STUFF

Fed judge ruled BLM must reveal names of comps/individuals nominating public land for oil/gas drilling. Overturns 18 yrs of policy.

GAO raising prospect of 17-53 month gap in satellite data that could impede weather forecasting.

Indiana farmer goes up against Monsanto today in Supreme Court over GM seed patents.

NG leak at Total (France) well in N Sea from corrosion that produced stress cracks.

22 House Dems to talk about climate change on the House floor every day to counteract Repub denial.

EU Parliament approved plan to overhaul carbon trading, but delay made prices plunge. Want to get back to prices that encourage energy efficiency.

Lowered expectations ahead of Cal's 2nd carbon credit auction.

EIA: US crude production could hit record increase of 815Kb/d in '13. Improvements in horizontal drilling, fracking and increased activity in Gulf.

Shale oil keeping New England refineries afloat.

EnergySage offering 1-stop online shopping for solar. Launch this week. $500K DOE Sunshot grant in June '12. Covers Mass, NY, Conn, NJ. Next is RI, PA. 10-15 states by yearend.

Cal Indy Service Operator and Pacificorp (utility serving 6 western states) MOU to create "Energy Imbalance Market" by Oct '14. Gets clean energy a step closer to mainstream power grid. Utilities must match el demand and production in real time for grid stability. Most utilities in west do it manually. CAISO uses advanced, automated 5-minute market system. Geographically dispersed clean energy resources significantly reduce variability (clouds, wind change, etc.). The more area covered, the more stability. Savings from west-wide market est. at $150-300M/yr.

Permanent Court of Arbitration upheld India's right to divert water from Neelum River tributary in Kashmir for 330Mw hydropower project.

Solar PV demand in Asia-Pacific region to increase 50% to 13.5Gw in '13. 90% from China, Japan, India, Australia.

SE Asia's biggest wind farm inaugurated. 207Mw, $495M farm in Thailand. Thai goal 9.2Gw clean/renewable, 1.2Gw wind by '21.

Japan intends to triple wind power capacity to 7.5Gw by developing grids. Country's goal 11Gw by '20, 50Gw by '50.

Alstom supplying anti-seismic turbines for 16.7Mw wind farm in Japan.

China to try "stealth paint" on offshore wind turbines to absorb radar signals to keep air defense, other radar intact. Would cost much more, alter turbines' center of gravity.

Pakistan regulator deciding on upfront solar tariffs. 23 cents/Kwh proposed.

Avg size of all PV solar systems installed in US up 64% in '11. In Jan, FERC issued proposed rule with important changes to Small Generator Interconnect Procedures. "To ensure time, cost to process requests will be just, reasonable, not unduly discriminating." Will lower costs for installers, manufacturers.

Chromatin (IL) and Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) multi-year agree to produce, use sorghum to make eth. Up to 30K acres.

MIT found new way for 260% boost in isobutanol production. Engineering yeast so isobutanol synthesis takes place entirely within mitochondria.

Philippines group to invest in molasses-based ethanol plant and $60M in 40Mw bagasse (sugarcane waste) co-gen plant.

Seaway oil pipeline (OK to TX) flow increased to 400Kb/d last month. Total cap 850K by 1Q14. Gulf coast portion of Keystone pipe completion by yearend, cap 700K. 6 more pipe projects planned or in construction to bypass Cushing and carry 355K from W TX to Gulf. 478K cap to be added in '14. Other projects to pipe E TX oil to Gulf. Lotto pipe jobs in TX right now.

Intelligence reports showing latest (3rd) nuke test in N Korea was of Iran tech. Funded by Iran.

Lockheed predicting working nuke fusion reactor in 10 yrs. (It's been "10 yrs away" since the '70's when I first herd about it from city manager.)

1st of 2 Turk elgen ships docked at Beirut to help Lebanon's endemic power shortages.

TX developer cancelled new coal power plant.

EPA, NM haze deal requires coal power plant shift to NG.

EPA: "very large amount of evidence" links ozone to disease. (Stay off and away from the interstates. Good ruck with that, A? Suck it up.)

Nebraska utility: power lines for Keystone pipeline won't be done by '14 deadline.

Reliance on NG causing New England el bills spike.

Wisc gov calling for selling state power plants to pay for transportation (projects?).

Atlantis Resources (UK) got $5M from Canada to build, install 1Mw ocean turbine in Bay of Fundy. Working with Lockheed, Irving Shipbuilding. Bay has tidal surge up to 49 feet, world's highest.

Fukushima H explosions were from zirconium in overheated cores. EPRI looking at replacing zirc with a ceramic. Zirc near transparent to neutrons.

Storage tank at Hanford leaking.