great target, huh?

Shell's mobile oil rig said to be adrift again off Alaska coast. Crewmen had to be rescued from it Saturday.

Peabody Coal's claim to being "the global leader in clean energy solutions" struck from its online home page. Questions came up. Boggles the mind, donut?

Feds to shift cargo shipping lanes off Cal coast to reduce killings of whales in feeding, migration areas.

Bolivia nationalized 2 el distribution subsids of Iberdrola (Spain). In May, another Spanish utility was nationalized that controlled 74% of el transmission in Bolivia. I guess Spain is being kicked out of South America. Portugal next?

Exxon and Citgo among 26 comps going to trial in NH over MTBE groundwater contamination. 60% of NH residents rely on private water wells. State seeking $700M to test, monitor every private well and public drinking water system and provide cleanup costs where needed. Only state to have reached trial stage over MTBE. NYC won $105M settlement with Exxon in '09. On appeal now. EPA: "possible human carcinogen".

DOE announced $20M of new funds for 2 to 4 projects to integrate concentrating solar power with fossil fuel power plants.

Oji Holdings (Japan), world's largest corp user of renewable energy, plans to spend $234M to build 2 biomass power plants (wood-fueled) in Japan. Will sell el from the units within 3 yrs as part of 60B Yen investment in renewables.

Plasco (Canada) to build 150K ton/yr 15Mw waste to el plant in Ontario. Moisture in waste recovered, cleaned, made available for reuse. Ontario will pay $83/ton processed.

Conoco Phillips cut deal with Sinopec subsid (China) to jointly study shale gas development in China. 2-yr deal. Sichuan Basin.

Algerian-Euro NG pipeline deal delayed again.

Chevron made 2 more NG discoveries off coast of W Australia. But their JV to build LNG plant already 20% over initial budget of $54.4B.

NY Gov Cuomo ordered 20% more energy efficiency in state bldgs within 7 yrs. Would reduce GHG's over 8M metric tons/yr. NYPA committing $450M in low-cost finance for it.

Demand for clean energy credits in India more than doubled in Dec from Nov. Credits selling at floor prices of $27 each for 1Mwh of clean energy fed into grid.

Solarstrom (Germany) sold 5 PV solar plants in Germany to private investor. Total 12Mw built in '07-'08. "Double-digit million dollar range." They sold 4 other plants in Nov, planning to build 440Mw of solar in Spain plus projects in SE Europe and Chile.

Happy New Year pards.