Graphene a 1-atom thick sheet of carbon in hexagonic crystal lattice. 200x stronger than steel. Tougher than diamond. World's thinnnest material. Flexible, transparent. Conducts el, heat very well. Stocks: AIXG, CVV, FCSMF, NGHPF, GTI, CHGI. PKX.
XDSL in tech licensing discussions with 2 universities.
Graphene defects makes for weakness. Pseudo Hall-Petch effect. Rice U, Tsinghua U used theoretical calcs. Defects @ grain boundaries. "Islands" of graph merge. ~1/2 as strong. Atoms @ boundaries bond in 5-7 atom rings wekaer than hex rings. 7 weakest. Found at 3-island junctions.
Graphene Nanochem raised near $50M , acquired Malay specialty chem Platinum Nanochem. GRPH. Valuation ~ $235M. Core specialty biz. Exclusive license. Catalyx. Extracts graphene from biogases. Developing lubes for shale gas.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
STUFF
UK clean energy rules to add 36% to power bills by '20 for large energy-intensive comps. Medium-size 22%. Households ~7%. (2 different targets on households. Could be up, could be down. Choose up.) Target to cut GHGs 34% by '20 from '90 level. In Germany, large comps building their own power plants to sidestep surcharges. UK bills by '30 expected to be 60% higher for large comps, 39% for medium.
IMF suggesting $1.40/gal tax on gasoline in US. (Think that's going to fly?) ~$1,400/yr/person. Would raise $500B/yr. (Well, that's half the deficit.)
Shell to spend $1B/yr developing China shale gas. Production sharing with CNPC. Est. 1,275TCF recoverable. 24 wells drilled, 14 more this yr.
Kurds will have new pipeline to pump oil directly to Turkey in '14. (What's Baghdad going to do?)
Israel offshore gas wells in Med started production. Plan undersea pipeline to Turkey (that's what Bebe's apology was about).
Cal Air Resources Board added $6M to Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. Recent $4.5M from Cal E Commission. Expected to extend program until next yr's funds available. $2,500 rebate for buying, leasing CVs. Can be combined with fed tax creds, other incentives. Over $42M awarded in near 20K rebates so far.
Homeowners, small biz soon able to sell solar to Dominion VA Power. 15 cents/Kwh for 5 yrs. 20Kw cap for rez, 50 for biz. Total up to 3Mw. Aps start in June. Dominion also to build, op up to 30Mw comp-owned solar at comm, industrial, public locations.
CNPC to drill in 3 Russian Arctic locations. China Dev bank to lend Rosneft ~2B backed by future oil prod.
6-mile, 4-story, 460 ft below city Niagara Tunnel now in service. Hydro power to Ontario. 1.5Twh. $1.5B. Launched '05.
Happy resurrections, pards.
IMF suggesting $1.40/gal tax on gasoline in US. (Think that's going to fly?) ~$1,400/yr/person. Would raise $500B/yr. (Well, that's half the deficit.)
Shell to spend $1B/yr developing China shale gas. Production sharing with CNPC. Est. 1,275TCF recoverable. 24 wells drilled, 14 more this yr.
Kurds will have new pipeline to pump oil directly to Turkey in '14. (What's Baghdad going to do?)
Israel offshore gas wells in Med started production. Plan undersea pipeline to Turkey (that's what Bebe's apology was about).
Cal Air Resources Board added $6M to Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. Recent $4.5M from Cal E Commission. Expected to extend program until next yr's funds available. $2,500 rebate for buying, leasing CVs. Can be combined with fed tax creds, other incentives. Over $42M awarded in near 20K rebates so far.
Homeowners, small biz soon able to sell solar to Dominion VA Power. 15 cents/Kwh for 5 yrs. 20Kw cap for rez, 50 for biz. Total up to 3Mw. Aps start in June. Dominion also to build, op up to 30Mw comp-owned solar at comm, industrial, public locations.
CNPC to drill in 3 Russian Arctic locations. China Dev bank to lend Rosneft ~2B backed by future oil prod.
6-mile, 4-story, 460 ft below city Niagara Tunnel now in service. Hydro power to Ontario. 1.5Twh. $1.5B. Launched '05.
Happy resurrections, pards.
Friday, March 29, 2013
STUFF
PEIX importing sorghum for ethanol production . . . PLUG may put itself up for sale . . . Worst New Zealand drought in 30 yrs.
EPA proposing 2/3 cut sulfur limit for gasoline. 10ppm. Improves catalytic converter performance. Matches Cal standard. Refiners say could raise gas price 6-8 cents. Clean air groups say more like 1 cent. (Of course, refiners are going to jawbone for more revs.) Last few yrs, refiners cut sulfur 90%. (Anybody notice?) Cost $10B. New cut also $10B, but also raise refiner CO2 output. Rule would also cut NOx 260K tons/y. ~10M tons/y from all tran.
BP, Shell, Chevron, Conoco beginning new round offshore Shetlands. 5 wells, 2 yrs, $500M. 7 wells may be added in "appraisal". $12B next few yrs. Est. 8B bls. Brits oil/gas output both fell ~14% in '12. Below 1Mb/d oil now. Was 2.5 in '01. Likely $70B investment '12-'16. Most since '70's.
1st Renewable Progress report from EC. '09 Directive. '10 figures say EU as whole on point heading toward '20 targets. Clean/ren share 12.7%. Most states reached '12 targets in '10.
EIA: domestic E production from clean/ren (nuke not included, I don't know why) grew 23% '08-'12. Total E all sources up 8%. NG up 18%. Oil up 29% (Pretty sure they mean just production of oil, not elgen from oil. I hope.) Nuke down 4%. Coal down 13%. Total E use down 4%. Petrol use down 7%. CO2 emissions down 17%. Hydropower up 7%. Geothermal up 18%. Biofuels up 40%. Solar up 138%. Wind up 149%. Biomass down .9%. Non grid-connected data not included.
Turkey suspended E deals with Eni over involvement offshore Cyprus. Cyprus opening bidding for next round. Eni partner in 3 major Turk pipeline projects. Russia, Kazakhstan oil. Eni, partners planning surveys this yr, wells next. Turkey wants Turk Cypriots to get fair share. (Who can fault that?)
1Mb/d oil shipped by N Am rail. 500K out of Bakken. 3x more carbon intensive than pipes. (Build pipes.)
Last 4 yrs, # of quakes in mid US 11x last 3 decades. (Fracking a part.)
New ABB (Swiss) circuit breaker design for high-volt DC. Means supergrids to be more efficient, reliable. 5 millisecond protection. DC up to 50% more efficient long distance. Helps to connect clean E.
EWEA: est. 120 Gw offshore wind next 20 yrs.
1st round NY solar program $46M. 76 projects. 52Mw. $100M private money. 3 rounds planned this year. 4x customer sites '11-'13. Gov wants through '23. NY 10th state in solar cap in '12.
Dev Bank Japan, 5 others $191M for 80Mw add to 15Mw Japan wind farm. DBJ, another bank also $37M for 12Mw solar online July.
US corporate share of govt revs 9%: Levin on Rose (ever catch Charlie on PBS? Should.) Effective rate 12%. Used to be 50%. Come on companies. Be more giving. Give, companies. Come on. Play nice.
Japan cutting solar FIT 10% to 4o cents/KWh for 20 yrs. Others holding. Wind 23 yen/Kwh. Geo 27 for 15 yrs at 15Mw or larger, 42 yen for smaller. 15 yrs.
Northland Power (Can) sold 50% stake in wind project to 2 Native Nations. Up to 48 2.3Mw Siemens turbines. Ontario Power to pay 13.5 cents 20 yrs. Farm cost ~ C$385M.
ZeaChem (Colo) reducing staff, seeking bridge loan. $232M USDA loan guarantee last year to build cellulosic ethanol plant in OR. Expected $391M cost. Microorganism from termites, other critters to process 5-, 6-carbon sugars without CO2 byproduct. Demo plant with $25 DOW grant, $12M USDA grant. Ethanol production reportedly began at demo.
Pike Research: near 56Gw of "long duration" bulk E storage for US grid installs '12-'22. "Ancillary" installs 10x to surpass 3.5Gw.
Happy Easter (Not Passover.) Passover a couple days up the road as I understand.
EPA proposing 2/3 cut sulfur limit for gasoline. 10ppm. Improves catalytic converter performance. Matches Cal standard. Refiners say could raise gas price 6-8 cents. Clean air groups say more like 1 cent. (Of course, refiners are going to jawbone for more revs.) Last few yrs, refiners cut sulfur 90%. (Anybody notice?) Cost $10B. New cut also $10B, but also raise refiner CO2 output. Rule would also cut NOx 260K tons/y. ~10M tons/y from all tran.
BP, Shell, Chevron, Conoco beginning new round offshore Shetlands. 5 wells, 2 yrs, $500M. 7 wells may be added in "appraisal". $12B next few yrs. Est. 8B bls. Brits oil/gas output both fell ~14% in '12. Below 1Mb/d oil now. Was 2.5 in '01. Likely $70B investment '12-'16. Most since '70's.
1st Renewable Progress report from EC. '09 Directive. '10 figures say EU as whole on point heading toward '20 targets. Clean/ren share 12.7%. Most states reached '12 targets in '10.
EIA: domestic E production from clean/ren (nuke not included, I don't know why) grew 23% '08-'12. Total E all sources up 8%. NG up 18%. Oil up 29% (Pretty sure they mean just production of oil, not elgen from oil. I hope.) Nuke down 4%. Coal down 13%. Total E use down 4%. Petrol use down 7%. CO2 emissions down 17%. Hydropower up 7%. Geothermal up 18%. Biofuels up 40%. Solar up 138%. Wind up 149%. Biomass down .9%. Non grid-connected data not included.
Turkey suspended E deals with Eni over involvement offshore Cyprus. Cyprus opening bidding for next round. Eni partner in 3 major Turk pipeline projects. Russia, Kazakhstan oil. Eni, partners planning surveys this yr, wells next. Turkey wants Turk Cypriots to get fair share. (Who can fault that?)
1Mb/d oil shipped by N Am rail. 500K out of Bakken. 3x more carbon intensive than pipes. (Build pipes.)
Last 4 yrs, # of quakes in mid US 11x last 3 decades. (Fracking a part.)
New ABB (Swiss) circuit breaker design for high-volt DC. Means supergrids to be more efficient, reliable. 5 millisecond protection. DC up to 50% more efficient long distance. Helps to connect clean E.
EWEA: est. 120 Gw offshore wind next 20 yrs.
1st round NY solar program $46M. 76 projects. 52Mw. $100M private money. 3 rounds planned this year. 4x customer sites '11-'13. Gov wants through '23. NY 10th state in solar cap in '12.
Dev Bank Japan, 5 others $191M for 80Mw add to 15Mw Japan wind farm. DBJ, another bank also $37M for 12Mw solar online July.
US corporate share of govt revs 9%: Levin on Rose (ever catch Charlie on PBS? Should.) Effective rate 12%. Used to be 50%. Come on companies. Be more giving. Give, companies. Come on. Play nice.
Japan cutting solar FIT 10% to 4o cents/KWh for 20 yrs. Others holding. Wind 23 yen/Kwh. Geo 27 for 15 yrs at 15Mw or larger, 42 yen for smaller. 15 yrs.
Northland Power (Can) sold 50% stake in wind project to 2 Native Nations. Up to 48 2.3Mw Siemens turbines. Ontario Power to pay 13.5 cents 20 yrs. Farm cost ~ C$385M.
ZeaChem (Colo) reducing staff, seeking bridge loan. $232M USDA loan guarantee last year to build cellulosic ethanol plant in OR. Expected $391M cost. Microorganism from termites, other critters to process 5-, 6-carbon sugars without CO2 byproduct. Demo plant with $25 DOW grant, $12M USDA grant. Ethanol production reportedly began at demo.
Pike Research: near 56Gw of "long duration" bulk E storage for US grid installs '12-'22. "Ancillary" installs 10x to surpass 3.5Gw.
Happy Easter (Not Passover.) Passover a couple days up the road as I understand.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
THURSDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %) (O, by the way, market closed tomorrow. Even though Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.)
Market up 52/11/6. New S&P high, of course. Volume a little more bizzy than lately. Oil: WTI over $97, Brent over $110. NG $4.02. S&P up 10% in Q1. 5 months of gains. 4-year rally. Over 12M Americans jobless. Afghan, Iraq vets can't get benefits. Over 3ooK homes still in foreclosure. Let's please think here.
AEHI up 100 on 5K shares. WWPW up 50. Oo, up over 50s to bottom 200. On 21K shs. GERS up 44. Give us a break. SWET up 35 more. Whatever. Volume, though. Forget having to publish news. Insider trading the game. JUHL up 31 on name change, 5K shares? ENSL up 29. EWRL up 21. APWR up 16. LMRMF up 15. SATCQ up 13. They're BANKRUPT! XSNX up 12. AMEL, AQNM up 11. GTAT up 10 on volume. A real deal. TMEN also up 10. NENE up 5.
BLDW down 24. 9K shs at a penny. Forgidaboudit. ECAU, CSKH down 18. MGLT down 14. PSPW, SOPW down 13. PSPW with volume. USEI down 12. Don't even bother. GSPI down 10, ditto. PLUG down 8. ZAAP down 8. LEDS down 8. CERP down 4. NTCXF down 2.
Sweet 16. That's what's it is. March madness. Woo.
Market up 52/11/6. New S&P high, of course. Volume a little more bizzy than lately. Oil: WTI over $97, Brent over $110. NG $4.02. S&P up 10% in Q1. 5 months of gains. 4-year rally. Over 12M Americans jobless. Afghan, Iraq vets can't get benefits. Over 3ooK homes still in foreclosure. Let's please think here.
AEHI up 100 on 5K shares. WWPW up 50. Oo, up over 50s to bottom 200. On 21K shs. GERS up 44. Give us a break. SWET up 35 more. Whatever. Volume, though. Forget having to publish news. Insider trading the game. JUHL up 31 on name change, 5K shares? ENSL up 29. EWRL up 21. APWR up 16. LMRMF up 15. SATCQ up 13. They're BANKRUPT! XSNX up 12. AMEL, AQNM up 11. GTAT up 10 on volume. A real deal. TMEN also up 10. NENE up 5.
BLDW down 24. 9K shs at a penny. Forgidaboudit. ECAU, CSKH down 18. MGLT down 14. PSPW, SOPW down 13. PSPW with volume. USEI down 12. Don't even bother. GSPI down 10, ditto. PLUG down 8. ZAAP down 8. LEDS down 8. CERP down 4. NTCXF down 2.
Sweet 16. That's what's it is. March madness. Woo.
STUFF
U of GA researchers have found way to TURN CO2 IN ATMOS INTO BIOFUELS. Created a microorganism. (GO, RESEARCH!)
Mercedes unveiled Tesla-powered EV.
IMF: countries should rein in energy subsidies - $1.9T in '11 - to ease budget probs, free more for ed, health, infra. 8% of all govt spending in '11, 2.5% of world GDP. Top 3: US $502B, China $279B, Russia $116B. IMF also called for carbon tax, said subsidy cuts would make large CO2 cuts.
Researchers analyzing monsoon patterns around N Hemisphere since '70's conclude there's substantial intensification of summer monsoon rainfall, circulation. Natural variations in Pacific, Atlantic appear main force behind shift. Current theory, though, predicts monsoon circulation should weaken with global warming.
In '11, 18 Bangladesh textile makers invested over $1M to upgrade factories with help of intl agencies. In 1 year, they saved 1.2M cubic meters of water, 16M cubic meters of NG, 10M Kwh of el. Intl Finance Corp est. if half of Bangladesh textiles did so they could save $75M plus water, NG, el. 2nd largest textile industry in world behind China. Dhaka water table dropping 6 ft/yr.
Cal unveiled $23B plan to revamp Sacramento/San Joaquin River delta to restore natural water flows, improve 100K acres for over 50 species. $23B.
LA County suberb approved 1st-in-nation mandate requiring rooftop solar on most new homes.
New research points to ocean circulation, not winds, as driver of CO2 release after each ice age. (How many dang ice ages have we had?)
EU started planning for '30 climate, energy targets.
NM drought spurring water rights feud.
Ethiopia venturing into waste-to-energy project.
GAO: overlapping fed subsidies let some wind projects get multiple grants, credits. (Hate the waste, love the cause.)
Train derailed, spilled 30K gal of crude in MN.
Suncor canceled oil sands refining project.
Delays at OR wave energy project.
Netherlands homeowners near NG drilling ops getting earthquakes.
Greenland set moratorium on offshore drilling permits.
Citigroup: "tipping point" for global oil demand growth "on horizon".
Energy development fragmenting Marcellus forests, threatening some species.
DOD justifies using oil sands crude.
Oil group bashing NG on pricing, "clean" claims. (And NG production isn't holding up very well. Besides needing $6-8 to make profit with fracking. Or it's all just jawboning for more profit.)
Ladakh, India largest off-grid clean/renewable energy project in world. $88.8M for solar, hydro. 28.3Mw. India wants to get el to every household by '17. (So they can sell them refrigerators and big screen TVs. They want their MTV too.)
UK clean/ren elgen up 20% in '12 to 41Twh. 11.3% of total elgen. Biggest increase from offshore wind. Target 30% clean/ren by '20. EU target of 15% of all energy, including heating and transport, from clean/ren. By '20.
UK started FIT for hydro of 100-500Kw. 12-16 pence/Kwh.
Mount Pleasant Solar Co-op, started by 2 teens, has helped get rooftop solar on 10% of homes in that DC neighborhood.
Germany to launch 50M Euro solar storage incentive. Systems with storage to get low interest loans from state bank, repayment allowance to cover 30% of batt cost. For systems under 30Kw.
Rwanda to drill 3 exploratory geothermal wells near volcano. $27M venture for exploring. 10Mw potential.
FSLR nabbed top spot in world solar development in '12. Completed over 500Mw. Chinese firms took 4 of top 10 spots.
Exxon says it can increase production at Iraq field from current 496Kb/d to 530K by July, 600K by yearend. Iraq officials say "nuh-unh", not realistic, year's production to be close to 2.9Mb/d. They're starting to sell 4M bls/month to Egypt (broke). Jordan already getting Iraq oil at preferential prices.
China oil demand up 4% yoy in 1st 2 months of '13.
BIOF asking Piper Jaffray to help sell 1 or both of Colo ethanol plants. BIOF in default on loans.
Bangkok buses to trial 3 months on B7 fuel.
Argentina's biodiesel exports down so much from trade disputes with EU that they are switching to exporting soy oil.
Grassley blames speculation for RIN spike. Wants CFTC to step in.
GA Tech research making recyclable solar cells from trees. 2.7% efficiency. Cellulose nanocrystal substrate. Water immersion at room temps for minutes to recycle. Next step 10% efficient by optimizing optical properties of cell's electrode. Funded by several govt offices. (Go, Rambling Wrecks!)
Chinese supertanker filling up at Iran export terminal. (Thanks, China. Um, have you herd there's sanctions? And why?)
Petrobras hopes to raise $5B from Nigeria sale. Redirecting investment to higher-return assets - explore, produce. 5-yr $236B capital spending plan. Largest ever corp investment plan in world in history. (Um, was "in history" redundancy?) (What's the emoticon for tongue-in-cheek?)
1st time in near 50 years Santee Cooper (SC-owned) generated less el from coal. In '12. (Had a flying company in the area way back and when. Monck's Corner. Goat Island. Summerville. Kind of know the culture.)
Bangor paper mill to pay over $3M to settle with FERC on manipulating New England energy market. (You go, FERC.)
Wheb Venture (London) bought majority stake in German low-energy lighting comp. Lighting 20% of global energy use. Energy-saving lights now ~7% of global mart. May rise to 64% by '20, as much as $70B/y.
Scotland wind power gen surged 19% in '12. Clean energy 39% of total el needs, up 7% in '12 to over 14Gwh. They want ALL their elgen clean by '20. Half by '15.
Kandenko - 46% owned by TEP - to build 19Mw of solar in 2 plants. $71M. Online '16.
Toshiba entering solar power development. 6.5Mw of projects.
Sorry it's so late, pards. Hay. Happens. I do truly appreciate your reading. Happy trailers.
Mercedes unveiled Tesla-powered EV.
IMF: countries should rein in energy subsidies - $1.9T in '11 - to ease budget probs, free more for ed, health, infra. 8% of all govt spending in '11, 2.5% of world GDP. Top 3: US $502B, China $279B, Russia $116B. IMF also called for carbon tax, said subsidy cuts would make large CO2 cuts.
Researchers analyzing monsoon patterns around N Hemisphere since '70's conclude there's substantial intensification of summer monsoon rainfall, circulation. Natural variations in Pacific, Atlantic appear main force behind shift. Current theory, though, predicts monsoon circulation should weaken with global warming.
In '11, 18 Bangladesh textile makers invested over $1M to upgrade factories with help of intl agencies. In 1 year, they saved 1.2M cubic meters of water, 16M cubic meters of NG, 10M Kwh of el. Intl Finance Corp est. if half of Bangladesh textiles did so they could save $75M plus water, NG, el. 2nd largest textile industry in world behind China. Dhaka water table dropping 6 ft/yr.
Cal unveiled $23B plan to revamp Sacramento/San Joaquin River delta to restore natural water flows, improve 100K acres for over 50 species. $23B.
LA County suberb approved 1st-in-nation mandate requiring rooftop solar on most new homes.
New research points to ocean circulation, not winds, as driver of CO2 release after each ice age. (How many dang ice ages have we had?)
EU started planning for '30 climate, energy targets.
NM drought spurring water rights feud.
Ethiopia venturing into waste-to-energy project.
GAO: overlapping fed subsidies let some wind projects get multiple grants, credits. (Hate the waste, love the cause.)
Train derailed, spilled 30K gal of crude in MN.
Suncor canceled oil sands refining project.
Delays at OR wave energy project.
Netherlands homeowners near NG drilling ops getting earthquakes.
Greenland set moratorium on offshore drilling permits.
Citigroup: "tipping point" for global oil demand growth "on horizon".
Energy development fragmenting Marcellus forests, threatening some species.
DOD justifies using oil sands crude.
Oil group bashing NG on pricing, "clean" claims. (And NG production isn't holding up very well. Besides needing $6-8 to make profit with fracking. Or it's all just jawboning for more profit.)
Ladakh, India largest off-grid clean/renewable energy project in world. $88.8M for solar, hydro. 28.3Mw. India wants to get el to every household by '17. (So they can sell them refrigerators and big screen TVs. They want their MTV too.)
UK clean/ren elgen up 20% in '12 to 41Twh. 11.3% of total elgen. Biggest increase from offshore wind. Target 30% clean/ren by '20. EU target of 15% of all energy, including heating and transport, from clean/ren. By '20.
UK started FIT for hydro of 100-500Kw. 12-16 pence/Kwh.
Mount Pleasant Solar Co-op, started by 2 teens, has helped get rooftop solar on 10% of homes in that DC neighborhood.
Germany to launch 50M Euro solar storage incentive. Systems with storage to get low interest loans from state bank, repayment allowance to cover 30% of batt cost. For systems under 30Kw.
Rwanda to drill 3 exploratory geothermal wells near volcano. $27M venture for exploring. 10Mw potential.
FSLR nabbed top spot in world solar development in '12. Completed over 500Mw. Chinese firms took 4 of top 10 spots.
Exxon says it can increase production at Iraq field from current 496Kb/d to 530K by July, 600K by yearend. Iraq officials say "nuh-unh", not realistic, year's production to be close to 2.9Mb/d. They're starting to sell 4M bls/month to Egypt (broke). Jordan already getting Iraq oil at preferential prices.
China oil demand up 4% yoy in 1st 2 months of '13.
BIOF asking Piper Jaffray to help sell 1 or both of Colo ethanol plants. BIOF in default on loans.
Bangkok buses to trial 3 months on B7 fuel.
Argentina's biodiesel exports down so much from trade disputes with EU that they are switching to exporting soy oil.
Grassley blames speculation for RIN spike. Wants CFTC to step in.
GA Tech research making recyclable solar cells from trees. 2.7% efficiency. Cellulose nanocrystal substrate. Water immersion at room temps for minutes to recycle. Next step 10% efficient by optimizing optical properties of cell's electrode. Funded by several govt offices. (Go, Rambling Wrecks!)
Chinese supertanker filling up at Iran export terminal. (Thanks, China. Um, have you herd there's sanctions? And why?)
Petrobras hopes to raise $5B from Nigeria sale. Redirecting investment to higher-return assets - explore, produce. 5-yr $236B capital spending plan. Largest ever corp investment plan in world in history. (Um, was "in history" redundancy?) (What's the emoticon for tongue-in-cheek?)
1st time in near 50 years Santee Cooper (SC-owned) generated less el from coal. In '12. (Had a flying company in the area way back and when. Monck's Corner. Goat Island. Summerville. Kind of know the culture.)
Bangor paper mill to pay over $3M to settle with FERC on manipulating New England energy market. (You go, FERC.)
Wheb Venture (London) bought majority stake in German low-energy lighting comp. Lighting 20% of global energy use. Energy-saving lights now ~7% of global mart. May rise to 64% by '20, as much as $70B/y.
Scotland wind power gen surged 19% in '12. Clean energy 39% of total el needs, up 7% in '12 to over 14Gwh. They want ALL their elgen clean by '20. Half by '15.
Kandenko - 46% owned by TEP - to build 19Mw of solar in 2 plants. $71M. Online '16.
Toshiba entering solar power development. 6.5Mw of projects.
Sorry it's so late, pards. Hay. Happens. I do truly appreciate your reading. Happy trailers.
THURSDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 44/3/3. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI over $96, Brent over $109. NG $4.05. Revised US 4Q GDP up .4%.
SWET up another 47, day 2 of romp, up over top lines (200-days), still have seen no news. ENSL up 35 after bounce off bottom (200) line. WTWO up 33. PRHL up 21 off bottom. XSNX up 13, back up above 50-days. SATCQ up 13. MKTY up 12, day 4 of whatever's going on there. RVLT up 7, up over 20x since Sept, up 3x since Jan. NENE up 1.
PSPW down 27, still rebottoming. ECAU down 20, new low, sure looks like a pump and dump to me. GERS down 16. SOPW down 13, bottom. USEI down 12. GRPH down 11, bottom, $1 to 20 cents since Oct. NGLPF down 10. LEDS down 8, rejected by 200-day lines. ZAAP down 5, still coming down from recent surge high. PLUG down 2, still just under 50s. CERP down 1.
Market up 44/3/3. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI over $96, Brent over $109. NG $4.05. Revised US 4Q GDP up .4%.
SWET up another 47, day 2 of romp, up over top lines (200-days), still have seen no news. ENSL up 35 after bounce off bottom (200) line. WTWO up 33. PRHL up 21 off bottom. XSNX up 13, back up above 50-days. SATCQ up 13. MKTY up 12, day 4 of whatever's going on there. RVLT up 7, up over 20x since Sept, up 3x since Jan. NENE up 1.
PSPW down 27, still rebottoming. ECAU down 20, new low, sure looks like a pump and dump to me. GERS down 16. SOPW down 13, bottom. USEI down 12. GRPH down 11, bottom, $1 to 20 cents since Oct. NGLPF down 10. LEDS down 8, rejected by 200-day lines. ZAAP down 5, still coming down from recent surge high. PLUG down 2, still just under 50s. CERP down 1.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
WHENSDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Gotta call market kind of nuts. Mixed, definitely. Dow down 33. Naz up 4 (just catchin back). S&P flat. Volume light. Oil: WTI over $96, Brent closing in on $110. US NG $4.06. Brit banks needing $38B or something. What does Cyprus need? Calm? Buffet's latest deal: 10M shares of Goldman at no cost. Warren for POTUS. BRICs finding it hard to run as herd. MickyDs v. Subway. Victoria's Secret under fire for racy panties. Huh.
BHWX up 75. Near 1 cent. SWET up 73. Volume. No news. Pump dump? RVLT up 26. Way over last top. Good volume. AMPD up 25, wimpy volume. LEOM up 21. BBLU, BFRE up 17. Blues there. NGLPF up 16. ALTI, CSGH up 11. Watch ALTI. GSFVF up 10. ZAAP, NENE up 3. CERP up 1.
ENSL down 42. DSTI, HOKU down 26. WWPW down 25. PSPW down 19. JUHL down 18 on name change. BOPO, GERS, CCTC down 11. CCTC maybe in clean coal tech news. TMEN down 10. EWRL down 9. LEDS down 7. PLUG, NTCXF down 1.
Hump day humped.
Gotta call market kind of nuts. Mixed, definitely. Dow down 33. Naz up 4 (just catchin back). S&P flat. Volume light. Oil: WTI over $96, Brent closing in on $110. US NG $4.06. Brit banks needing $38B or something. What does Cyprus need? Calm? Buffet's latest deal: 10M shares of Goldman at no cost. Warren for POTUS. BRICs finding it hard to run as herd. MickyDs v. Subway. Victoria's Secret under fire for racy panties. Huh.
BHWX up 75. Near 1 cent. SWET up 73. Volume. No news. Pump dump? RVLT up 26. Way over last top. Good volume. AMPD up 25, wimpy volume. LEOM up 21. BBLU, BFRE up 17. Blues there. NGLPF up 16. ALTI, CSGH up 11. Watch ALTI. GSFVF up 10. ZAAP, NENE up 3. CERP up 1.
ENSL down 42. DSTI, HOKU down 26. WWPW down 25. PSPW down 19. JUHL down 18 on name change. BOPO, GERS, CCTC down 11. CCTC maybe in clean coal tech news. TMEN down 10. EWRL down 9. LEDS down 7. PLUG, NTCXF down 1.
Hump day humped.
STUFF
Gaelectric Holdings got $84M to build 13 onshore wind farms in Ireland. Enercon turbines. Cost ~$325M for 164Mw. '17 completion.
US Geothermal approved for $36M 1603 Treasury grant for OR power plant it ops.
Suzlon (India) $650M wind power bond. 5-yr, 5%.
Audit faulting stimulus-backed $1.5B US clean coal effort. (That's 3x Solyndra.)
13 countries got over 30% of their el from clean/renewable energy in '11: IEA. Nuke not included.
'13 Econ Report of President includes chapter on climate change. 1st time since '10.
US automakers, small engine makers asking Supreme Court to take case challenging EPA's decision to mandate E15 ethanol blend.
Ice loss in polar north may deliver frigid spring in temperate zone. (Sure starting off as one.) Diminishing ice could be changing jet stream.
SC climate change impact report getting released soon.
Geologists linked OK's largest quake - 5.7 in '11 - to injection wells (fracking). Even after 18 yrs.
Report: '12 spending made Eagle Ford world's largest single oil/gas development.
TX streamlined permit process for oil/gas wastewater recycling.
New pipelines sending PA natgas liquids to Gulf coast.
Frac sand mining driving MN job growth.
Shell got OK to explore China's unconventional resources.
Suntech customers concerned about product warranties after bankruptcy. Already exploring different suppliers. LDK Solar issued more new shares - 12M shs for $15.4M (13% premium) - to outside investor who could potentially take over comp. Looking like ongoing rescue of LDK.
Mascoma (backed by Khosla), NH biofuel, cancelled $100M IPO. "Market conditions." 4th biofuel to cancel or delay IPO since last year. Mascoma develops GM yeast, bacteria that produce enzymes to break down plant sugars, ferment into ethanol. Planning 2 plants to convert wood into ethanol. Valero backing 1.
Australia sticking with goal of 20% clean/renewable elgen by '20.
German ministers offering adjustments to Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) to tackle rising costs of clean/ren on grid. May freeze EEG at current level until '15, impose max annual tariff rise of 2.5%. Measures in force in Aug. But maybe not. Elections in Sept.
FY13 Office of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy (EERE) budget request $2.3B, up 29% from '12. '13 budget not yet approved by Congress. They approved 89% of total DOE '12 budget, only 57% of EERE's.
NYPA hydropower allotments to lead to 200 new jobs, $190M capital investments. 5 comps to share ~13Mw of power from 2.5Gw Niagara hydro project. Comps to get el for over 40% less than wholesale market for el in region.
MIT improving efficiency of quantum dot PV solar by adding "forest" of zinc-oxide nanowires. Dots made of lead sulfide. Layer of gold, layer of indium-tin-oxide form electrodes. 50% boost in current, 35% overall efficiency increase. Cell efficiency up near 5%. 10% a commercial goal.
Study: NAS shows how 2 shale gas pollutants - chloride, total suspended solids - enter streams, rivers in PA.
ARPA-E launching $20M Project REMOTE. Bioconversion of NG to liquid fuels. Concept papers due Apr 8. Awards may range $250K-$10M. Cost share 20% minimum, 5% for educational institutes, domestic non-profits.
Morgan Stanley expects corn use for ethanol to be 130M bushels more than USDA est. Ethanol margins now ~14 cents/gal, up from 20 cents/gal loss last summer. Expecting positive 50 cents this summer. Brazil ethanol becoming increasingly uncompetitive with US eth.
Norway researchers found marine animal may be good biofuel feedstock, fish food. Tunicate ascidiacea. Has cellulose, protein, omega-3s. (Sounds good enough to eat.)
Ecuador to start B5 blend in May. Over time increase to B10. Primarily palm oil feedstock. Expects demand of 6M metric tons of biodiesel per month at B5. Previously exported to US, Peru, Italy, others.
India preparing 500M liter ethanol import tender. Able to secure only 1/2 of 1B liter need for E5 blend mandate from domestic sources. Blend meant to start this month. Previous blending mandates only implemented in a few states.
Philippines E10 mandate starts April 1. E5 intro'd in '07. E10 delayed in '11 to study effects on engines.
Frederiksen to invest $2.6B on fleet of new fuel efficient ocean tankers. 53 orders already. Fuel accounts for ~75% of running costs. New ships to be near 30% more efficient. Could save up to $7K/d. Current world merchant fleet capacity ~20% more than demand. Largest glut since '80's.
Global investment in subsea oil ops expected to be $13.9B in '13, up 66% from '12. FMC Tech, Cameron Intl should benefit.
ABB won contract from Fluor for 125Mw PV solar plant in AZ. AVSE II developing project. Single-axis tracking, some 1st-time tech.
EON (Germany) sold stake in 200Mw Indiana wind farm for $175M to JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo team. Farm completed in Dec. 1.6Mw GE turbines. Power sold to Indiana Michigan Power. 20-yr PPA.
Ireland extending clean/ren subsidy 2 yrs to end of '17 so projects can be completed. Goal to get 40% elgen from clean/ren by '20. ~20% now. Failure would lead to EU charges of up to $192M/y for each % short, plus another E250M to buy emission permits to fill gap. (Tough love.)
Showa Shell to restart solar panel plant in Japan July 1. Increasing demand, plans for new products. 60Mw/y capacity. Shuttered end of '12. CIGS thin-film panels.
Grid overload halting 40% of wind, solar elgen in Bulgaria.
US Geothermal approved for $36M 1603 Treasury grant for OR power plant it ops.
Suzlon (India) $650M wind power bond. 5-yr, 5%.
Audit faulting stimulus-backed $1.5B US clean coal effort. (That's 3x Solyndra.)
13 countries got over 30% of their el from clean/renewable energy in '11: IEA. Nuke not included.
'13 Econ Report of President includes chapter on climate change. 1st time since '10.
US automakers, small engine makers asking Supreme Court to take case challenging EPA's decision to mandate E15 ethanol blend.
Ice loss in polar north may deliver frigid spring in temperate zone. (Sure starting off as one.) Diminishing ice could be changing jet stream.
SC climate change impact report getting released soon.
Geologists linked OK's largest quake - 5.7 in '11 - to injection wells (fracking). Even after 18 yrs.
Report: '12 spending made Eagle Ford world's largest single oil/gas development.
TX streamlined permit process for oil/gas wastewater recycling.
New pipelines sending PA natgas liquids to Gulf coast.
Frac sand mining driving MN job growth.
Shell got OK to explore China's unconventional resources.
Suntech customers concerned about product warranties after bankruptcy. Already exploring different suppliers. LDK Solar issued more new shares - 12M shs for $15.4M (13% premium) - to outside investor who could potentially take over comp. Looking like ongoing rescue of LDK.
Mascoma (backed by Khosla), NH biofuel, cancelled $100M IPO. "Market conditions." 4th biofuel to cancel or delay IPO since last year. Mascoma develops GM yeast, bacteria that produce enzymes to break down plant sugars, ferment into ethanol. Planning 2 plants to convert wood into ethanol. Valero backing 1.
Australia sticking with goal of 20% clean/renewable elgen by '20.
German ministers offering adjustments to Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) to tackle rising costs of clean/ren on grid. May freeze EEG at current level until '15, impose max annual tariff rise of 2.5%. Measures in force in Aug. But maybe not. Elections in Sept.
FY13 Office of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy (EERE) budget request $2.3B, up 29% from '12. '13 budget not yet approved by Congress. They approved 89% of total DOE '12 budget, only 57% of EERE's.
NYPA hydropower allotments to lead to 200 new jobs, $190M capital investments. 5 comps to share ~13Mw of power from 2.5Gw Niagara hydro project. Comps to get el for over 40% less than wholesale market for el in region.
MIT improving efficiency of quantum dot PV solar by adding "forest" of zinc-oxide nanowires. Dots made of lead sulfide. Layer of gold, layer of indium-tin-oxide form electrodes. 50% boost in current, 35% overall efficiency increase. Cell efficiency up near 5%. 10% a commercial goal.
Study: NAS shows how 2 shale gas pollutants - chloride, total suspended solids - enter streams, rivers in PA.
ARPA-E launching $20M Project REMOTE. Bioconversion of NG to liquid fuels. Concept papers due Apr 8. Awards may range $250K-$10M. Cost share 20% minimum, 5% for educational institutes, domestic non-profits.
Morgan Stanley expects corn use for ethanol to be 130M bushels more than USDA est. Ethanol margins now ~14 cents/gal, up from 20 cents/gal loss last summer. Expecting positive 50 cents this summer. Brazil ethanol becoming increasingly uncompetitive with US eth.
Norway researchers found marine animal may be good biofuel feedstock, fish food. Tunicate ascidiacea. Has cellulose, protein, omega-3s. (Sounds good enough to eat.)
Ecuador to start B5 blend in May. Over time increase to B10. Primarily palm oil feedstock. Expects demand of 6M metric tons of biodiesel per month at B5. Previously exported to US, Peru, Italy, others.
India preparing 500M liter ethanol import tender. Able to secure only 1/2 of 1B liter need for E5 blend mandate from domestic sources. Blend meant to start this month. Previous blending mandates only implemented in a few states.
Philippines E10 mandate starts April 1. E5 intro'd in '07. E10 delayed in '11 to study effects on engines.
Frederiksen to invest $2.6B on fleet of new fuel efficient ocean tankers. 53 orders already. Fuel accounts for ~75% of running costs. New ships to be near 30% more efficient. Could save up to $7K/d. Current world merchant fleet capacity ~20% more than demand. Largest glut since '80's.
Global investment in subsea oil ops expected to be $13.9B in '13, up 66% from '12. FMC Tech, Cameron Intl should benefit.
ABB won contract from Fluor for 125Mw PV solar plant in AZ. AVSE II developing project. Single-axis tracking, some 1st-time tech.
EON (Germany) sold stake in 200Mw Indiana wind farm for $175M to JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo team. Farm completed in Dec. 1.6Mw GE turbines. Power sold to Indiana Michigan Power. 20-yr PPA.
Ireland extending clean/ren subsidy 2 yrs to end of '17 so projects can be completed. Goal to get 40% elgen from clean/ren by '20. ~20% now. Failure would lead to EU charges of up to $192M/y for each % short, plus another E250M to buy emission permits to fill gap. (Tough love.)
Showa Shell to restart solar panel plant in Japan July 1. Increasing demand, plans for new products. 60Mw/y capacity. Shuttered end of '12. CIGS thin-film panels.
Grid overload halting 40% of wind, solar elgen in Bulgaria.
WEDNESDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 56/10/5. Volume light. Oil: WTI under $96, Brent over $109. NG $4.04.
SWET up 100 on heavy volume, went over all lines, now back between 200-day lines. No news that I've seen. RVLT up 38 more on heavy volume, busted through old high. CRCL up 15 off the bottom. BOPO up 10, still on bottom. NENE up 6, stuck in the lines. CERP up 3. ZAAP, NTCXF up 1.
PSPW down 31. Double bottom? ENSL, WWPW down 25. DSTI down 22 on Naz news. EVSI down 14, back below bottom line. MKTY down 13, coming back from 2-day double. LSCG down 10, back to bottom. LEDS down 8, push back from 200s. PLUG down 3.
Market down 56/10/5. Volume light. Oil: WTI under $96, Brent over $109. NG $4.04.
SWET up 100 on heavy volume, went over all lines, now back between 200-day lines. No news that I've seen. RVLT up 38 more on heavy volume, busted through old high. CRCL up 15 off the bottom. BOPO up 10, still on bottom. NENE up 6, stuck in the lines. CERP up 3. ZAAP, NTCXF up 1.
PSPW down 31. Double bottom? ENSL, WWPW down 25. DSTI down 22 on Naz news. EVSI down 14, back below bottom line. MKTY down 13, coming back from 2-day double. LSCG down 10, back to bottom. LEDS down 8, push back from 200s. PLUG down 3.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
STUFF
Judge upheld WY fracking trade secret protection.
Russia granting China Arctic oil/gas exploration licenses.
Scotland approved offshore wind farm that Trump didn't want. 11 turbs. $350M.
Wind E generated >5Gwh over 48-hr last week in UK. Powered over 10% of country's el demand. UK now has 870 turbines in 20 offshore wind farms.
Earlier this month, Denmark wind turbines produced near 4Gwh for grid. Only ~800Mwh short of country's el demand, but they export a lot of it.
Peru declared state of emergency over Amazon oil pollution.
India expects their oil production to increase 11% this year to over 300M bls. Also plan to adopt fracking, horizontal drilling tech for shale gas. They want energy independence by '30. 6.7% econ growth this year, last year was 5%.
N Sudan auctioned off oil/gas exploration blocks last year. Development this year. 1 block est 1.56B bls. Hopes to reach 320Kb/d production by '18.
US NG exports to Mex up 24% last yr to 1.7BCF/d.
Centrica (UK) signed deal with Cheneire (US) to export LNG 5 years out. Centrica to pay L10B over 20 yrs for 9BCF/y.
UK faces EU legal action over charges they tweaked air quality data for London in '11 to avoid fines. City used dust suppresent tech to remove pollutants from air and "glue" them to roads. Not illegal. But only did it near monitoring stations. Tsk Tsk.
USDA study: burning biomass far cheaper, more efficient, cleaner than burning heating oil. Switchgrass pellets. 25% cheaper, 35% less CO2.
Chicago Fed national activity index up .44 in Feb. Down .49 in Jan. 3-month moving avg up .09 in Feb, up .28 in Jan.
In '05, Congress gave new anti-manipulation powers to FERC. In '07, powers to FTC for oil/gas price manipulations. FERC using them. FTC isn't . FERC had 10-15 folks enforcing during Enron, now 200.
EPA: water quality in 55% of US rivers, streams "poor". (Watch what you drink.) '08-'09 data. 2K rivers, streams. Dearth of vegatation worsening erosion. Excessive nitrogen in 27%, high levels of phosphorous in 40%. Some increases in bacteria, mercury.
Future Capital Partners (UK) bought Appomatox Bio Energy (US) for $220M. To use some of equipment to start plant in UK. Lowers cost of UK plant build by ~$76M.
Panasonic's solar unit to post profit on home solar installs focus. May boost solar panel production 30% in coming year. Operating margins 5-10%.
Bosch abandoned $2.6B foray into solar power equipment market.
Japan Asia got $17M bank loan for 5 solar projects with total capacity of 5.5Mw. On Hokkaido.
Miasole providing their thin-film solar tech for KSK coal plant in India. US Export-Import Bank $9M finance for 11.6Mw project. 100Mw expected installs in next yr. 4th such project in India since '12. 2'nd with Ex-Im loan.
Russia granting China Arctic oil/gas exploration licenses.
Scotland approved offshore wind farm that Trump didn't want. 11 turbs. $350M.
Wind E generated >5Gwh over 48-hr last week in UK. Powered over 10% of country's el demand. UK now has 870 turbines in 20 offshore wind farms.
Earlier this month, Denmark wind turbines produced near 4Gwh for grid. Only ~800Mwh short of country's el demand, but they export a lot of it.
Peru declared state of emergency over Amazon oil pollution.
India expects their oil production to increase 11% this year to over 300M bls. Also plan to adopt fracking, horizontal drilling tech for shale gas. They want energy independence by '30. 6.7% econ growth this year, last year was 5%.
N Sudan auctioned off oil/gas exploration blocks last year. Development this year. 1 block est 1.56B bls. Hopes to reach 320Kb/d production by '18.
US NG exports to Mex up 24% last yr to 1.7BCF/d.
Centrica (UK) signed deal with Cheneire (US) to export LNG 5 years out. Centrica to pay L10B over 20 yrs for 9BCF/y.
UK faces EU legal action over charges they tweaked air quality data for London in '11 to avoid fines. City used dust suppresent tech to remove pollutants from air and "glue" them to roads. Not illegal. But only did it near monitoring stations. Tsk Tsk.
USDA study: burning biomass far cheaper, more efficient, cleaner than burning heating oil. Switchgrass pellets. 25% cheaper, 35% less CO2.
Chicago Fed national activity index up .44 in Feb. Down .49 in Jan. 3-month moving avg up .09 in Feb, up .28 in Jan.
In '05, Congress gave new anti-manipulation powers to FERC. In '07, powers to FTC for oil/gas price manipulations. FERC using them. FTC isn't . FERC had 10-15 folks enforcing during Enron, now 200.
EPA: water quality in 55% of US rivers, streams "poor". (Watch what you drink.) '08-'09 data. 2K rivers, streams. Dearth of vegatation worsening erosion. Excessive nitrogen in 27%, high levels of phosphorous in 40%. Some increases in bacteria, mercury.
Future Capital Partners (UK) bought Appomatox Bio Energy (US) for $220M. To use some of equipment to start plant in UK. Lowers cost of UK plant build by ~$76M.
Panasonic's solar unit to post profit on home solar installs focus. May boost solar panel production 30% in coming year. Operating margins 5-10%.
Bosch abandoned $2.6B foray into solar power equipment market.
Japan Asia got $17M bank loan for 5 solar projects with total capacity of 5.5Mw. On Hokkaido.
Miasole providing their thin-film solar tech for KSK coal plant in India. US Export-Import Bank $9M finance for 11.6Mw project. 100Mw expected installs in next yr. 4th such project in India since '12. 2'nd with Ex-Im loan.
TUESDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 111/17/12. Naz being left behind. That won't fly. Naz volume light. Oil: WTI up over $96, Brent up over $109. NG up to $3.99. (Hit a dam key that erased all my work before. Watch what keys you hit.)
WWPW up 33, just about the straightest line I've seen. They may be at long-term comearound. Who knows? PTOS up 31, a stretch out over 50 day lines. Could be for real. JUHL up 30 on 3K shs. No. LEDS up 26, 3-day surge to 200 days. Good volume. SWET up 25, back up to 50s. Volume. USEI up 17. GTAT up 16, up to 50s. Volume. BLDW up 14, 8 cents to 2 cents on year. CSKH up 14, back to bottom line. GRPH up 14, totally down chart 80 cents to 20 since Dec. RVLT up 13, back to highs. ENSL up 13, building a base it seems. XSNX up 11. Buy it. ECOS up 11. Surely a bottom. If they have a product. ZAAP up 10. Buy on the comedown it looks like. BSRC up 10, pushed over 200s. LEOM up 10, I don't know. Good volume, though. SPIR up 10, bounce off bottom 200. Buy it. WEST up 9, floating along 50s. AMRS up 9, also floating along bottom. ALTI up 8, 2-day climb out from 50s. AMTX up 8. Forget that. BBLU up 8. May be pulling out of double bottom.
BHWX down 45. PSPW down 33. BFRE down 27. AWSL down 17. NGLPF down 14. RNWEF down 13. ECAU down 12. SRWRF down 11. CSGH, OOIL down 10. PLUG down 6. NENE down 1.
Market up 111/17/12. Naz being left behind. That won't fly. Naz volume light. Oil: WTI up over $96, Brent up over $109. NG up to $3.99. (Hit a dam key that erased all my work before. Watch what keys you hit.)
WWPW up 33, just about the straightest line I've seen. They may be at long-term comearound. Who knows? PTOS up 31, a stretch out over 50 day lines. Could be for real. JUHL up 30 on 3K shs. No. LEDS up 26, 3-day surge to 200 days. Good volume. SWET up 25, back up to 50s. Volume. USEI up 17. GTAT up 16, up to 50s. Volume. BLDW up 14, 8 cents to 2 cents on year. CSKH up 14, back to bottom line. GRPH up 14, totally down chart 80 cents to 20 since Dec. RVLT up 13, back to highs. ENSL up 13, building a base it seems. XSNX up 11. Buy it. ECOS up 11. Surely a bottom. If they have a product. ZAAP up 10. Buy on the comedown it looks like. BSRC up 10, pushed over 200s. LEOM up 10, I don't know. Good volume, though. SPIR up 10, bounce off bottom 200. Buy it. WEST up 9, floating along 50s. AMRS up 9, also floating along bottom. ALTI up 8, 2-day climb out from 50s. AMTX up 8. Forget that. BBLU up 8. May be pulling out of double bottom.
BHWX down 45. PSPW down 33. BFRE down 27. AWSL down 17. NGLPF down 14. RNWEF down 13. ECAU down 12. SRWRF down 11. CSGH, OOIL down 10. PLUG down 6. NENE down 1.
TUESDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 95/10/8. Volume light. Oil: WTI up over $95, Brent up over $108. NG $3.90. US durable goods orders up 5.7% in Feb. US property values in 20 cities up 8.1% yoy in Jan. BRICs planning new bank to bypass Wqrld Bank, IMF.
AMPD up 18, bouncing between lines. ZAAP up 16 on rebound. BSRC up 14, over 200-day lines. ORYN up 12. LEDS up 11, coming up on 200-days. RVLT up 10, up over 50 just this month. CERP up 8. NENE up 1.
PSPW down 44, really getting played in last week. ENSL down 15, below top 200. OOIL down 11, couldn't get past 50-days. MXWL down 10, new low, more bad news. MKTY down 10 on day-after comeback. CSUN down 10, knocked back by bottom lines. BWEN down 8, coming back to top lines. SYNM down 7 after reverse split announcement yesterday, just above bottom. PLUG down 6, chased back by 50s.
Market up 95/10/8. Volume light. Oil: WTI up over $95, Brent up over $108. NG $3.90. US durable goods orders up 5.7% in Feb. US property values in 20 cities up 8.1% yoy in Jan. BRICs planning new bank to bypass Wqrld Bank, IMF.
AMPD up 18, bouncing between lines. ZAAP up 16 on rebound. BSRC up 14, over 200-day lines. ORYN up 12. LEDS up 11, coming up on 200-days. RVLT up 10, up over 50 just this month. CERP up 8. NENE up 1.
PSPW down 44, really getting played in last week. ENSL down 15, below top 200. OOIL down 11, couldn't get past 50-days. MXWL down 10, new low, more bad news. MKTY down 10 on day-after comeback. CSUN down 10, knocked back by bottom lines. BWEN down 8, coming back to top lines. SYNM down 7 after reverse split announcement yesterday, just above bottom. PLUG down 6, chased back by 50s.
Monday, March 25, 2013
FURTHER STUFF
US senators back Keystone, EPA regs. But not carbon tax.
Hunters killed more Yellowstone bison this year than in decades.
Bosch exited solar.
China blocking STP lenders from leaving country. Huh.
Stricter US lead emissions standards sending battery reclamation to Mexico.
266M gal cellulosic biofuels US capacity slated for completion by '14. $2.7B cost.
Tu's research at U of AL to improve efficiency in biorefinery process for butanol from forest, ag biomass. 5-year $401K NSF award.
Peach DNA could increase biomass accum in poplar. Cal DOE JGI working to isolate "evergreen" locus in peaches. Extends growing season. Could be manipulated in poplar. Same family.
Brazil's ethanol tax won't prevent 4th annual surplus for sugar production.
Coldest March in 50 yrs in UK. Running out of NG.
Syria revolution began after worst drought ever recorded.
Iberdrola chairman to stockholders: Spain beginning to recover from econ crisis.
Gaelectric Holdings (Dublin) got $84M to build wind farms. Enercon agreed to provide turbines for 13 onshore projects. Cost ~$325M. 164Mw by '17.
US Geothermal approved for Treasury $36M 1603 grant for OR plant. Reduced to ~$33M with sequestration.
UK Green Investment Bank giving $27M to build energy efficiency center for hospitals. Biomass power plant. Investors $27M more. To save 20M Pounds over 25 yrs.
Hunters killed more Yellowstone bison this year than in decades.
Bosch exited solar.
China blocking STP lenders from leaving country. Huh.
Stricter US lead emissions standards sending battery reclamation to Mexico.
266M gal cellulosic biofuels US capacity slated for completion by '14. $2.7B cost.
Tu's research at U of AL to improve efficiency in biorefinery process for butanol from forest, ag biomass. 5-year $401K NSF award.
Peach DNA could increase biomass accum in poplar. Cal DOE JGI working to isolate "evergreen" locus in peaches. Extends growing season. Could be manipulated in poplar. Same family.
Brazil's ethanol tax won't prevent 4th annual surplus for sugar production.
Coldest March in 50 yrs in UK. Running out of NG.
Syria revolution began after worst drought ever recorded.
Iberdrola chairman to stockholders: Spain beginning to recover from econ crisis.
Gaelectric Holdings (Dublin) got $84M to build wind farms. Enercon agreed to provide turbines for 13 onshore projects. Cost ~$325M. 164Mw by '17.
US Geothermal approved for Treasury $36M 1603 grant for OR plant. Reduced to ~$33M with sequestration.
UK Green Investment Bank giving $27M to build energy efficiency center for hospitals. Biomass power plant. Investors $27M more. To save 20M Pounds over 25 yrs.
LATER STUFF
Policy support for solar growing in sub-Sahara. 6 of 10 fastest growing econs there '00-'10. With current rates of that, Africa GDP should triple by '30. RENA says solar's share of that could rise from 17% of elgen mix in '09 to 50% in '30 to 245Gw solar PV, 94Gw CSP. 25 region countries now hit by frequent blackouts. 24% of pop has el access. 5 countries have FITs for on-grid solar. 7 introducing, considering.
NRG Energy, biggest power provider to US utils, bypassing utils to rooftop solar home, biz installs. To offer NG-fired fuel cells or turbines later for when sun goes down. Energy distribution market $370B in US. NRG has stakes in 94 power plants, 98.5% fossil fuel fired.
EIA: 17% decline in energy use by US manufacturing '02-'10. Manufacturing declined 3% same period. Energy efficiency. Yay, verily.
# of E STAR certified homes in NY up 10% last year. 2,262 in '12.
Clear Sky Advisors says Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, UAE, Jordan to be good solar marts in coming years.
Geo heat pumps being considered for state renewable energy standards (RES), ren en creds (RECs). 38 states with RESs. 9 allow GHPs to earn creds. AZ, HI, IN, MD, MI, NH, PA, TX, Wisconsin. GHPs can save homeowners 40-60% in heating, cooling costs. 22% of el used in US homes for cooling. RECs for GHPs probably only make sense in states where el for cooling is high, fossil fuel el for heating is low. Or if GHP displaces el heat. Nationally, 35% of homes heated by el, 49% heated by NG. Not always does GHP reduce GHG emissions.
Romania to scale back clean energy subsidies to avoid further power price increases. Max value of green certifs may be cut almost in half. They've raised el prices 10% this year. ~4% due to clean E subsidies. Total cost increase this year to be ~500M Euro. They have 1.6Gw wind installed, ~70Mw solar. Goal 24% clean/ren by '20. 1.7Gw clean in development. That will bring them close to what their grid can handle.
6 out of 30 plays account for 88% of US shale gas production. 2 of 21 plays account for 81% of tight oil production. But "sweet spot" won't last more than 5 years, if that.
Biz activity in France shrank last month fastest rate in 4 yrs.
Russia to deliver 38B cubic meters/yr of NG to China by '18. 60B long run. Germany now Russia's biggest customer at 33B. Russia also to double oil deliveries to China to 31B tons/y (~226B bls by my calc).
India now 4th largest user of oil, petro products after US, China, Russia: EIA. Use doubled '90-'11.
India crude production fell 4% yoy in Feb to 750Kb/d. NG ouput continued declining trend.
Shell ended curb on crude exports from Nigeria after fixing pipeline leaks.
Schlumberger (burger with bacon and avacado on salmon with pistachio/almond mayonnaise, kale and swiss cheese?) says N Am oil production activity coming in lower than expected for Q1, fewer rigs going back to work than expected.
To take at least 5 yrs to start commercial development of shale gas in Saudi Arabia. Aramco says 286TCF reserves. Baker Hughes says 645.
Labor strike in Libya oil field left 120Kb/d off mart.
For $1.5B Rosneft got 40% of 40B bl Venezuela oil project. Expected to produce 400Kb/d by '18.
Colonial Pipeline to expand pipe bringing gas, diesel, other to Northeast from Gulf coast by at least 100Kb/d.
Marcellus production now over 7BCF/d. US largest NG play.
Oil production in Gulf of Mex expected to increase this yr, 1st time in 4 yrs. Offshore prod expected to increase faster than onshore post '20.
Rail oil transport expected to hit 700Kb/d by yearend. Up 46% yoy. Most from ND. Not enough pipeline up there.
Mexico's oil reserves up .4% in '12 to 13.8B bls.
Fish caught near Fuku 7,400x more radioactive than human safe limit.
TNK-BP to use fracking, horizontal drilling in almost half of their wells this year. 6x increase in last 2 yrs.
NRG Energy, biggest power provider to US utils, bypassing utils to rooftop solar home, biz installs. To offer NG-fired fuel cells or turbines later for when sun goes down. Energy distribution market $370B in US. NRG has stakes in 94 power plants, 98.5% fossil fuel fired.
EIA: 17% decline in energy use by US manufacturing '02-'10. Manufacturing declined 3% same period. Energy efficiency. Yay, verily.
# of E STAR certified homes in NY up 10% last year. 2,262 in '12.
Clear Sky Advisors says Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, UAE, Jordan to be good solar marts in coming years.
Geo heat pumps being considered for state renewable energy standards (RES), ren en creds (RECs). 38 states with RESs. 9 allow GHPs to earn creds. AZ, HI, IN, MD, MI, NH, PA, TX, Wisconsin. GHPs can save homeowners 40-60% in heating, cooling costs. 22% of el used in US homes for cooling. RECs for GHPs probably only make sense in states where el for cooling is high, fossil fuel el for heating is low. Or if GHP displaces el heat. Nationally, 35% of homes heated by el, 49% heated by NG. Not always does GHP reduce GHG emissions.
Romania to scale back clean energy subsidies to avoid further power price increases. Max value of green certifs may be cut almost in half. They've raised el prices 10% this year. ~4% due to clean E subsidies. Total cost increase this year to be ~500M Euro. They have 1.6Gw wind installed, ~70Mw solar. Goal 24% clean/ren by '20. 1.7Gw clean in development. That will bring them close to what their grid can handle.
6 out of 30 plays account for 88% of US shale gas production. 2 of 21 plays account for 81% of tight oil production. But "sweet spot" won't last more than 5 years, if that.
Biz activity in France shrank last month fastest rate in 4 yrs.
Russia to deliver 38B cubic meters/yr of NG to China by '18. 60B long run. Germany now Russia's biggest customer at 33B. Russia also to double oil deliveries to China to 31B tons/y (~226B bls by my calc).
India now 4th largest user of oil, petro products after US, China, Russia: EIA. Use doubled '90-'11.
India crude production fell 4% yoy in Feb to 750Kb/d. NG ouput continued declining trend.
Shell ended curb on crude exports from Nigeria after fixing pipeline leaks.
Schlumberger (burger with bacon and avacado on salmon with pistachio/almond mayonnaise, kale and swiss cheese?) says N Am oil production activity coming in lower than expected for Q1, fewer rigs going back to work than expected.
To take at least 5 yrs to start commercial development of shale gas in Saudi Arabia. Aramco says 286TCF reserves. Baker Hughes says 645.
Labor strike in Libya oil field left 120Kb/d off mart.
For $1.5B Rosneft got 40% of 40B bl Venezuela oil project. Expected to produce 400Kb/d by '18.
Colonial Pipeline to expand pipe bringing gas, diesel, other to Northeast from Gulf coast by at least 100Kb/d.
Marcellus production now over 7BCF/d. US largest NG play.
Oil production in Gulf of Mex expected to increase this yr, 1st time in 4 yrs. Offshore prod expected to increase faster than onshore post '20.
Rail oil transport expected to hit 700Kb/d by yearend. Up 46% yoy. Most from ND. Not enough pipeline up there.
Mexico's oil reserves up .4% in '12 to 13.8B bls.
Fish caught near Fuku 7,400x more radioactive than human safe limit.
TNK-BP to use fracking, horizontal drilling in almost half of their wells this year. 6x increase in last 2 yrs.
MONDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 64/9/5. Volume normal. Oil: WTI up over $94, Brent under $108. NG down to $3.89 (winter over).
AEHI up 376 to 1 cent. MKTY up 49, 2-day quadruple over 200-day lines, have not seen any news. BFRE up 40, bottom sturggles. ASIUF up 25, back over all lines. ORYN up 18, back over 50-days. AONEQ, NGLPF, SATCQ up 16, all in bankruptcy. SOPW up 15, knocking on 50-day line. LEDS up 14, climbing out above 50s. LSCG, PTOS up 10. Thinking of buying LSCG. PTOS doesn't move very much. Yet. PLUG up another 8, inching closer back to 50s. RVLT up 5, heading back toward highs, above all lines.
CRCL down 27, hitting new lows, $2.50 to 12 cents within year. Pump and dump. CSGH down 25, 25 cents to 2 in year. China Sun Group. Might look into it. BOPO down 22, looks lke new low, 70 cents to 4 in year. GERS down 17, new low looking, 12 cents to a half cent in year. VLNCQ down 16, another bankruptcy, surely a 16 day with bankrupts. ZAAP down 14, yea, looks like coming back to top lines. EFOI, EWRL down 13. EFOI struggling at bottom, down half for year. Another LED comp. EWRL 40 cents to .4 since summer. BLDW, ENSL down 12. BLDW 8 cents to 2 on year. (Tellin ya, short sellers have done well in clean/ren energy mart.) ENSL holding in top 3 lines. JASO, SWET down 10. JASO will be making double bottom. China committed to solar. But they do have to find profit. SWET needs to build one of those things. Better yet, get contract to build 1. NTCXF down 2, falling below lines, they'll come back. Absolute black for solar. 3-year chart, though, hardly moving and below lines. But, it's nearing a low. A real investment. Below 5-yr lines too. Doubled in 5 yrs. NENE down 1. SYNM flat after announcing 1-for-10 reverse split. XSNX flat. 50 cents to 1+ cents in year. This is a buy. Volume there. Million cents again today. Solar windows breakthrough in R&D close to commercialization. Like NENE. IF the reality matches the hype. CERP flat, went down, came back, volume.
Market down 64/9/5. Volume normal. Oil: WTI up over $94, Brent under $108. NG down to $3.89 (winter over).
AEHI up 376 to 1 cent. MKTY up 49, 2-day quadruple over 200-day lines, have not seen any news. BFRE up 40, bottom sturggles. ASIUF up 25, back over all lines. ORYN up 18, back over 50-days. AONEQ, NGLPF, SATCQ up 16, all in bankruptcy. SOPW up 15, knocking on 50-day line. LEDS up 14, climbing out above 50s. LSCG, PTOS up 10. Thinking of buying LSCG. PTOS doesn't move very much. Yet. PLUG up another 8, inching closer back to 50s. RVLT up 5, heading back toward highs, above all lines.
CRCL down 27, hitting new lows, $2.50 to 12 cents within year. Pump and dump. CSGH down 25, 25 cents to 2 in year. China Sun Group. Might look into it. BOPO down 22, looks lke new low, 70 cents to 4 in year. GERS down 17, new low looking, 12 cents to a half cent in year. VLNCQ down 16, another bankruptcy, surely a 16 day with bankrupts. ZAAP down 14, yea, looks like coming back to top lines. EFOI, EWRL down 13. EFOI struggling at bottom, down half for year. Another LED comp. EWRL 40 cents to .4 since summer. BLDW, ENSL down 12. BLDW 8 cents to 2 on year. (Tellin ya, short sellers have done well in clean/ren energy mart.) ENSL holding in top 3 lines. JASO, SWET down 10. JASO will be making double bottom. China committed to solar. But they do have to find profit. SWET needs to build one of those things. Better yet, get contract to build 1. NTCXF down 2, falling below lines, they'll come back. Absolute black for solar. 3-year chart, though, hardly moving and below lines. But, it's nearing a low. A real investment. Below 5-yr lines too. Doubled in 5 yrs. NENE down 1. SYNM flat after announcing 1-for-10 reverse split. XSNX flat. 50 cents to 1+ cents in year. This is a buy. Volume there. Million cents again today. Solar windows breakthrough in R&D close to commercialization. Like NENE. IF the reality matches the hype. CERP flat, went down, came back, volume.
EARLY STUFF
The sun, relatively quiet in flares, other eruptions since end of '11, expected to roar back this year or next for 2nd peak of 11-year "solar max" cycle. Now in solar cycle 24.
A dozen Cal farmers got $5M state grant to build demo 285K gal/y plant to convert sugar beets from 250 acres into ethanol. Europe has over a dozen such commercial scale plants. Beets have higher sugar content than corn. Commercial scale 40M gal/y plant would take 35K acres.
RFS caps ethanol from corn at 15B gal/y. Production now ~13B.
Abengoa, Bright Source Energy partnering to build 500Mw concentrated solar plant in Cal. Start by yearend, finish in '16. 3,800 acres 33% less than needed for PV solar. Abengoa operates 4 CSP units in Europe since '07. Building 1 in S Africa. Bright Source has CSP units in Cal, Israel. Building 377Mw unit in Cal.
Sempra finished 92Mw 1st phase of southern Nevada PV solar project. 2nd phase 58Mw, completion in '15. PG&E 25-yr PPA. Sempra building another 250Mw project in area, another '15 completion.
Indianapolis Intl airport broke ground on 75 acre, $35-40M, 10Mw (est.) PV solar farm. Will be largest airport solar farm in US. 30 other solar projects around city.
Billionaire enviro activist launching effort to quantify what inaction on climate change could cost US.
Report: UK govt should build resilience to climate change risks into future infrastructure.
Report: water demands of coal power plants drying up north China.
China cities helping comps launch EV rentals.
Most of world's militaries recognize climate change as threat.
OECD recommends China tax pollution.
9 months after NAS said oil/gas regulators should take steps to prevent earthquakes from drilling officials in key states ignoring quake potential in drilling rules.
A dozen Cal farmers got $5M state grant to build demo 285K gal/y plant to convert sugar beets from 250 acres into ethanol. Europe has over a dozen such commercial scale plants. Beets have higher sugar content than corn. Commercial scale 40M gal/y plant would take 35K acres.
RFS caps ethanol from corn at 15B gal/y. Production now ~13B.
Abengoa, Bright Source Energy partnering to build 500Mw concentrated solar plant in Cal. Start by yearend, finish in '16. 3,800 acres 33% less than needed for PV solar. Abengoa operates 4 CSP units in Europe since '07. Building 1 in S Africa. Bright Source has CSP units in Cal, Israel. Building 377Mw unit in Cal.
Sempra finished 92Mw 1st phase of southern Nevada PV solar project. 2nd phase 58Mw, completion in '15. PG&E 25-yr PPA. Sempra building another 250Mw project in area, another '15 completion.
Indianapolis Intl airport broke ground on 75 acre, $35-40M, 10Mw (est.) PV solar farm. Will be largest airport solar farm in US. 30 other solar projects around city.
Billionaire enviro activist launching effort to quantify what inaction on climate change could cost US.
Report: UK govt should build resilience to climate change risks into future infrastructure.
Report: water demands of coal power plants drying up north China.
China cities helping comps launch EV rentals.
Most of world's militaries recognize climate change as threat.
OECD recommends China tax pollution.
9 months after NAS said oil/gas regulators should take steps to prevent earthquakes from drilling officials in key states ignoring quake potential in drilling rules.
MONDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 49/7/2. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI up over $95, Brent up near $109. NG $3.99. Cyprus resolved.
BFRE up 40 off bottom. MKTY up 19, day 2 of jump off bottom to over 200-day lines. LSCG, NGLPF, AONEQ up 16. VECO up 12 on news, new high. BSRC up 12, over 200's, double in March rally. PLUG up 11. LEDS up 10 more. ORYN up 9, back to 50-days. RVLT up 3.
HOKU down 26, back under bottom 200 line. CSGH down 25. ENSL down 21. PRHL down 18. GERS down 14. JASO down 13 after reporting, losses up, forecast lower shipments. BOPO down 13, back to bottom. BLDW, VLNCQ down 12. GWBU down 9. NENE down 3. CERP down 1.
Market down 49/7/2. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI up over $95, Brent up near $109. NG $3.99. Cyprus resolved.
BFRE up 40 off bottom. MKTY up 19, day 2 of jump off bottom to over 200-day lines. LSCG, NGLPF, AONEQ up 16. VECO up 12 on news, new high. BSRC up 12, over 200's, double in March rally. PLUG up 11. LEDS up 10 more. ORYN up 9, back to 50-days. RVLT up 3.
HOKU down 26, back under bottom 200 line. CSGH down 25. ENSL down 21. PRHL down 18. GERS down 14. JASO down 13 after reporting, losses up, forecast lower shipments. BOPO down 13, back to bottom. BLDW, VLNCQ down 12. GWBU down 9. NENE down 3. CERP down 1.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
COLD WAR
In '90, N Korea per capita energy use was 2x China's. Then came end of Soviet Union. No more oil imports. No more cheap fertilizer from cheap NG. "Let's eat 2 meals a day" program came next. Rice, corn production dropped 50% '91-'98. Then famine took ~4% of population.
Cuba got 70% drop in oil, fertilizer, food imports after Soviet collapse. "The special period." Govt turned to small, urban, organic farming. Rabbits on rooftops. Compost centers.
What brought about end of USSR? Strong evidence Reagan, Sauds, others directed a plan to bring oil prices down so much to drive USSR broke. Soviet oil/gas abundance shielded them from oil price shocks of '73 and '79. (While US oil production peaked in '74.) Then their oil production peaked in '88 and dropped almost 50% '88-'95, 12Mb/d to 7M. The Soviet regime was extremely corrupt, stealing everything it could get away with. It had to borrow to prevent bread famine after their schemes pushed 80M farmers into urban slums. Finally, without free oil, eastern Europe collapsed.
The power of energy.
Nobels went to fields of Azerbaijan to start Soviet oil industry at the same time Rockefeller was starting in US.
Cuba got 70% drop in oil, fertilizer, food imports after Soviet collapse. "The special period." Govt turned to small, urban, organic farming. Rabbits on rooftops. Compost centers.
What brought about end of USSR? Strong evidence Reagan, Sauds, others directed a plan to bring oil prices down so much to drive USSR broke. Soviet oil/gas abundance shielded them from oil price shocks of '73 and '79. (While US oil production peaked in '74.) Then their oil production peaked in '88 and dropped almost 50% '88-'95, 12Mb/d to 7M. The Soviet regime was extremely corrupt, stealing everything it could get away with. It had to borrow to prevent bread famine after their schemes pushed 80M farmers into urban slums. Finally, without free oil, eastern Europe collapsed.
The power of energy.
Nobels went to fields of Azerbaijan to start Soviet oil industry at the same time Rockefeller was starting in US.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
STUFF
Turkmenistan 4th largest NG reserves in world. Est. 265TCF. Proven oil reserves ~600M bls. 153 gas fields (11 offshore), 82 condensate fields, 38 oil fields. Unexplored potential in Caspian. Maybe 80B bls oil. Production 213Kb/d in '04, 202K in '10. Access to 3 markets for NG. Russia, Iran, China. (Where the pipelines go.) Most gas goes now to Russia. Exports to China est. to triple by '20. Planned pipeline to Pakistan/India, 2nd to EU through Caspian. Plans to raise NG production to 8.1TCF/y by '30.
Cyprus has est. 60TCF of NG. We'll see Monday.
Bakken Shale part of Williston Basin. MT, ND, SD. Production up to 800Kb/d, 90% from Bakken.
Altair Nanotech (ALTI) commissioned 1.2Mw lithium-titanate batt system at Danish wind farm with Vestas turbines. Phase 2 demo project. Batts expected life 20 yrs, 24/7.
Sky Solar (China) grid connect of 70Mw PV solar in Greece. Separate 40Mw, 30Mw projects.
More debt in world than bank deposits.
Southwest Pub Svc - E NM, W TX - already met NM's clean/renewable energy mandate of 15% by '15. Seeking more wind power. Xcel Energy subsid. Excellent wind in Curry County. But lack of transmission lines. Wind ~1.5Gw on SPS grid. 1MW = ~750 homes.
Bldg new power supply for Lubbock TX, area could cost $420M +. New NG plants or buying from grid. '19 deadline to replace W TX Muni Power Agency expiring PPAs with Xcel Energy. Consultation from Black&Veatch. Options to build 3 simple-cycle NG plants producing 570Mw for $420M or $575M for 1 combined-cycle NG plant producing 575Mw. 550Mw the power demand by '19. (No wind out there? Solar? Tho yea, they are sitting on NG, aren't they?)
City Council of El Paso approved $37K for El Paso to admin local solar PV Energy Efficiency Program for commercial biz. Program will give ~$250K of rebates to comps that install solar systems. (Something. They're doing something.)
Ormat (ORA) to begin selling up to 14Mw of geothermal power in April from plant in Mammoth Complex to PG&E. Replacing NG. Another 7.5Mw by yearend from Mammoth. 20-yr PPAs.
Borrego Solar System bought over 8Mw of grid-on PV solar projects in 5 Cal areas. 2 utility projects of total 3Mw. Other PPAs with school districts, bundled solar/energy efficiency projects. Borrego completed the projects.
Cyprus has est. 60TCF of NG. We'll see Monday.
Bakken Shale part of Williston Basin. MT, ND, SD. Production up to 800Kb/d, 90% from Bakken.
Altair Nanotech (ALTI) commissioned 1.2Mw lithium-titanate batt system at Danish wind farm with Vestas turbines. Phase 2 demo project. Batts expected life 20 yrs, 24/7.
Sky Solar (China) grid connect of 70Mw PV solar in Greece. Separate 40Mw, 30Mw projects.
More debt in world than bank deposits.
Southwest Pub Svc - E NM, W TX - already met NM's clean/renewable energy mandate of 15% by '15. Seeking more wind power. Xcel Energy subsid. Excellent wind in Curry County. But lack of transmission lines. Wind ~1.5Gw on SPS grid. 1MW = ~750 homes.
Bldg new power supply for Lubbock TX, area could cost $420M +. New NG plants or buying from grid. '19 deadline to replace W TX Muni Power Agency expiring PPAs with Xcel Energy. Consultation from Black&Veatch. Options to build 3 simple-cycle NG plants producing 570Mw for $420M or $575M for 1 combined-cycle NG plant producing 575Mw. 550Mw the power demand by '19. (No wind out there? Solar? Tho yea, they are sitting on NG, aren't they?)
City Council of El Paso approved $37K for El Paso to admin local solar PV Energy Efficiency Program for commercial biz. Program will give ~$250K of rebates to comps that install solar systems. (Something. They're doing something.)
Ormat (ORA) to begin selling up to 14Mw of geothermal power in April from plant in Mammoth Complex to PG&E. Replacing NG. Another 7.5Mw by yearend from Mammoth. 20-yr PPAs.
Borrego Solar System bought over 8Mw of grid-on PV solar projects in 5 Cal areas. 2 utility projects of total 3Mw. Other PPAs with school districts, bundled solar/energy efficiency projects. Borrego completed the projects.
Friday, March 22, 2013
FRIDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 90/22/11. Volume actually a little light. Oil: WTI up over $93, Brent stayed under $108. NG: $3.96. Cyprus bailout hopes up. Tax free internet shopping may be over.
BHWX up 98. Go figure. 25K shs. MKTY up 78. I know, it's nuts. CSGH up 42. Whatev. CPWY up 36. HOKU up 25. Polysilicon. FNVRF up 24 on 1K shs. BLDW up 20. SWET up 17. PLUG, OOIL up 16. CLNT, EFOI up 15. LEDS, BSRC up 14. CSUN up 11. CRCL up 10. ACFN, ASTI up 8.
BFRE down 50 on 1200 shs. Come on. SLMU down 40. WWPW down 25 on 500 shs. JUHL down 23. IFXY down 20. PSPW down 17. NGLPF down 15. APWR down 14. AMTX, BLQN down 13. AMEL, ORYN down 10. AMBT down 8. ZAAP down 7. CERP, AMPD down 6. NENE down 4. NTCXF down 2.
Market up 90/22/11. Volume actually a little light. Oil: WTI up over $93, Brent stayed under $108. NG: $3.96. Cyprus bailout hopes up. Tax free internet shopping may be over.
BHWX up 98. Go figure. 25K shs. MKTY up 78. I know, it's nuts. CSGH up 42. Whatev. CPWY up 36. HOKU up 25. Polysilicon. FNVRF up 24 on 1K shs. BLDW up 20. SWET up 17. PLUG, OOIL up 16. CLNT, EFOI up 15. LEDS, BSRC up 14. CSUN up 11. CRCL up 10. ACFN, ASTI up 8.
BFRE down 50 on 1200 shs. Come on. SLMU down 40. WWPW down 25 on 500 shs. JUHL down 23. IFXY down 20. PSPW down 17. NGLPF down 15. APWR down 14. AMTX, BLQN down 13. AMEL, ORYN down 10. AMBT down 8. ZAAP down 7. CERP, AMPD down 6. NENE down 4. NTCXF down 2.
STUFF
Independent study validated non-proliferation benefits of Lightbridge's (LTBR) metallic fuel for nuclear power.
NOAA predicts a warm spring followed by floods. Meanwhile, their budget allowing increases for satellites, extreme storm prediction.
China toughening auto fuel econ standards.
Report: fracking waste pits often falling short of standards in WV.
New shale development rules for China blasted before released.
Rosneft closed on $55B takeover, now world's biggest oil producer.
Phillips 66 to add more N Am crude to fuel mix.
Frost & Sullivan: Europe inverter market for clean energy systems $4.63B in '12. Could rise to $6.77B by '18.
Apple data centers now 100% clean/renewable energy powered. Entire comp 75% clean/ren.
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi to arrange debt finance, pitch in on finance of Cape Wind project in Mass. Construction start by yearend. All fed, state permits secured. Near 78% of projected power gen committed in 15-yr PPAs with National Grid, NSTAR. (Looks like US' 1st offshore wind.)
Green Star Biofuels (GSPI) granted tax abatement of up to $2.75M over next 5 yrs to build $66M, 30Mgy biodiesel refinery in Ala. Construction start this summer. Online mid-'14.
Advanced Biofuels USA opposes Energy Security Trust proposal. Calls it "counterproductive, insufficient, inconsistent". "Primarily focused on increasing production of GHG-producing NG for production of el, in part, to be used for inefficient EVs that rely on rare earth minerals for batteries." They support carbon tax.
Maersk (Denmark) developing 2 projects to create biomass-based marine fuels using lignin. 1 partnership with Progression Industry. Other with DONG Energy (Den) cofunded by Danish National Advanced Tech Foundation.
Singapore scientists may have discovered super nanomaterial. Multi-use titanium dioxide. Created by turning TiO2 crystals into nanofibers. Use that to make filter membranes to produce H, make clean water, create energy. TiO2 a catalyst to boost chem reactions. Easy bond with water. Great desalination properties. Can produce H when exposed to sunlight. Can gen el from waste during desal process. Can produce cheap solar cells. Can double lifespan of lithion batts.
Wisc increasingly adding solar to govt bldgs, new facilities. $13.7M project mostly paid for with state, fed grants, airport funds. Madison's 12 fire stations use solar water heaters.
Wisc Pub Svc to be 1st in US to install new type of pollution control system at coal power plant. $275M. Tech developed at Japan plants. Regenerative activated coke tech. Reduces SO2 by 90%, NOX 20-60%. Less expensive than currently used tech. '17 completion.
Trident Energy (UK) raised ~$668K from angel investors to develop marine powergen tech. 1-yr test of proto that converts wave, tidal energy into el to power offshore infra like oil platforms.
India says over 70% of 551Mw solar capacity installed since start of National Solar Mission used imported modules. Goes against US charge.
Kansai El, TonenGeneral to build 30Mw solar plant in Japan. Online 1Q15.
Solar will be 2nd biggest source of new elgen capacity to be added in US this year. NG to be 1st. Wind was 1st last year. May end up with 4.2Gw new PV solar. 3.3Gw last year.
Contour Global (NY) to get $193M loan from US Overseas Private Investment Corp to build Peru's 1st large scale wind project. 114Mw, 62 turbines.
Poll found Californians almost equally divided on value of stricter enviro regs. Legislature this year to consider whether to change Cal Enviro Quality Act.
NOAA predicts a warm spring followed by floods. Meanwhile, their budget allowing increases for satellites, extreme storm prediction.
China toughening auto fuel econ standards.
Report: fracking waste pits often falling short of standards in WV.
New shale development rules for China blasted before released.
Rosneft closed on $55B takeover, now world's biggest oil producer.
Phillips 66 to add more N Am crude to fuel mix.
Frost & Sullivan: Europe inverter market for clean energy systems $4.63B in '12. Could rise to $6.77B by '18.
Apple data centers now 100% clean/renewable energy powered. Entire comp 75% clean/ren.
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi to arrange debt finance, pitch in on finance of Cape Wind project in Mass. Construction start by yearend. All fed, state permits secured. Near 78% of projected power gen committed in 15-yr PPAs with National Grid, NSTAR. (Looks like US' 1st offshore wind.)
Green Star Biofuels (GSPI) granted tax abatement of up to $2.75M over next 5 yrs to build $66M, 30Mgy biodiesel refinery in Ala. Construction start this summer. Online mid-'14.
Advanced Biofuels USA opposes Energy Security Trust proposal. Calls it "counterproductive, insufficient, inconsistent". "Primarily focused on increasing production of GHG-producing NG for production of el, in part, to be used for inefficient EVs that rely on rare earth minerals for batteries." They support carbon tax.
Maersk (Denmark) developing 2 projects to create biomass-based marine fuels using lignin. 1 partnership with Progression Industry. Other with DONG Energy (Den) cofunded by Danish National Advanced Tech Foundation.
Singapore scientists may have discovered super nanomaterial. Multi-use titanium dioxide. Created by turning TiO2 crystals into nanofibers. Use that to make filter membranes to produce H, make clean water, create energy. TiO2 a catalyst to boost chem reactions. Easy bond with water. Great desalination properties. Can produce H when exposed to sunlight. Can gen el from waste during desal process. Can produce cheap solar cells. Can double lifespan of lithion batts.
Wisc increasingly adding solar to govt bldgs, new facilities. $13.7M project mostly paid for with state, fed grants, airport funds. Madison's 12 fire stations use solar water heaters.
Wisc Pub Svc to be 1st in US to install new type of pollution control system at coal power plant. $275M. Tech developed at Japan plants. Regenerative activated coke tech. Reduces SO2 by 90%, NOX 20-60%. Less expensive than currently used tech. '17 completion.
Trident Energy (UK) raised ~$668K from angel investors to develop marine powergen tech. 1-yr test of proto that converts wave, tidal energy into el to power offshore infra like oil platforms.
India says over 70% of 551Mw solar capacity installed since start of National Solar Mission used imported modules. Goes against US charge.
Kansai El, TonenGeneral to build 30Mw solar plant in Japan. Online 1Q15.
Solar will be 2nd biggest source of new elgen capacity to be added in US this year. NG to be 1st. Wind was 1st last year. May end up with 4.2Gw new PV solar. 3.3Gw last year.
Contour Global (NY) to get $193M loan from US Overseas Private Investment Corp to build Peru's 1st large scale wind project. 114Mw, 62 turbines.
Poll found Californians almost equally divided on value of stricter enviro regs. Legislature this year to consider whether to change Cal Enviro Quality Act.
FRIDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 78/14/8. Volume light. Oil: WTI $93, Brent under $108. NG $4.
CSGH up 42 on 5K shs. HOKU up 16, crossed across lower 200-day line. CSUN up 15, knocking into bottom line. PLUG up another 10. XSNX up 1.
BLQN down 54 on 1K shs. IFXY down 28. PSPW down 26, back on 50-day lines. SLMU down 13. ENSL down 12. ZAAP down 10. CERP down 5. NENE down 2.
Market up 78/14/8. Volume light. Oil: WTI $93, Brent under $108. NG $4.
CSGH up 42 on 5K shs. HOKU up 16, crossed across lower 200-day line. CSUN up 15, knocking into bottom line. PLUG up another 10. XSNX up 1.
BLQN down 54 on 1K shs. IFXY down 28. PSPW down 26, back on 50-day lines. SLMU down 13. ENSL down 12. ZAAP down 10. CERP down 5. NENE down 2.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
THURSDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 90/31/12. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI under $93, Brent down near $107. NG 3.95. German manufacturing contraction. Merkel won't make retro cuts to clean energy subsidies. Apple making clean energy push with solar, fuel cells.
BFRE up 42 on 5K shs. WWPW up 33 on 850 shs. VLNCQ, ZAAP up 26. ZAAP rebound obvious. HOKU up 20. APWR up 16. (May be ready to rise.) NGLPF up 13. ECTY up 12, climbout since Dec. TMEN up 11. ENZR, CABN up 10. ABAT up 9. PLUG up 6.
AEHI down 79. CPWY down 50. SATCQ down 31. BOPO down 25. BLDP down 20. GRPH down 14. LEOM, SPIR down 13. EWRL, MGLT down 12. CSKH down 11. CERP, ECOS down 10. XSNX, CSUN down 9. RVLT, LEDS down 3. NTCXF down 2.
Market down 90/31/12. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI under $93, Brent down near $107. NG 3.95. German manufacturing contraction. Merkel won't make retro cuts to clean energy subsidies. Apple making clean energy push with solar, fuel cells.
BFRE up 42 on 5K shs. WWPW up 33 on 850 shs. VLNCQ, ZAAP up 26. ZAAP rebound obvious. HOKU up 20. APWR up 16. (May be ready to rise.) NGLPF up 13. ECTY up 12, climbout since Dec. TMEN up 11. ENZR, CABN up 10. ABAT up 9. PLUG up 6.
AEHI down 79. CPWY down 50. SATCQ down 31. BOPO down 25. BLDP down 20. GRPH down 14. LEOM, SPIR down 13. EWRL, MGLT down 12. CSKH down 11. CERP, ECOS down 10. XSNX, CSUN down 9. RVLT, LEDS down 3. NTCXF down 2.
STUFF
Senate voted to maintain funding for military biofuels program.
Los Angeles will stop using el from coal plants by '25 at latest.
Fed appeals court blocked FNMA, FMAC from participating in clean energy financing program in Cal.
Experts: incremental climate change solutions aren't working.
Church groups plan civil disobedience today to protest govt inaction on climate change. (Will any news orgs cover that?)
Trading shortfall forcing Germany to cut 14 climate programs. (Looking for more on this.)
EU backing curb of transportation supercreds. (Again, looking for more details.)
New shale development standards for Marcellus. 4 energy comps, enviros on board. 2 yrs in making. Center for Sustainable Shale Development will dole out seal of approval for drillers. Comps also agreed on outside audits of ops.
Study: PA wastewater rules have stemmed toxic releases from NG drilling.
NY town's fracking ban headed back to court.
EIA: US oil production to surpass imports this year.
Anadarko huge Gulf of Mex oil discovery. (I'm sure more on this later.)
Yingli (YGE) (China) in new strategic alliance with GCL-Poly Energy. Yingli a leading solar panel maker. GCL a top supplier of polysilicon.
UK Energy Secretary says Scotland clean/renewable energy industry would be damaged if country votes for independence late in '14. It will be much harder for Scots to spread costs of clean/ren investments across just 2.5M households to keep prices competitive instead of access to 23M houses.
Near 75% of US residential rooftops not suitable for solar. Community solar rising as option. Colo, MN projects. Crowd funding also gaining ground. Investors earn returns for investing in solar arrays.
Pike Research est. over 11M EV charging stations in world by '20. Most of early EVs to be in small # of cities. Example, most of Canada EVs will be in Toronto, Montreal. In Europe, ~200K charging units sold in '12. Pike est. 2.4M in '20. Germany to be largest market, followed by France, UK, Netherlands. In US, Pike sees west coast, northeast leading, followed by TX, FL, HI. They see over 400K EVs in US by '20. Copenhagen, Amsterdam models for green-minded cities.
MD offshore wind energy bill passed both houses of legislature. Gov to sign. To help development of 200Mw project offshore Ocean City. Requires utilities to buy offshore clean energy credits. $10M fund for small, minority businesses to participate in supply chain.
Sapphire Energy (Cal) selling crude oil from algae farm in NM to Tesoro. Farm recently reached continuous cultivation, oil production. Patented method to convert wet algae to crude oil. Entire algae cell used. Process scalable, effective with wide range of algae strains. Refined into diesel fuel compatible with existing network of pipelines, refineries, transportation systems.
Cal Energy Commission approved $5.5M for clean energy transportation projects. $2.6M to Buster Biofuels to convert warehouse into biodiesel manufacturing, fueling facility. Used cooking oil, other waste materials feedstock. 5M gal/y of fuel.
RFA says boosting to E15 mandate would provide additional 6-7B gal/y of ethanol demand. 2B gal of eth production currently idled.
Butamax to appeal GEVO's win in patent dispute.
Valero may spend 2-3x more on RINs this yr than last. Up to $750K. They're calling for either end to RFS or make ethanol blenders responsible for RFS blending mandate requirements rather than importers, refiners. ($750K is not all that much for Valero. They just want to turn policy.) Another industry exec said brokers, funds should stop using RIN market as casino. (They will when it calms down or law inacted.)
SG Biofuels (Cal) ID'd over 2M genetic markers in jatropha. Diversity comparable to corn, other domestic crops. Ability to drive significant yield, performance gains through molecular breeding. SGB's 1st-gen hybrids outperforming commercial jatropha.
Raizen (Brazil) expects ethanol, sugar production to increase 10% this year in crush in coming weeks. Ethanol should hit 2.2B liters. 42% ethanol this season, rather than 44%. Expects ethanol exports to increase 20% this year over last.
Canada RFA launched new committee to promote advanced biofuels.
Global Data: global nuke elgen to climb almost 30% by '20. Influx of 45 new nations. 2.3M Gwh in '12 going to over 3. 198 new reactors. Modest growth '00-'11. Then Fukushima and falloff. Global power consumption to climb from 20M Gwh in '12 to over 27 in '20. AAGR of 4%. Asia-Pacific region to lead.
Gazprom offering to bail out Cyprus in exchange for exploration rights. Russia's elite rely heavily on Cyprus banks to avoid taxes. etc. Stand to lose ~$3B from EU bailout offer.
Shell still owes Tehran $2.3B for crude purchased before embargo.
Chevron 29Kb/d pipeline between Salt Lake refinery and Boise leaked thousands of gallons of diesel into wetlands around Salt Lake just weeks before millions of migrating birds expected.
Broad-based congressional support for Keystone. Trans Can has all needed permits to begin build of southern half in July.
DOE has cybersecurity model for utilities.
India launched annual rating system for state power distribution comps to boost lending to them, help improve performance.
NRC delayed decision on restart of San Onofre (Cal) reactor.
Detroit Electric to begin producing EVs this summer. Most capital from Hong Kong. Car range greater than Nissan Leaf. 2-seat sports car. Carbon fiber body. ~$135K. Batts from S Korea's Kokan. April reveal. Unnamed China partner. 4 models by '15.
Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE) announced $26.75/sh price for 6.1M shs. JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley handling.
India's Kamataka state plans tender for 130Mw solar projects next month. 3-10Mw capacity for each project. PV solar and solar thermal. Developers responsible for connector lines, ensuring water availability. 2 yrs to build after signing.
Lloyd's to finance 2 Scot wind farms. Plans to offer $500M for clean/renewable energy projects this year. 2 117Mw farms, 39Mw farm. Scots get up to 35% of power from clean/ren. 9% in England. Lloyd's aims to close biomass deal. Helius Energy reportedly talking with the bank, RBS for 100Mw plant.
Suntech Japan unit says panel supply unaffected by bankruptcy.
Norway regulator approved Statkraft osmotic pilot project. 1st in world to get energy from difference in saltwater and fresh. 2Mw. 2-yr build. IDE Tech (Israel) plans to help with design.
NAS: aging workforce, faltering education system hamstringing US energy sector.
Red tide of dead crustaceans washing ashore in Chile.
Los Angeles will stop using el from coal plants by '25 at latest.
Fed appeals court blocked FNMA, FMAC from participating in clean energy financing program in Cal.
Experts: incremental climate change solutions aren't working.
Church groups plan civil disobedience today to protest govt inaction on climate change. (Will any news orgs cover that?)
Trading shortfall forcing Germany to cut 14 climate programs. (Looking for more on this.)
EU backing curb of transportation supercreds. (Again, looking for more details.)
New shale development standards for Marcellus. 4 energy comps, enviros on board. 2 yrs in making. Center for Sustainable Shale Development will dole out seal of approval for drillers. Comps also agreed on outside audits of ops.
Study: PA wastewater rules have stemmed toxic releases from NG drilling.
NY town's fracking ban headed back to court.
EIA: US oil production to surpass imports this year.
Anadarko huge Gulf of Mex oil discovery. (I'm sure more on this later.)
Yingli (YGE) (China) in new strategic alliance with GCL-Poly Energy. Yingli a leading solar panel maker. GCL a top supplier of polysilicon.
UK Energy Secretary says Scotland clean/renewable energy industry would be damaged if country votes for independence late in '14. It will be much harder for Scots to spread costs of clean/ren investments across just 2.5M households to keep prices competitive instead of access to 23M houses.
Near 75% of US residential rooftops not suitable for solar. Community solar rising as option. Colo, MN projects. Crowd funding also gaining ground. Investors earn returns for investing in solar arrays.
Pike Research est. over 11M EV charging stations in world by '20. Most of early EVs to be in small # of cities. Example, most of Canada EVs will be in Toronto, Montreal. In Europe, ~200K charging units sold in '12. Pike est. 2.4M in '20. Germany to be largest market, followed by France, UK, Netherlands. In US, Pike sees west coast, northeast leading, followed by TX, FL, HI. They see over 400K EVs in US by '20. Copenhagen, Amsterdam models for green-minded cities.
MD offshore wind energy bill passed both houses of legislature. Gov to sign. To help development of 200Mw project offshore Ocean City. Requires utilities to buy offshore clean energy credits. $10M fund for small, minority businesses to participate in supply chain.
Sapphire Energy (Cal) selling crude oil from algae farm in NM to Tesoro. Farm recently reached continuous cultivation, oil production. Patented method to convert wet algae to crude oil. Entire algae cell used. Process scalable, effective with wide range of algae strains. Refined into diesel fuel compatible with existing network of pipelines, refineries, transportation systems.
Cal Energy Commission approved $5.5M for clean energy transportation projects. $2.6M to Buster Biofuels to convert warehouse into biodiesel manufacturing, fueling facility. Used cooking oil, other waste materials feedstock. 5M gal/y of fuel.
RFA says boosting to E15 mandate would provide additional 6-7B gal/y of ethanol demand. 2B gal of eth production currently idled.
Butamax to appeal GEVO's win in patent dispute.
Valero may spend 2-3x more on RINs this yr than last. Up to $750K. They're calling for either end to RFS or make ethanol blenders responsible for RFS blending mandate requirements rather than importers, refiners. ($750K is not all that much for Valero. They just want to turn policy.) Another industry exec said brokers, funds should stop using RIN market as casino. (They will when it calms down or law inacted.)
SG Biofuels (Cal) ID'd over 2M genetic markers in jatropha. Diversity comparable to corn, other domestic crops. Ability to drive significant yield, performance gains through molecular breeding. SGB's 1st-gen hybrids outperforming commercial jatropha.
Raizen (Brazil) expects ethanol, sugar production to increase 10% this year in crush in coming weeks. Ethanol should hit 2.2B liters. 42% ethanol this season, rather than 44%. Expects ethanol exports to increase 20% this year over last.
Canada RFA launched new committee to promote advanced biofuels.
Global Data: global nuke elgen to climb almost 30% by '20. Influx of 45 new nations. 2.3M Gwh in '12 going to over 3. 198 new reactors. Modest growth '00-'11. Then Fukushima and falloff. Global power consumption to climb from 20M Gwh in '12 to over 27 in '20. AAGR of 4%. Asia-Pacific region to lead.
Gazprom offering to bail out Cyprus in exchange for exploration rights. Russia's elite rely heavily on Cyprus banks to avoid taxes. etc. Stand to lose ~$3B from EU bailout offer.
Shell still owes Tehran $2.3B for crude purchased before embargo.
Chevron 29Kb/d pipeline between Salt Lake refinery and Boise leaked thousands of gallons of diesel into wetlands around Salt Lake just weeks before millions of migrating birds expected.
Broad-based congressional support for Keystone. Trans Can has all needed permits to begin build of southern half in July.
DOE has cybersecurity model for utilities.
India launched annual rating system for state power distribution comps to boost lending to them, help improve performance.
NRC delayed decision on restart of San Onofre (Cal) reactor.
Detroit Electric to begin producing EVs this summer. Most capital from Hong Kong. Car range greater than Nissan Leaf. 2-seat sports car. Carbon fiber body. ~$135K. Batts from S Korea's Kokan. April reveal. Unnamed China partner. 4 models by '15.
Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE) announced $26.75/sh price for 6.1M shs. JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley handling.
India's Kamataka state plans tender for 130Mw solar projects next month. 3-10Mw capacity for each project. PV solar and solar thermal. Developers responsible for connector lines, ensuring water availability. 2 yrs to build after signing.
Lloyd's to finance 2 Scot wind farms. Plans to offer $500M for clean/renewable energy projects this year. 2 117Mw farms, 39Mw farm. Scots get up to 35% of power from clean/ren. 9% in England. Lloyd's aims to close biomass deal. Helius Energy reportedly talking with the bank, RBS for 100Mw plant.
Suntech Japan unit says panel supply unaffected by bankruptcy.
Norway regulator approved Statkraft osmotic pilot project. 1st in world to get energy from difference in saltwater and fresh. 2Mw. 2-yr build. IDE Tech (Israel) plans to help with design.
NAS: aging workforce, faltering education system hamstringing US energy sector.
Red tide of dead crustaceans washing ashore in Chile.
THURSDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 64/25/7. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI below $93, Brent over $108. NG $4.02. US leading indicators up .5%. Philly manufacturing index up. Europe econ gauge shows deeper contraction than forecast for March.
BFRE up 42. Weird jump on 1,200 shs. PLUG up 14, getting traction back. TMEN up 11. PSPW up 10, day 4 of run up from bottom to over 50-day lines. FSYS up 7, jump off top (200-day) line. GEVO up 7, over 50's. ENOC up 1 on contract news, been going up since Aug.
CPWY down 50. BOPO down 36. SATCQ down 31. ENSL down 25. BLDP down 22 on new issue. AMBT down 15, plunge to bottom from 50's. PRHL down 12. XSNX, GWBU down 11. XSNX can't get through 50's. Yet. CERP down 8. NTCXF down 3, fell below lines. NENE down 2, right on their lines.
Market down 64/25/7. Volume slightly light. Oil: WTI below $93, Brent over $108. NG $4.02. US leading indicators up .5%. Philly manufacturing index up. Europe econ gauge shows deeper contraction than forecast for March.
BFRE up 42. Weird jump on 1,200 shs. PLUG up 14, getting traction back. TMEN up 11. PSPW up 10, day 4 of run up from bottom to over 50-day lines. FSYS up 7, jump off top (200-day) line. GEVO up 7, over 50's. ENOC up 1 on contract news, been going up since Aug.
CPWY down 50. BOPO down 36. SATCQ down 31. ENSL down 25. BLDP down 22 on new issue. AMBT down 15, plunge to bottom from 50's. PRHL down 12. XSNX, GWBU down 11. XSNX can't get through 50's. Yet. CERP down 8. NTCXF down 3, fell below lines. NENE down 2, right on their lines.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
WEDNESDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 55/25/10. Volume actually a little light. Oil: WTI up over $93, Brent up over $108. NG $3.98. S Korea banks victim to biggest cyber atack in 2 yrs. (Well, where do you think that came from?) Fed maintaining $85B/mo pace.
SATCQ up 90. PSPW up 64. BOPO up 33. CERP up 25. (OK, yea, I did call that.) BLQN up 22. APWR, GSPI up 20. AQNM up 12. BYDDF up 10. BIOF up 9. RVLT up 7. LEDS up 6. NTCXF up 2.
ZAAP down 36. Plummet max. Buy it. CSGH down 34. No volume, forget it. AEHI down 33. PTOS down 27. MXWL down 20, could be new low. PLUG down 18, another fast flyer lately. Big volume. Could make some profit there on come back or go down. GERS down 17. ECOS down 16. TMEN down 16. AMTX, BLDW, PPRW down 14. AMLM, ENZR, SOPW down 11. CABN, CGYV down 10. WEST down 9. XSNX down 2.
Market up 55/25/10. Volume actually a little light. Oil: WTI up over $93, Brent up over $108. NG $3.98. S Korea banks victim to biggest cyber atack in 2 yrs. (Well, where do you think that came from?) Fed maintaining $85B/mo pace.
SATCQ up 90. PSPW up 64. BOPO up 33. CERP up 25. (OK, yea, I did call that.) BLQN up 22. APWR, GSPI up 20. AQNM up 12. BYDDF up 10. BIOF up 9. RVLT up 7. LEDS up 6. NTCXF up 2.
ZAAP down 36. Plummet max. Buy it. CSGH down 34. No volume, forget it. AEHI down 33. PTOS down 27. MXWL down 20, could be new low. PLUG down 18, another fast flyer lately. Big volume. Could make some profit there on come back or go down. GERS down 17. ECOS down 16. TMEN down 16. AMTX, BLDW, PPRW down 14. AMLM, ENZR, SOPW down 11. CABN, CGYV down 10. WEST down 9. XSNX down 2.
STUFF
Suntech main solar subsidiary filed bankruptcy, pushed by China banks.
Brit govt approved new nuke plant. EDF Energy (FR) to build. 1st step toward updating fleet of 9. Not yet agreed on how to guarantee minimum price for power. Comp wants 10% profit. Est. $21B cost, el for 5M folks. (They didn't give Gw fig.)
NRC voted to require improvements to emergency vents at 31 US nuke reactors. Share design similarities with Fukushima. Voted not to require filters to scrub out radioactive particles coming through the vents. That can be done better, cheaper, industry says. (Yea, trust that.)
US now consumes 9% less energy for each $1 of GDP than in '08. Total energy use down ~5% since '08 (recession). CO2 emissions down almost 13% since '07. Down 15% by utilities (switch to NG). Goal 17% CO2 emissions reduction by '20 from '05. DOE forecasts CO2 to tick up 2% this year, .7% in '14 from econ recovery and some power stations switch back to coal as NG prices rise. 3K gigatons of CO2 in world's remaining known reserves of fossil fuels.
Study: oceans may absorb more carbon than expected.
Experts: markets alone can't decide on alternate energy, national security at stake.
Fukushima pumps back online after 24-hour blackout. (You'd think they'd have backup power by now for pumps.) Rat may be to blame. Rats.
WA governor put climate change at top of agenda. (What about Hanford nuke waste leaching down toward aquifer?)
Enviros criticizing proposed removal of climate change from UK school curricula.
Valero plans to haul more crude by rail to struggling refineries in Cal.
Analysts see LNG breaking free of price constraints. (Tell that to Japan.)
Global avg solar module prices down 42% in '12 to 79 cents/w. Already this year down 18% to 65 cents.
Combined global revenues for wind, solar, biofuels up 1% in '12 to $248.7B. Biofuels reached $95B, up from $83B in '11. Production up to 31.4B gal from 27.9B. Wind $73.7B from $71.5B. Added capacity 44.7Gw. (Not even $2/w.) Solar $79.7B from $91.6B (price decline). Installs 30.9Gw up from 29.6Gw. Est. combined total to near double by '22.
IMS Research predicts over 1Gw solar installs in Japan 1Q13. To match combined total from previous 3 Q's. Maybe 5Gw for year. Shortage of land available for large projects beyond current pipeline.
India's Karela targets 350Mw solar by '17. Hoping for 50Mw online this year. State of Tamil Nadu wants another 5Gw of wind. 7Gw now. State el regulator sees total 13.5Gw wind by '20, also to admin "solar purchase obligations" of state's solar policy.
Broward County FL simplified process to apply for rooftop solar permits. $673K fed grant. To save up to thousands of bux/system. 14 cities signed up, 9 more want to. 5 other FL counties looking to use as model.
AZ severely cut solar incentives in Feb. Commercial scale incentives eliminated entirely. Residential cut to a fraction. Clear Sky Advisors expects gradual level off of installs. Total solar capacity to rise to 1.5Gw by '15, 2.1Gw by '17. (Sun in AZ. Duh.)
India's generation-based incentive for wind energy reinstated late Feb. Repealed last April. ~$147M to be allocated in '13-'14 budget. Govt also to offer low interest loans for wind projects through National Clean Energy Fund. Accelerated depreciation tax break for wind sector also was cancelled in '12. May be reinstated. India's current wind capacity 26.9Gw. Plans 30Gw by '17.
Greenko (India) added 6 new run-of-river hydro plants to development pipe. Most funding from Singapore Investment Corp - $150M. Total capacity 425Mw. Build start this year.
KiOR (TX) (KIOR) started shipping cellulosic diesel from Miss plant. Pinewood chips feedstock. Diesel and gasoline. Condi Rice on board.
Colonial Pipeline (GA), country's biggest refined fossil fuel shipper by pipe, to start shipping B5 biodiesel blends by April to central, southern parts of GA. Concerns about getting biodies into jet fuel held it up. Won't use any pipe dedicated for jet fuel.
Novozymes (Denmark) to boost R&D in biofuels, bioag products above 16% of revenues - $260M last year. DuPont spent $2.1B on R&D in '12. Novo has 10% of global bioag market, 60% of biofuel enzymes market. Expects to supply enzymes to up to 25 cellulosic ethanol plants by '15-'17.
Up to 20% of Brazil's ethanol mills to be sold, mothballed this year. Ethanol not making a profit. Eth lost market share to gas past 3 yrs.
Shell to resume ops in May, spend over $1B this year in Iraq oil field development. Working with Baghdad, not Kurds. Expecting 100Kb/d in May. Iraq plans to invest $130B upstream, $25B downstream, $18B in NG. (My guess Shell got security firmed up.)
Sauds set to begin drilling for shale gas this year. Est. over 600TCF reserves. Pretty big. ~30 yrs US demand.
Computer tekkies jailed for spying, virus attack on Saudi Aramco.
MN Dept of Commerce questioned transparency of revenue data Xcel Energy submitted to support 10.7% el rate hike.
Mahindra (India) intro'd 4-seat e2o compact EV.
CN's new plan to meet escalating clean/ren energy target turned to large hydro from Canada, away from wood burning. May miss clean/ren target for 1st time.
City commissioners unanimous vote to decrease rates for Lakeland El (FL) customers by 2%.
Xcel Energy hit upper midwest wind power record. Almost 1/3 of power generated for a time. 1.7Gwh.
World Bank, Intl Financing Corp looking at financing Balkan clean/ren projects.
Enel Green Power, clean/ren unit of Italy's biggest util, started building $155M plant in Tuscany to tap underground heat to make el. (Not clear if geothermal or some other tech.) 40Mw. 2 turbines.
EC drawing up plans for standardized tools to measure carbon emiss of IT sector to give customers comparable enviro impact of products. Tech firms worked with EU over a year testing 10 intl methods, standards to measure C footprints of products.
LA #1 of US cities (need world rankings) for Energy Star buildings. 5th year in row. 528 bldgs. Washington DC 462 bldgs. Chicago 353 (growing 32%/y). NYC 325. Over 20K bldgs in US now. $2.7B/y in savings (2M houses worth of GHG emissions). In '12, over 8.2K bldgs E-Star certified (didn't say if US or world).
Fast ignition for fusion energy closer after supercomputer's record simulations.
Small biodiesel producers still reeling as EPA sorts out fraud.
Supreme Court considering punting raisin farmer's case back to appeals court.
Report: green jobs growing 4x faster than other sectors.
Participant in human soot tests filed $2M claim against EPA.
Brit govt approved new nuke plant. EDF Energy (FR) to build. 1st step toward updating fleet of 9. Not yet agreed on how to guarantee minimum price for power. Comp wants 10% profit. Est. $21B cost, el for 5M folks. (They didn't give Gw fig.)
NRC voted to require improvements to emergency vents at 31 US nuke reactors. Share design similarities with Fukushima. Voted not to require filters to scrub out radioactive particles coming through the vents. That can be done better, cheaper, industry says. (Yea, trust that.)
US now consumes 9% less energy for each $1 of GDP than in '08. Total energy use down ~5% since '08 (recession). CO2 emissions down almost 13% since '07. Down 15% by utilities (switch to NG). Goal 17% CO2 emissions reduction by '20 from '05. DOE forecasts CO2 to tick up 2% this year, .7% in '14 from econ recovery and some power stations switch back to coal as NG prices rise. 3K gigatons of CO2 in world's remaining known reserves of fossil fuels.
Study: oceans may absorb more carbon than expected.
Experts: markets alone can't decide on alternate energy, national security at stake.
Fukushima pumps back online after 24-hour blackout. (You'd think they'd have backup power by now for pumps.) Rat may be to blame. Rats.
WA governor put climate change at top of agenda. (What about Hanford nuke waste leaching down toward aquifer?)
Enviros criticizing proposed removal of climate change from UK school curricula.
Valero plans to haul more crude by rail to struggling refineries in Cal.
Analysts see LNG breaking free of price constraints. (Tell that to Japan.)
Global avg solar module prices down 42% in '12 to 79 cents/w. Already this year down 18% to 65 cents.
Combined global revenues for wind, solar, biofuels up 1% in '12 to $248.7B. Biofuels reached $95B, up from $83B in '11. Production up to 31.4B gal from 27.9B. Wind $73.7B from $71.5B. Added capacity 44.7Gw. (Not even $2/w.) Solar $79.7B from $91.6B (price decline). Installs 30.9Gw up from 29.6Gw. Est. combined total to near double by '22.
IMS Research predicts over 1Gw solar installs in Japan 1Q13. To match combined total from previous 3 Q's. Maybe 5Gw for year. Shortage of land available for large projects beyond current pipeline.
India's Karela targets 350Mw solar by '17. Hoping for 50Mw online this year. State of Tamil Nadu wants another 5Gw of wind. 7Gw now. State el regulator sees total 13.5Gw wind by '20, also to admin "solar purchase obligations" of state's solar policy.
Broward County FL simplified process to apply for rooftop solar permits. $673K fed grant. To save up to thousands of bux/system. 14 cities signed up, 9 more want to. 5 other FL counties looking to use as model.
AZ severely cut solar incentives in Feb. Commercial scale incentives eliminated entirely. Residential cut to a fraction. Clear Sky Advisors expects gradual level off of installs. Total solar capacity to rise to 1.5Gw by '15, 2.1Gw by '17. (Sun in AZ. Duh.)
India's generation-based incentive for wind energy reinstated late Feb. Repealed last April. ~$147M to be allocated in '13-'14 budget. Govt also to offer low interest loans for wind projects through National Clean Energy Fund. Accelerated depreciation tax break for wind sector also was cancelled in '12. May be reinstated. India's current wind capacity 26.9Gw. Plans 30Gw by '17.
Greenko (India) added 6 new run-of-river hydro plants to development pipe. Most funding from Singapore Investment Corp - $150M. Total capacity 425Mw. Build start this year.
KiOR (TX) (KIOR) started shipping cellulosic diesel from Miss plant. Pinewood chips feedstock. Diesel and gasoline. Condi Rice on board.
Colonial Pipeline (GA), country's biggest refined fossil fuel shipper by pipe, to start shipping B5 biodiesel blends by April to central, southern parts of GA. Concerns about getting biodies into jet fuel held it up. Won't use any pipe dedicated for jet fuel.
Novozymes (Denmark) to boost R&D in biofuels, bioag products above 16% of revenues - $260M last year. DuPont spent $2.1B on R&D in '12. Novo has 10% of global bioag market, 60% of biofuel enzymes market. Expects to supply enzymes to up to 25 cellulosic ethanol plants by '15-'17.
Up to 20% of Brazil's ethanol mills to be sold, mothballed this year. Ethanol not making a profit. Eth lost market share to gas past 3 yrs.
Shell to resume ops in May, spend over $1B this year in Iraq oil field development. Working with Baghdad, not Kurds. Expecting 100Kb/d in May. Iraq plans to invest $130B upstream, $25B downstream, $18B in NG. (My guess Shell got security firmed up.)
Sauds set to begin drilling for shale gas this year. Est. over 600TCF reserves. Pretty big. ~30 yrs US demand.
Computer tekkies jailed for spying, virus attack on Saudi Aramco.
MN Dept of Commerce questioned transparency of revenue data Xcel Energy submitted to support 10.7% el rate hike.
Mahindra (India) intro'd 4-seat e2o compact EV.
CN's new plan to meet escalating clean/ren energy target turned to large hydro from Canada, away from wood burning. May miss clean/ren target for 1st time.
City commissioners unanimous vote to decrease rates for Lakeland El (FL) customers by 2%.
Xcel Energy hit upper midwest wind power record. Almost 1/3 of power generated for a time. 1.7Gwh.
World Bank, Intl Financing Corp looking at financing Balkan clean/ren projects.
Enel Green Power, clean/ren unit of Italy's biggest util, started building $155M plant in Tuscany to tap underground heat to make el. (Not clear if geothermal or some other tech.) 40Mw. 2 turbines.
EC drawing up plans for standardized tools to measure carbon emiss of IT sector to give customers comparable enviro impact of products. Tech firms worked with EU over a year testing 10 intl methods, standards to measure C footprints of products.
LA #1 of US cities (need world rankings) for Energy Star buildings. 5th year in row. 528 bldgs. Washington DC 462 bldgs. Chicago 353 (growing 32%/y). NYC 325. Over 20K bldgs in US now. $2.7B/y in savings (2M houses worth of GHG emissions). In '12, over 8.2K bldgs E-Star certified (didn't say if US or world).
Fast ignition for fusion energy closer after supercomputer's record simulations.
Small biodiesel producers still reeling as EPA sorts out fraud.
Supreme Court considering punting raisin farmer's case back to appeals court.
Report: green jobs growing 4x faster than other sectors.
Participant in human soot tests filed $2M claim against EPA.
WEDNESDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 75/18/9. Volume a little light. Oil: WTI under $93, Brent over $108. (Shell station across street raised prices about 20 cents overnight.) NG 3.94
WWPW up 33. CERP up 25 on bounceback, probably short covering. APWR up 20. SWET up 19. NPWZ up 11. PLUG up 10 more, day 3 of run, up to 50-day lines. GEVO up 10 on news they aren't infringing on Butamax patent. NENE up 2, hanging in just above all lines.
ZAAP down 31, end of 5-day run. MXWL down 13, ongoing bad legal news.
Market up 75/18/9. Volume a little light. Oil: WTI under $93, Brent over $108. (Shell station across street raised prices about 20 cents overnight.) NG 3.94
WWPW up 33. CERP up 25 on bounceback, probably short covering. APWR up 20. SWET up 19. NPWZ up 11. PLUG up 10 more, day 3 of run, up to 50-day lines. GEVO up 10 on news they aren't infringing on Butamax patent. NENE up 2, hanging in just above all lines.
ZAAP down 31, end of 5-day run. MXWL down 13, ongoing bad legal news.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
TUESDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market flat mixed. Volume normal. WTI oil down under $93. Cyprus bailout plan rejected by Cyprus lawmakers. (Where the hell are we?)
AEHI up 614. 33K shares. LEOM up 58. 58K shares. CSGH up 51. 4.2K shares. PLUG up 25 more. 7M shares. BFRE up 23. 20K shares. ZAAP, CSKH up 21. HOKU up 16. AMPD, AMTX up 14. XSNX up 7.
BOPO down 47. EWRL down 32. SATCQ down 30. WWPW down 25. LMRMF down 24. CERP down 20 on 25M. Buy it luckies. AQNM down 18. GSPI down 17. RNWEF, EVSI, APWR down 16. NGLPF down 14. SWET down 12. ASIUF down 9. LEXG down 7. DSTI down 5, back to a buck. NTCXF, RVLT, LEDS down 3. NENE down 2.
Market flat mixed. Volume normal. WTI oil down under $93. Cyprus bailout plan rejected by Cyprus lawmakers. (Where the hell are we?)
AEHI up 614. 33K shares. LEOM up 58. 58K shares. CSGH up 51. 4.2K shares. PLUG up 25 more. 7M shares. BFRE up 23. 20K shares. ZAAP, CSKH up 21. HOKU up 16. AMPD, AMTX up 14. XSNX up 7.
BOPO down 47. EWRL down 32. SATCQ down 30. WWPW down 25. LMRMF down 24. CERP down 20 on 25M. Buy it luckies. AQNM down 18. GSPI down 17. RNWEF, EVSI, APWR down 16. NGLPF down 14. SWET down 12. ASIUF down 9. LEXG down 7. DSTI down 5, back to a buck. NTCXF, RVLT, LEDS down 3. NENE down 2.
STUFF
Coal industry: EPA should stop creating barriers to new coal-fired power plants, focus on efficiency.
Increasingly likely EPA to miss Apr 13 deadline to finalize CO2 rule for new power plants.
National Research Council: US needs "stringent" policy framework like carbon tax, efficiency fee to reduce passenger vehicle emissions, petrol use 80% by '50 from '05 level.
Massive wind turbines with 300' blades to cut offshore wind cost 38% or more by '20: Vestas.
Study: 1 degree Celsius warmer would lead to more Katrina-like storm surges.
Automakers found cheating on MPG testing. (Tsk tsk.)
Plankton's carbon absorption more variable than previously thought.
Study: EU fuel efficiency law to cut costs, create jobs.
Scientists unsure whether climate change affects tornado season.
Global warming blamed for Pika's disappearance. (I had to look it up too.)
Mancos Shale could spur US southwest drilling revival. (Don't know where Mancos is yet.)
Enbridge to boost pipeline capacity for oil sands crude to US. (Don't know how much yet unless I've already reported it.)
Unconventional NG development getting launched this year in Saudi Arabia.
Climate researchers back NG development in Britain.
Transphorm (Cal) - Google-backed startup - making 1st gen gallium nitride transistors, diodes on silicon carbide. Inverters reaching silicon "wall". Size, price. Gallium nitride can reduce power losses up to 50%, reduce inverter size 40%, work at 98% efficiency. ~10% of power loss occurs during each power conversion step now. Comp working on GallNi on just silicon, way cheaper than silicon carbide. They raised $104M in VC round.
VECO world efficiency record for CPV cells. (More on it later, I'm sure.)
China may cut subsidy for largest solar projects, create new subsidy for non-grid projects.
Pike Research says near 56Gw of long duration bulk energy storage for grid to be installed '12-'22. Installs of energy storage for "ancillary services" to increase up to 10x to over 3.5Gw in same period. Ancillary - scheduling, dispatch, reactive power, voltage control, system protection. Pumped hydro has been go-to storage option. Compressed air if there's cave, etc near. Then batts. (We need batt tech R&D.)
EIA: TX oil production rose 523Kb/d in '12. ND up 243. Eagle Ford (TX) production believed to be peaking next year. 6%/y decline after. Current production near 600Kb/d.
EIA: Europe's oil production peaked ~'06, has begun decline. 5 top intl oils production peaked in '04, declining 2.1%/y. Discovery rate of new reserves down for over 40 yrs.
Greenland voters feared govt surrender of country's interests to China, foreign multinationals over resources. Voted out prime minister.
Wholesale price of gasoline in US jumped 43 cents Jan to Feb. Ethanol impact .7 cents. Ethanol price last week 25 cents less than gas. NY Times hype that eth was culprit of higher pump prices. (We'll see. Ethanol does come from food so far.)
Cleantech Open helped startups raise $800M for over 700 alumni since '06. Expanding to south FL to attract entrepreneurs, researchers from FL, Carib, LatAm. Training, mentoring from biz leaders usually leads to funding. Open to biomass, biogas, biofuels, bioenergy, etc. Accelerator program to end in Nov. Finalists go to national competition.
Bloomberg found wind, bioenergy "reserves" in Brazil over 40% energy content of their proven oil/NG reserves. In US ~1/7th.
NREL's Dessicant Enhanced Evaporative system won R&D award. Works in any climate. Achieves comfy cooling saving 40-80% energy use of conventional AC system. Dessicants dry out moist air.
In '08, Fed Ex target global fleet fuel efficiency up 20% by '20 from '05. Up 22% now. Raising goal to 30%. Small, smart changes in ops, vehicles. Matching right vehic to route to cut 20M gal this yr. "Right-size" engines 70-100% more fuel efficient. Composite bodies for 35% cut. 35% more from getting rid of old diesel enegines for new. 360 hybrids, 200 EV's used in dense urban routes. Green roof at O'Hare facility. UPS has 2,500 hybrid, other alt-fuel V's.
Supreme Court to decide Horne v. USDA tomorrow. Horne (Cal) has farmed raisins near 50 yrs. Decided in '03 to no longer abide by Depression-era program requiring raisin producers to hand over percent of crop to govt every yr. USDA said "nuh-uh", hit Horne with hefty fines. Horne sued.
US infrastructure got D+ from engineers.
USDA urging farmers, ranchers to prepare for dry spring.
Fukushima radiation may help track Pacific bluefin tuna. Always the good news.
Mountaintop coal foes, Army Corps O Engineers to square off in circuit court permit case.
Judge denied BP motion to dismiss gross neglicence charge.
EPA threatens to sue Cal butane tank farm over safety.
Study: cellulosic tech must use existing cropland.
Conoco, Colorado agree to settle lawsuit over leaky tanks.
250 Hanford workers got pink slips.
MT panel OK'd renewable energy tax breaks for new coal, NG plants.
Power outage hit Fukushima cooling pools.
Increasingly likely EPA to miss Apr 13 deadline to finalize CO2 rule for new power plants.
National Research Council: US needs "stringent" policy framework like carbon tax, efficiency fee to reduce passenger vehicle emissions, petrol use 80% by '50 from '05 level.
Massive wind turbines with 300' blades to cut offshore wind cost 38% or more by '20: Vestas.
Study: 1 degree Celsius warmer would lead to more Katrina-like storm surges.
Automakers found cheating on MPG testing. (Tsk tsk.)
Plankton's carbon absorption more variable than previously thought.
Study: EU fuel efficiency law to cut costs, create jobs.
Scientists unsure whether climate change affects tornado season.
Global warming blamed for Pika's disappearance. (I had to look it up too.)
Mancos Shale could spur US southwest drilling revival. (Don't know where Mancos is yet.)
Enbridge to boost pipeline capacity for oil sands crude to US. (Don't know how much yet unless I've already reported it.)
Unconventional NG development getting launched this year in Saudi Arabia.
Climate researchers back NG development in Britain.
Transphorm (Cal) - Google-backed startup - making 1st gen gallium nitride transistors, diodes on silicon carbide. Inverters reaching silicon "wall". Size, price. Gallium nitride can reduce power losses up to 50%, reduce inverter size 40%, work at 98% efficiency. ~10% of power loss occurs during each power conversion step now. Comp working on GallNi on just silicon, way cheaper than silicon carbide. They raised $104M in VC round.
VECO world efficiency record for CPV cells. (More on it later, I'm sure.)
China may cut subsidy for largest solar projects, create new subsidy for non-grid projects.
Pike Research says near 56Gw of long duration bulk energy storage for grid to be installed '12-'22. Installs of energy storage for "ancillary services" to increase up to 10x to over 3.5Gw in same period. Ancillary - scheduling, dispatch, reactive power, voltage control, system protection. Pumped hydro has been go-to storage option. Compressed air if there's cave, etc near. Then batts. (We need batt tech R&D.)
EIA: TX oil production rose 523Kb/d in '12. ND up 243. Eagle Ford (TX) production believed to be peaking next year. 6%/y decline after. Current production near 600Kb/d.
EIA: Europe's oil production peaked ~'06, has begun decline. 5 top intl oils production peaked in '04, declining 2.1%/y. Discovery rate of new reserves down for over 40 yrs.
Greenland voters feared govt surrender of country's interests to China, foreign multinationals over resources. Voted out prime minister.
Wholesale price of gasoline in US jumped 43 cents Jan to Feb. Ethanol impact .7 cents. Ethanol price last week 25 cents less than gas. NY Times hype that eth was culprit of higher pump prices. (We'll see. Ethanol does come from food so far.)
Cleantech Open helped startups raise $800M for over 700 alumni since '06. Expanding to south FL to attract entrepreneurs, researchers from FL, Carib, LatAm. Training, mentoring from biz leaders usually leads to funding. Open to biomass, biogas, biofuels, bioenergy, etc. Accelerator program to end in Nov. Finalists go to national competition.
Bloomberg found wind, bioenergy "reserves" in Brazil over 40% energy content of their proven oil/NG reserves. In US ~1/7th.
NREL's Dessicant Enhanced Evaporative system won R&D award. Works in any climate. Achieves comfy cooling saving 40-80% energy use of conventional AC system. Dessicants dry out moist air.
In '08, Fed Ex target global fleet fuel efficiency up 20% by '20 from '05. Up 22% now. Raising goal to 30%. Small, smart changes in ops, vehicles. Matching right vehic to route to cut 20M gal this yr. "Right-size" engines 70-100% more fuel efficient. Composite bodies for 35% cut. 35% more from getting rid of old diesel enegines for new. 360 hybrids, 200 EV's used in dense urban routes. Green roof at O'Hare facility. UPS has 2,500 hybrid, other alt-fuel V's.
Supreme Court to decide Horne v. USDA tomorrow. Horne (Cal) has farmed raisins near 50 yrs. Decided in '03 to no longer abide by Depression-era program requiring raisin producers to hand over percent of crop to govt every yr. USDA said "nuh-uh", hit Horne with hefty fines. Horne sued.
US infrastructure got D+ from engineers.
USDA urging farmers, ranchers to prepare for dry spring.
Fukushima radiation may help track Pacific bluefin tuna. Always the good news.
Mountaintop coal foes, Army Corps O Engineers to square off in circuit court permit case.
Judge denied BP motion to dismiss gross neglicence charge.
EPA threatens to sue Cal butane tank farm over safety.
Study: cellulosic tech must use existing cropland.
Conoco, Colorado agree to settle lawsuit over leaky tanks.
250 Hanford workers got pink slips.
MT panel OK'd renewable energy tax breaks for new coal, NG plants.
Power outage hit Fukushima cooling pools.
TUESDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 33/2/1. Volume very light. Oil: WTI over $93, Brent down under $109. NG $3.93.
ZAAP up 42 more on launch of hybrid CNG SUV. Up 5x in last 5 days, over all lines. SATCQ up 35. WTWO up 33. CSKH up 21. PLUG up another 15, day 2. LEOM up 15. AXAS up 12, jump over 200-day lines on large volume. ORYN up 11, double so far this year. LEDS up 4. NENE up 1.
EWRL down 38. GSPI down 17. ENSL, GERS, NGLPF down 14. SPIR down 12. LMRMF down 10. AMEL, QTMM down 9. CERP down 5, filed for another patent. Sell off at open, selling may be over. RVLT down 4, up 10x since Sept. XSNX, NTCXF down 3. NTCXF fell below all lines.
Market up 33/2/1. Volume very light. Oil: WTI over $93, Brent down under $109. NG $3.93.
ZAAP up 42 more on launch of hybrid CNG SUV. Up 5x in last 5 days, over all lines. SATCQ up 35. WTWO up 33. CSKH up 21. PLUG up another 15, day 2. LEOM up 15. AXAS up 12, jump over 200-day lines on large volume. ORYN up 11, double so far this year. LEDS up 4. NENE up 1.
EWRL down 38. GSPI down 17. ENSL, GERS, NGLPF down 14. SPIR down 12. LMRMF down 10. AMEL, QTMM down 9. CERP down 5, filed for another patent. Sell off at open, selling may be over. RVLT down 4, up 10x since Sept. XSNX, NTCXF down 3. NTCXF fell below all lines.
LATE STUFF
4K years ago, Sahara reportedly a vegetated savannah. 27M people in world. And in Ur, Hammurabi was chiseling out his laws against murder, robbery, adultery and renting out arable fields for cultivation that were subsequently not cultivated. Huh. In our past 50 years now, a 3x increase on global food production with severe depletion of acquifers. Long story short, without the cultivation, Ur's fields increased in salinity and became desert.
Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta now 57 islands formed by canals, dikes, ditches, levees, pipes and pumping stations. 98% is below sea level. Pumps work 24-7 to keep crop roots dry enough to grow. Salt from Bay intruding, threatening aquifer. Islands shrinking from rising sea. Cattails, duckweed, mosquito fern possible help. "Subsidence".
Monday was Biodiesel Day in US. Woo hoo. Right on top of St Patty's, too. Rudolf Diesel's birthday. In 1912: "veg oils may become as important as oil".
Inland Empire Oilseeds (WA) filed Chap 7. $3.8M debt. $1M loan from state, $2M from USDA. 8M gal/y biodiesel plant project hit by soaring canola costs.
Channel Biorefinery & Terminals renovating, restarting 105M gal/y biodiesel facility in Houston. Hurricane Ike hit it during commissioning. Up to 36M gal/y rate by summer, 75M by '15.
DOE: liquid fuels demand can be sufficiently reduced in future so that biomass can meet all needs. Part of Obama 15-point energy strategy (an interesting read).
Transportation sector accounts for 71% of total US petrol use, 33% of US total carbon emissions.
Sara Volz of Colorado won $100K top award in Intel Science Talent Search. Research of algae for biofuels. Used artificial selection to establish populations of algae cells with high oil content. Built home lab under her loft, slept on same cycle as the algae. (Dedication, pards. Way to go, Sara.)
Fiji to implement 30% biofuels by '15.
Indian state expanding biofuels projects to advance ag, decentralize biofuel extraction units, sell plant saplings, seeds to produce biofuels.
Brazil launched biodiesel from tilapia waste project. 8K liter/d production. Petrobras primary customer.
Citibank sees World Bank's green bonds as better way to fund next gen biofuels. Equities markets failed for most comps, most trading at half IPO value.
Valero restarted ethanol plant in OH, to restart IN plant. Corn futures down 15%, eth trading at highest since Aug.
Chemtex $170M planned grass-to-ethanol plant could break ground this fall, online in '15. 1 already in Italy. Would process 20M tons/y from 20K acres. Comp wants to put it in NC.
Kansas State researchers developing green concrete from biofuel byproducts from corn stover, wheat and rice straw. Replaces part of portland cement.
Raizen to invest $102M in add-on cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil. 40M liter/y, bagasse feedstock. Shell part of JV. Iogen or Codexis tech.
MIT spinoff Transatomic developing meltdown-proof, nuke waste-eating reactor. Factory made, larger than small modular reactors. Updated molten salt reactor. Comp needs $5M to run 5 experiments to prove design. 8 yrs to build proto for $200M. China reportedly investing $350M over 5 yrs to develop molten-salt reactors.
Exxon predicts EV's will fail for decades and China's econ will decline. Talking mid-'20's to '40's.
GAO: DOE reviewing 9 loan guarantee aps from comps seeking $4.8B. $2.8B ap for coal gasification, carbon capture project. Others are 2 biomass projects, 1 solar elgen farm, 3 solar manufacturers, 2 wind elgen farms.
Total (France), Abengoa (Spain) opened $750M, 100Mw concentrated solar plant in Abu Dhabi. NG drives turbines at night.
Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta now 57 islands formed by canals, dikes, ditches, levees, pipes and pumping stations. 98% is below sea level. Pumps work 24-7 to keep crop roots dry enough to grow. Salt from Bay intruding, threatening aquifer. Islands shrinking from rising sea. Cattails, duckweed, mosquito fern possible help. "Subsidence".
Monday was Biodiesel Day in US. Woo hoo. Right on top of St Patty's, too. Rudolf Diesel's birthday. In 1912: "veg oils may become as important as oil".
Inland Empire Oilseeds (WA) filed Chap 7. $3.8M debt. $1M loan from state, $2M from USDA. 8M gal/y biodiesel plant project hit by soaring canola costs.
Channel Biorefinery & Terminals renovating, restarting 105M gal/y biodiesel facility in Houston. Hurricane Ike hit it during commissioning. Up to 36M gal/y rate by summer, 75M by '15.
DOE: liquid fuels demand can be sufficiently reduced in future so that biomass can meet all needs. Part of Obama 15-point energy strategy (an interesting read).
Transportation sector accounts for 71% of total US petrol use, 33% of US total carbon emissions.
Sara Volz of Colorado won $100K top award in Intel Science Talent Search. Research of algae for biofuels. Used artificial selection to establish populations of algae cells with high oil content. Built home lab under her loft, slept on same cycle as the algae. (Dedication, pards. Way to go, Sara.)
Fiji to implement 30% biofuels by '15.
Indian state expanding biofuels projects to advance ag, decentralize biofuel extraction units, sell plant saplings, seeds to produce biofuels.
Brazil launched biodiesel from tilapia waste project. 8K liter/d production. Petrobras primary customer.
Citibank sees World Bank's green bonds as better way to fund next gen biofuels. Equities markets failed for most comps, most trading at half IPO value.
Valero restarted ethanol plant in OH, to restart IN plant. Corn futures down 15%, eth trading at highest since Aug.
Chemtex $170M planned grass-to-ethanol plant could break ground this fall, online in '15. 1 already in Italy. Would process 20M tons/y from 20K acres. Comp wants to put it in NC.
Kansas State researchers developing green concrete from biofuel byproducts from corn stover, wheat and rice straw. Replaces part of portland cement.
Raizen to invest $102M in add-on cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil. 40M liter/y, bagasse feedstock. Shell part of JV. Iogen or Codexis tech.
MIT spinoff Transatomic developing meltdown-proof, nuke waste-eating reactor. Factory made, larger than small modular reactors. Updated molten salt reactor. Comp needs $5M to run 5 experiments to prove design. 8 yrs to build proto for $200M. China reportedly investing $350M over 5 yrs to develop molten-salt reactors.
Exxon predicts EV's will fail for decades and China's econ will decline. Talking mid-'20's to '40's.
GAO: DOE reviewing 9 loan guarantee aps from comps seeking $4.8B. $2.8B ap for coal gasification, carbon capture project. Others are 2 biomass projects, 1 solar elgen farm, 3 solar manufacturers, 2 wind elgen farms.
Total (France), Abengoa (Spain) opened $750M, 100Mw concentrated solar plant in Abu Dhabi. NG drives turbines at night.
Monday, March 18, 2013
EARLY STUFF
White House taking steps to ensure all fed agencies consider climate change uniformly for enviro reviews before issuing permits for major projects. (Keystone signal?)
House Repub's intro'd bill to force approval of Keystone.
Senate bill intro'd to allow states to compete for funds for clean energy, energy efficiency in bldgs.
GAO update on DOE loan guarantees. (Nothing more on that yet.)
US crop insurance payments for drought/heat/failed irrigation damage in '12 over $12B.
Biz schools pondering how to prepare future CEOs to deal with climate change. (Teach the facts, choices, solutions. Case studies. Duh.)
Experts calling for geoengineering research guidelines.
DOE: petrol use could drop 80% while transport sector grows. (Again, nothing else seen on that yet.)
Climate change may have contributed to Somalia famine. (Besides maybe biofuels programs? Let alone effort to feed them while in crisis.)
Marcellus Shale headed toward 10BCF/d later this year despite lower rig count, transport bottlenecks, enviro holdups.
Frustrated drillers pulling out of central Montana shale. (My guess it's not fruitful enough.)
Indonesia's 230M folks live on 17K islands. Only 3 islands on national grid tied to baseload power. Total 1.6Gw (corporate private plants) of biomass energy elgen operating of 50Gw potential for rest of country. Country exploring FIT, tax incentives, transmission linkups.
Goldman Sachs forecast current $16 spread between WTI, Brent crude to shrink to $7.50 in 2Q13. New pipe from Permian to Gulf coast refineries to bypass Cushing.
IEA: global oil demand to increase 820Kb/d this yr, 200K less than last forecast. Demand increased by avg 1.4Mb/d in non-recession yrs in past. Increased production in US, Iraq (maybe, see below), return of Sudan's 200K later this year seen covering the increase despite declining production elsewhere, possible further sanctions on Iran.
US NG inventories 11% above 5-yr avg for time of year. Price $3.87/M Friday. Above $3.50, coal cheaper than gas for utilities that can switch. NG drillers still losing money at $4, takes even $6 for some to break even.
With financial, military support from some Gulf Arab states, Sunni preparing uprising against Baghdad. Kurds deciding this week whether to secede/protest govt or not. (Folks, look see what's coming.)
US NG rig count jumped most in over 3 yrs. New drilling in LA, OK.
ENN Group, 1 of China's largest private comps, planning network of NG fueling stations for trucks on US highways. On US highways. (Why not China highways?) 50 going up this year.
Cummins/Peterbilt demo "Super Truck" getting 54% increased fuel econ. Avg near 10mpg. 61% increase in freight efficiency. (Didn't say how long we have to wait. Maybe until those NG fuel stations get put in? And comps will pay 50% - ?- more for SuperTrux.)
Spain imports 99% of its NG but has est. reserves to meet current demand for 70 yrs if shale developed.
Iraq says 7 oil comps qualified to bid for developing promising oil field, build refinery in south. 2 Russian, 1 Chinese, 1 US (you're welcome for getting your country free of Hussein), 1 Indian, 1 French, 2 Japanese. US - Brown Energy.
India needs to double water gen capacity by '30 to meet demand.
Falkland residents overwhelmingly voted to stay with UK. (As Argentina got Pope. What a world.)
GM, Chrysler taking 2nd looks at making smaller pickups.
China awarded 16 comps exploration rights in latest auction into world's biggest shale gas reserves. Not 1 has drilled a gas well before. Ever.
China's auto sales up 19% in Jan-Feb over '12. Good news, bad news. (Seen that pollution?)
Largest hydropower project in Tibet should start elgen this year. Pondo. $728M. '16 completion.
Greece GDP down 6.4% in '12.
House Repub's intro'd bill to force approval of Keystone.
Senate bill intro'd to allow states to compete for funds for clean energy, energy efficiency in bldgs.
GAO update on DOE loan guarantees. (Nothing more on that yet.)
US crop insurance payments for drought/heat/failed irrigation damage in '12 over $12B.
Biz schools pondering how to prepare future CEOs to deal with climate change. (Teach the facts, choices, solutions. Case studies. Duh.)
Experts calling for geoengineering research guidelines.
DOE: petrol use could drop 80% while transport sector grows. (Again, nothing else seen on that yet.)
Climate change may have contributed to Somalia famine. (Besides maybe biofuels programs? Let alone effort to feed them while in crisis.)
Marcellus Shale headed toward 10BCF/d later this year despite lower rig count, transport bottlenecks, enviro holdups.
Frustrated drillers pulling out of central Montana shale. (My guess it's not fruitful enough.)
Indonesia's 230M folks live on 17K islands. Only 3 islands on national grid tied to baseload power. Total 1.6Gw (corporate private plants) of biomass energy elgen operating of 50Gw potential for rest of country. Country exploring FIT, tax incentives, transmission linkups.
Goldman Sachs forecast current $16 spread between WTI, Brent crude to shrink to $7.50 in 2Q13. New pipe from Permian to Gulf coast refineries to bypass Cushing.
IEA: global oil demand to increase 820Kb/d this yr, 200K less than last forecast. Demand increased by avg 1.4Mb/d in non-recession yrs in past. Increased production in US, Iraq (maybe, see below), return of Sudan's 200K later this year seen covering the increase despite declining production elsewhere, possible further sanctions on Iran.
US NG inventories 11% above 5-yr avg for time of year. Price $3.87/M Friday. Above $3.50, coal cheaper than gas for utilities that can switch. NG drillers still losing money at $4, takes even $6 for some to break even.
With financial, military support from some Gulf Arab states, Sunni preparing uprising against Baghdad. Kurds deciding this week whether to secede/protest govt or not. (Folks, look see what's coming.)
US NG rig count jumped most in over 3 yrs. New drilling in LA, OK.
ENN Group, 1 of China's largest private comps, planning network of NG fueling stations for trucks on US highways. On US highways. (Why not China highways?) 50 going up this year.
Cummins/Peterbilt demo "Super Truck" getting 54% increased fuel econ. Avg near 10mpg. 61% increase in freight efficiency. (Didn't say how long we have to wait. Maybe until those NG fuel stations get put in? And comps will pay 50% - ?- more for SuperTrux.)
Spain imports 99% of its NG but has est. reserves to meet current demand for 70 yrs if shale developed.
Iraq says 7 oil comps qualified to bid for developing promising oil field, build refinery in south. 2 Russian, 1 Chinese, 1 US (you're welcome for getting your country free of Hussein), 1 Indian, 1 French, 2 Japanese. US - Brown Energy.
India needs to double water gen capacity by '30 to meet demand.
Falkland residents overwhelmingly voted to stay with UK. (As Argentina got Pope. What a world.)
GM, Chrysler taking 2nd looks at making smaller pickups.
China awarded 16 comps exploration rights in latest auction into world's biggest shale gas reserves. Not 1 has drilled a gas well before. Ever.
China's auto sales up 19% in Jan-Feb over '12. Good news, bad news. (Seen that pollution?)
Largest hydropower project in Tibet should start elgen this year. Pondo. $728M. '16 completion.
Greece GDP down 6.4% in '12.
MONDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 35/13/7. Volume pretty normal. Oil over $93. Cyprus crisis/bailout. JP Morgan mess. Deutsche Bank upgraded US econ outlook.
PLUG up 32. Getting back toward 50-day lines, heavy volume. PTOS up 25. Back over 50's. TMEN up 20. HOKU up 19. XSNX up 16. Time to buy, just under 50's. BFRE up 12. AMEL up 9. HSOL up 6 after reporting. On its bottom. QTWW up 3 on $6M of orders for NG truck tanks at show.
MGLT down 18. EWRL down 13. SOPW, ENSL down 11. SENY, AMLM down 10. ALGXY, LIME down 9. LIME following 50's up for over a month. CERP down 7. Time to buy. NENE, NTCXF down 1.
Market down 35/13/7. Volume pretty normal. Oil over $93. Cyprus crisis/bailout. JP Morgan mess. Deutsche Bank upgraded US econ outlook.
PLUG up 32. Getting back toward 50-day lines, heavy volume. PTOS up 25. Back over 50's. TMEN up 20. HOKU up 19. XSNX up 16. Time to buy, just under 50's. BFRE up 12. AMEL up 9. HSOL up 6 after reporting. On its bottom. QTWW up 3 on $6M of orders for NG truck tanks at show.
MGLT down 18. EWRL down 13. SOPW, ENSL down 11. SENY, AMLM down 10. ALGXY, LIME down 9. LIME following 50's up for over a month. CERP down 7. Time to buy. NENE, NTCXF down 1.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
GRAPHENE REPORT
Graphene a 1-atom thick sheet of carbon in hexagonic crystal lattice. 200x stronger than steel, tougher than diamond. World's thinnest material. Flexible, transparent. Conducts el, heat very well. Stocks: AIXG, CVV, FCSMF, NGPHF, GTI, CHGI, PKX.
U Cal Berkeley researchers developing graphene-based earphone-sized speaker. Outperforms best current earphones using almost no specialized acoustic design.
National U of Singapore researchers created water corrosive enough to etch diamond. By accident. They attached layer of graphene on diamond, heated to high temp to encourage bonding. Water molecules trapped between diamond and graphene transformed into supercritical phase, corroded the diamond.
Biofutures (UK) to focus on low-cost graphene production. Name change to Graphene Nanochem. Market cap L162M on UK AIM exchange, trading suspended in Dec. Holds exclusive license to Catalyx process. Catalyst extracts graphene from biogases (methane).
Euro Regional Development Fund awarded L23M to L38M National Graphene Inst at U of Manchester (UK). Manchester interest in 2 graphene comps: 2-D Tech and Graph Industries.
Japan Advanced Inst of Science & Tech, U of Southampton (UK) developing new way to make ultra-fine graphene nanodevices using helium-ion microscopy. Selectively sputters graphene to create intricate nanoscale designs. Developed 2 devices. Ultrathin suspended graphene nanoribbons for extremely sensitive gas molecular sensors. And densely integrated graphene quantum dots for quantum info processing techs.
Almost 70 yrs ago, Atomic Collapse - a quantum mech phenom - was predicted. Using graphene, Berkeley Lab, U of Cal researchers imaged the states, showed they occur around super-large atomic nuclei. Graphene made it possible to review because of extraordinary relativistic nature of electrons in graphene. Yields much smaller nuke charge threshold for creating special supercritical nuclei that will exhibit Atomic Collapse behavior. Highly relevant for future devices.
UC Riverside researchers found out what causes low-freq electronic 1/f noise ("pink noise" or "flicker noise"). Used graphene sheets to find surface phenom that shows up in situations thinner than 2.5nm.
U Cal Berkeley researchers developing graphene-based earphone-sized speaker. Outperforms best current earphones using almost no specialized acoustic design.
National U of Singapore researchers created water corrosive enough to etch diamond. By accident. They attached layer of graphene on diamond, heated to high temp to encourage bonding. Water molecules trapped between diamond and graphene transformed into supercritical phase, corroded the diamond.
Biofutures (UK) to focus on low-cost graphene production. Name change to Graphene Nanochem. Market cap L162M on UK AIM exchange, trading suspended in Dec. Holds exclusive license to Catalyx process. Catalyst extracts graphene from biogases (methane).
Euro Regional Development Fund awarded L23M to L38M National Graphene Inst at U of Manchester (UK). Manchester interest in 2 graphene comps: 2-D Tech and Graph Industries.
Japan Advanced Inst of Science & Tech, U of Southampton (UK) developing new way to make ultra-fine graphene nanodevices using helium-ion microscopy. Selectively sputters graphene to create intricate nanoscale designs. Developed 2 devices. Ultrathin suspended graphene nanoribbons for extremely sensitive gas molecular sensors. And densely integrated graphene quantum dots for quantum info processing techs.
Almost 70 yrs ago, Atomic Collapse - a quantum mech phenom - was predicted. Using graphene, Berkeley Lab, U of Cal researchers imaged the states, showed they occur around super-large atomic nuclei. Graphene made it possible to review because of extraordinary relativistic nature of electrons in graphene. Yields much smaller nuke charge threshold for creating special supercritical nuclei that will exhibit Atomic Collapse behavior. Highly relevant for future devices.
UC Riverside researchers found out what causes low-freq electronic 1/f noise ("pink noise" or "flicker noise"). Used graphene sheets to find surface phenom that shows up in situations thinner than 2.5nm.
STUFF
Indonesia's ability to afford its fuel subsidies to be tested as oil prices rise. Govt under pressure to keep budget deficit from ballooning, reverse growing trade deficit.
DOE launched "Better Buildings, Better Plants" program in '10. Helps US comps analyze, reduce energy use. Joining comp makes pledge to reduce energy intensity 25% over 10 yrs. DOE helps. 118 comps now. 1,400 manufacturing facilities involved - 6% of US energy footprint. Avg 3.15% improvement in '12. GM improved its energy intensity 13% since joining.
~$2.4T oil industry capital expenditures '94-'04 increased world oil production 12Mb/d. $2.4T spent '05-'10 oil production lost 200Kb/d.
BP asked judge to temporarily stop claims paid out as biz econ losses, calling many "fictitious", "absurd".
Glut of ethanol threatening to push up pump prices: oil experts. Other expert: "more like oil comps trying to create a little hysteria to support notion that RFS is broken". Refiners have been furiously trading eth credits - RINs (Renewable ID #'s) - to meet federal enviro mandates. Up over 10x since Jan to over $1. Large refiners spent $100-300M each for credits in '12 when prices were 4 cents. Premium gas going up faster than lower octane. ~1/3 this year's car models require premium. Refiners might seek to export gas to avoid eth requirements. Using eth once was cheap way to increase octane for premium fuel (eth octane 113). But refiners have reached limit of amount they can blend.
DOE launched "Better Buildings, Better Plants" program in '10. Helps US comps analyze, reduce energy use. Joining comp makes pledge to reduce energy intensity 25% over 10 yrs. DOE helps. 118 comps now. 1,400 manufacturing facilities involved - 6% of US energy footprint. Avg 3.15% improvement in '12. GM improved its energy intensity 13% since joining.
~$2.4T oil industry capital expenditures '94-'04 increased world oil production 12Mb/d. $2.4T spent '05-'10 oil production lost 200Kb/d.
BP asked judge to temporarily stop claims paid out as biz econ losses, calling many "fictitious", "absurd".
Glut of ethanol threatening to push up pump prices: oil experts. Other expert: "more like oil comps trying to create a little hysteria to support notion that RFS is broken". Refiners have been furiously trading eth credits - RINs (Renewable ID #'s) - to meet federal enviro mandates. Up over 10x since Jan to over $1. Large refiners spent $100-300M each for credits in '12 when prices were 4 cents. Premium gas going up faster than lower octane. ~1/3 this year's car models require premium. Refiners might seek to export gas to avoid eth requirements. Using eth once was cheap way to increase octane for premium fuel (eth octane 113). But refiners have reached limit of amount they can blend.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
STUFF
Peru has foreign investor-friendly policies, independent fossil fuel licensing regime, untapped NG reserves, a new 215BCF/y LNG plant and ~582M bls proven oil reserves onshore and off. ~100M bls of reserves added last 2 yrs. 50 foreign oil comps exploring, drilling in country. ~12.5TCF proven NG reserves. Production began exceeding domestic consumption in '10 - over 1BCF/d. LNG export revenues $1.33B last yr. New fields being explored. 2 pipelines operating, 3rd being built. Constructing new LNG plant to serve local demand.
Columbia oil production up ~40% '09-'11. Exploration gets into FARC territory. Shale oil sweet spot in Middle Magdalena Valley. Discovered ~1.9B bls, 2.5TCF. Some reserve ests. over 31TCF. East central Columbia 1.5-4.4B bls. Southwest region over 365M bls discovered, another basin moderately explored accounts for ~2% of world's hydrocarbon reserves - connects into Venezuela deposits.
US petrol exports to Mexico up 123% since '06. Pemex starting to stabilize production decline (with Mex president threatening to end Pemex monopoly.) NG demand up steadily since '90's. 2.5BCF/d to 6.5. Pemex production kept up until '00. Now imports ~1.6BCF/d. Demand growing ~4%/y, production 1.5%. US exports to Mex 1.69BCF/d in '12. Piped in at avg price of $2.94. Could double by end of '14. Pemex says up to 1TCF of their NG production sits idle, country sitting on wealth of shale gas - 680TCF. Only China, Argentina, US have more.
Permian Basin (TX, NM) - Cline Shale - beginning to be fracked. Equivalent of 10 Eagle Fords, 17 Bakkens. Could be producing up to 1.65Mb/d by '20. 35B bls est. reserves. Rig count up 340% since '09 to over 400.
Marin Energy Authority got 52 offers from 22 comps for clean energy projects. Authority seeking to contract 40Mw. Got offers for 673Mw. 72% from new projects. Over 50% of Authority's power comes from clean/renewables.
Bosch Solar Energy completed largest PV solar project - 1.9Mw - on Maui.
Lately Caterpillar, Exelon bailed on Future Gen clean coal project in IL started during Bush admin. Cat part of group legally challenging state decision to increase power bills to cover $600M of project that DOE isn't covering. DOE trying to scrape up another $600M to continue the project. Increased development of wind power in midwest has contributed to 40% wholesale power price plunge. Power surplus makes it difficult for nuke and coal power to sell in short-term markets. No way charging 3-5x more for clean coal can compete.
Sinopec (China) planning to invest up to $1B in new TX clean coal project to use captured carbon to inject into old oil fields in Permian.
Samsung, Pattern Energy secured financing for another 270Mw wind project in Ontario. 124 turbines, towers, blades to be made in Ontario. Part of Samsung's $7B investment to build, op 2.5Gw of wind, solar power in Ontario. Creating largest clean energy cluster in world. Samsung, Pattern progressing on 3 other wind projects - 150Mw, 270Mw, 180Mw - for 4 project total of 870Mw.
Portland General El to begin negotiations for ~100Mw of new clean/ren power.
Another significant portion of Cape Wind project - steel for towers - to be made overseas: Mass steel maker. (Maybe DOE won't approve loan guarantee.)
Columbia oil production up ~40% '09-'11. Exploration gets into FARC territory. Shale oil sweet spot in Middle Magdalena Valley. Discovered ~1.9B bls, 2.5TCF. Some reserve ests. over 31TCF. East central Columbia 1.5-4.4B bls. Southwest region over 365M bls discovered, another basin moderately explored accounts for ~2% of world's hydrocarbon reserves - connects into Venezuela deposits.
US petrol exports to Mexico up 123% since '06. Pemex starting to stabilize production decline (with Mex president threatening to end Pemex monopoly.) NG demand up steadily since '90's. 2.5BCF/d to 6.5. Pemex production kept up until '00. Now imports ~1.6BCF/d. Demand growing ~4%/y, production 1.5%. US exports to Mex 1.69BCF/d in '12. Piped in at avg price of $2.94. Could double by end of '14. Pemex says up to 1TCF of their NG production sits idle, country sitting on wealth of shale gas - 680TCF. Only China, Argentina, US have more.
Permian Basin (TX, NM) - Cline Shale - beginning to be fracked. Equivalent of 10 Eagle Fords, 17 Bakkens. Could be producing up to 1.65Mb/d by '20. 35B bls est. reserves. Rig count up 340% since '09 to over 400.
Marin Energy Authority got 52 offers from 22 comps for clean energy projects. Authority seeking to contract 40Mw. Got offers for 673Mw. 72% from new projects. Over 50% of Authority's power comes from clean/renewables.
Bosch Solar Energy completed largest PV solar project - 1.9Mw - on Maui.
Lately Caterpillar, Exelon bailed on Future Gen clean coal project in IL started during Bush admin. Cat part of group legally challenging state decision to increase power bills to cover $600M of project that DOE isn't covering. DOE trying to scrape up another $600M to continue the project. Increased development of wind power in midwest has contributed to 40% wholesale power price plunge. Power surplus makes it difficult for nuke and coal power to sell in short-term markets. No way charging 3-5x more for clean coal can compete.
Sinopec (China) planning to invest up to $1B in new TX clean coal project to use captured carbon to inject into old oil fields in Permian.
Samsung, Pattern Energy secured financing for another 270Mw wind project in Ontario. 124 turbines, towers, blades to be made in Ontario. Part of Samsung's $7B investment to build, op 2.5Gw of wind, solar power in Ontario. Creating largest clean energy cluster in world. Samsung, Pattern progressing on 3 other wind projects - 150Mw, 270Mw, 180Mw - for 4 project total of 870Mw.
Portland General El to begin negotiations for ~100Mw of new clean/ren power.
Another significant portion of Cape Wind project - steel for towers - to be made overseas: Mass steel maker. (Maybe DOE won't approve loan guarantee.)
Friday, March 15, 2013
FRIDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 25/9/2. Volume 2x normal (options Friday). Oil over $93. EU leaders calling for growth.
LMRMF up 54. AMLM up 33. PSPW up 28. GSPI up 25. SLMU up 23. ZAAP, SENY up 20. JUHL up 18. SOPW up 16. ORYN up 15. GSFVF up 14. VLNCQ, CGYV up 12. PTOS up 11.
CSOL down 37. CSKH down 35. VNDB down 33. SRWRF down 20. HSOL down 17. (Big hit.) LEDS down 15. XDSL down 14. XSNX down 13. (How quick the fall.) ABAT, CSUN (China solar), FNVRF down 12. SPIR down 11. AQNM, ASTI, BYDDF, NGLPF down 10. ASYS, CDTI down 9. NENE down 2. NTCXF, RVLT down 1.
Several solars hit, probably on STP news.
Market down 25/9/2. Volume 2x normal (options Friday). Oil over $93. EU leaders calling for growth.
LMRMF up 54. AMLM up 33. PSPW up 28. GSPI up 25. SLMU up 23. ZAAP, SENY up 20. JUHL up 18. SOPW up 16. ORYN up 15. GSFVF up 14. VLNCQ, CGYV up 12. PTOS up 11.
CSOL down 37. CSKH down 35. VNDB down 33. SRWRF down 20. HSOL down 17. (Big hit.) LEDS down 15. XDSL down 14. XSNX down 13. (How quick the fall.) ABAT, CSUN (China solar), FNVRF down 12. SPIR down 11. AQNM, ASTI, BYDDF, NGLPF down 10. ASYS, CDTI down 9. NENE down 2. NTCXF, RVLT down 1.
Several solars hit, probably on STP news.
STUFF
AEC (Saudi Arabia) and KACO New Energy (Germany) MOU to develop new biz opportunities in solar energy. Focus on PV inverters.
DOI wants detailed plan on how Shell plans to address safety issues before allowing resumption of exploration, drilling offshore Arctic Alaska.
CNOOC bought 20%, $4.2B stake in Eni's NG field offshore Mozambique.
Obama proposing taking money from oil/NG leases on fed lands - $2B over 10 yrs - to research cleaner fuels, more efficient vehicles, battery tech, etc. "Energy Security Trust".
Exxon official predicts by '25 US likely to be net exporter of energy. Probably with NG, LNG, refined petrol products.
SaskPower (Canada) rebuilding 43-yr-old coal power plant to capture ~90% of CO2, store it underground.
Scientists: extreme Arctic summer melt "stacked the deck" for superstorm Sandy.
NWS aims to improve forecasting tech. (The Brit service first to forecast Sandy's turn into NJ, not NWS, as we remember. Brits invested in higher-powered computers the story. Or they're just more honest, less hopeful.)
Energy emerging as hot issue in Pakistan election. (Especially with pipeline with Iran.)
New Zealand drought hitting farmers hard.
Advanced Energy Consortium at U of TX Austin spent ~$40M last 4 yrs researching unconventional oil/NG, fracking development. Looking into magnetic nanoparticles injected along with fracking liquids to reveal detailed dimensions of shale rock fractures, track movements of NG molecules. Also looking at particles that change form at contact with oil, giving clues about amounts of oil in shale formations. (Science IS amazing.)
EPA telling Enbridge to do more cleanup in Kalamazoo River. (Oil spill.)
Canada reported record oil ouput. (In '12? Last month? Didn't say.)
Brit driller halted fracking over enviro concerns.
Britain to offer clean/renewable energy developers contracts for power gen ahead of el market reforms due 2H14. (If only US govt could get that far ahead of the curve.) Eligible projects capacity of over 50Mw, 100Mw for offshore wind, must not have existing subsidy.
Israel targets of 5% clean/ren energy by '15, 10% by '20 (~2.7Gw). (EU's goal 20% by '20.) Israel clean/ren now 1% of energy mix. Solar capacity ~200Mw. In '09, Israel was planet's fastest-growing solar market with 21.5Mw added for 20x annual increase. (Well, when you start from zero ...) Added 60Mw last year. Most roofs have solar water heaters. FIT established in '08 scaled back since. Construction start on 5 solar PV projects this week. 35Mw total for E100M (500M shekels). JA Solar (JASO) modules. 3 other solar PV projects - 23Mw - also in development.
OPEC says their crude demand to fall 350Kb/d this year.
Fed Ex considering converting 90K delivery trucks to NG within next 10 yrs. (Why is everybody now thinking in 10-year frame? China only goes 5.)
Global Clean Energy Holdings (Cal) bought Sustainable Oils (leader in camelina genetics, production). Camelina the only non-food crop approved by EPA as advanced biofuel for RIN. Also bought related assets of Targeted Growth (crop biotech comp). Total cost 40M shares of GCEH common, $1.3M note. Sustainable Oils had over $20M revs past 4 yrs from camelina ops, including jet fuel production.
Domtar (Canada) installed lignin separation plant at NC mill. 1st such US facility in over 25 yrs. Production start in Feb. Target rate 75 tons/d of lignin. Bio-based alt to fossil fuels. Aps for fuels, resins, thermoplastics.
30 US governors urging members of Congress to stay the course on RFS.
French govt '07 study found upper end of cost of accident at single reactor over 3x country's GDP. Tried to keep it secret. E760B-E5.8T. 75% country's elgen from 58 reactors at 20 plants. Govt owns most of EDF. Latest report, though, put cost at E430B. Fukushima reportedly will ultimately cost E1T.
Somali pirates released hijacked oil tanker, crew after 10 months sans 1M bls oil ransom. 1 of last hijacks of large tankers.
China predicted to pass Germany this year as world's largest PV solar user.
Columbia's largest coal exporter train bombed days after deal to end month-long workers' strike.
Taiwan FTC slapped $213M fines on 9 independent power producers for alleged collusion.
WA state awarded $800K energy efficiency grants to 37 local govts.
Citigroup head of enviro finance says green bonds may spur comps to build 1st advanced biofuels plants. No collateral, securitization requirements from bodies like World Bank. Advanced biofuels production expected to near triple this year to near 200M gal. 27 "significant" advanced biofuels processing plants to be built by '15. (Watch AMRS, SZYM, KIOR, GEVO.)
Japan added 1.1Gw, mostly solar clean energy capacity, in 9 months through Dec.
Hokkaido El Power to buy solar power from Softbank farm. 111Mw, 79Mw to grid. Online 1Q15.
DC Court of Appeals ruled FERC hasn't authority to assess fines for manipulating NG futures. Congress mandated Commodity Futures Trading Commission, not FERC, to police futures trading. (Gotta hope somebody knows what they're doing.)
MD going for poultry waste-to-energy.
DOI to let BP bid on central Gulf of Mex lease sale.
Nissan may build EV's in China.
Tally ho, pards.
DOI wants detailed plan on how Shell plans to address safety issues before allowing resumption of exploration, drilling offshore Arctic Alaska.
CNOOC bought 20%, $4.2B stake in Eni's NG field offshore Mozambique.
Obama proposing taking money from oil/NG leases on fed lands - $2B over 10 yrs - to research cleaner fuels, more efficient vehicles, battery tech, etc. "Energy Security Trust".
Exxon official predicts by '25 US likely to be net exporter of energy. Probably with NG, LNG, refined petrol products.
SaskPower (Canada) rebuilding 43-yr-old coal power plant to capture ~90% of CO2, store it underground.
Scientists: extreme Arctic summer melt "stacked the deck" for superstorm Sandy.
NWS aims to improve forecasting tech. (The Brit service first to forecast Sandy's turn into NJ, not NWS, as we remember. Brits invested in higher-powered computers the story. Or they're just more honest, less hopeful.)
Energy emerging as hot issue in Pakistan election. (Especially with pipeline with Iran.)
New Zealand drought hitting farmers hard.
Advanced Energy Consortium at U of TX Austin spent ~$40M last 4 yrs researching unconventional oil/NG, fracking development. Looking into magnetic nanoparticles injected along with fracking liquids to reveal detailed dimensions of shale rock fractures, track movements of NG molecules. Also looking at particles that change form at contact with oil, giving clues about amounts of oil in shale formations. (Science IS amazing.)
EPA telling Enbridge to do more cleanup in Kalamazoo River. (Oil spill.)
Canada reported record oil ouput. (In '12? Last month? Didn't say.)
Brit driller halted fracking over enviro concerns.
Britain to offer clean/renewable energy developers contracts for power gen ahead of el market reforms due 2H14. (If only US govt could get that far ahead of the curve.) Eligible projects capacity of over 50Mw, 100Mw for offshore wind, must not have existing subsidy.
Israel targets of 5% clean/ren energy by '15, 10% by '20 (~2.7Gw). (EU's goal 20% by '20.) Israel clean/ren now 1% of energy mix. Solar capacity ~200Mw. In '09, Israel was planet's fastest-growing solar market with 21.5Mw added for 20x annual increase. (Well, when you start from zero ...) Added 60Mw last year. Most roofs have solar water heaters. FIT established in '08 scaled back since. Construction start on 5 solar PV projects this week. 35Mw total for E100M (500M shekels). JA Solar (JASO) modules. 3 other solar PV projects - 23Mw - also in development.
OPEC says their crude demand to fall 350Kb/d this year.
Fed Ex considering converting 90K delivery trucks to NG within next 10 yrs. (Why is everybody now thinking in 10-year frame? China only goes 5.)
Global Clean Energy Holdings (Cal) bought Sustainable Oils (leader in camelina genetics, production). Camelina the only non-food crop approved by EPA as advanced biofuel for RIN. Also bought related assets of Targeted Growth (crop biotech comp). Total cost 40M shares of GCEH common, $1.3M note. Sustainable Oils had over $20M revs past 4 yrs from camelina ops, including jet fuel production.
Domtar (Canada) installed lignin separation plant at NC mill. 1st such US facility in over 25 yrs. Production start in Feb. Target rate 75 tons/d of lignin. Bio-based alt to fossil fuels. Aps for fuels, resins, thermoplastics.
30 US governors urging members of Congress to stay the course on RFS.
French govt '07 study found upper end of cost of accident at single reactor over 3x country's GDP. Tried to keep it secret. E760B-E5.8T. 75% country's elgen from 58 reactors at 20 plants. Govt owns most of EDF. Latest report, though, put cost at E430B. Fukushima reportedly will ultimately cost E1T.
Somali pirates released hijacked oil tanker, crew after 10 months sans 1M bls oil ransom. 1 of last hijacks of large tankers.
China predicted to pass Germany this year as world's largest PV solar user.
Columbia's largest coal exporter train bombed days after deal to end month-long workers' strike.
Taiwan FTC slapped $213M fines on 9 independent power producers for alleged collusion.
WA state awarded $800K energy efficiency grants to 37 local govts.
Citigroup head of enviro finance says green bonds may spur comps to build 1st advanced biofuels plants. No collateral, securitization requirements from bodies like World Bank. Advanced biofuels production expected to near triple this year to near 200M gal. 27 "significant" advanced biofuels processing plants to be built by '15. (Watch AMRS, SZYM, KIOR, GEVO.)
Japan added 1.1Gw, mostly solar clean energy capacity, in 9 months through Dec.
Hokkaido El Power to buy solar power from Softbank farm. 111Mw, 79Mw to grid. Online 1Q15.
DC Court of Appeals ruled FERC hasn't authority to assess fines for manipulating NG futures. Congress mandated Commodity Futures Trading Commission, not FERC, to police futures trading. (Gotta hope somebody knows what they're doing.)
MD going for poultry waste-to-energy.
DOI to let BP bid on central Gulf of Mex lease sale.
Nissan may build EV's in China.
Tally ho, pards.
FRIDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market down 43/11/4. Volume over 3x normal (options Friday). Oil over $93. US industrial production up most in 3 months.
WTWO up 33. SWET up 23. ZAAP up 13. VLNCQ up 12. ECOS up 8. SENY, AMTX up 7. PANL up 5. CERP up 1.
FNVRF down 12. CDTI down 9 after reporting. BYDDF down 9. GRPH down 5.
Market down 43/11/4. Volume over 3x normal (options Friday). Oil over $93. US industrial production up most in 3 months.
WTWO up 33. SWET up 23. ZAAP up 13. VLNCQ up 12. ECOS up 8. SENY, AMTX up 7. PANL up 5. CERP up 1.
FNVRF down 12. CDTI down 9 after reporting. BYDDF down 9. GRPH down 5.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
THURSDAY CLOSE
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 83/13/8. Volume light. Oil up over $93. Options expire tomorrow.
ECOS up 71. VNDB up 50. BOPO up 43. PPRW up 40. EWRL up 32. MKTY, NGLPF up 25. AMTX, LEOM up 18. BLDW, BSRC up 17. ZAAP up 12. PBKEF up 11. BLDP, AMLM up 10. NENE up 5. NTCXF up 4. XSNX up 2.
AEHI down 70. PSPW down 35. PTOS, CRGE down 28. IFXY down 25. SATCQ down 23. ORYN, SENY down 15. OPTT down 11. CRCL down 10. GSFVF down 10 after reporting. OOIL down 10 on news. WEST down 7. LEDS down 2. CERP down 1.
Market up 83/13/8. Volume light. Oil up over $93. Options expire tomorrow.
ECOS up 71. VNDB up 50. BOPO up 43. PPRW up 40. EWRL up 32. MKTY, NGLPF up 25. AMTX, LEOM up 18. BLDW, BSRC up 17. ZAAP up 12. PBKEF up 11. BLDP, AMLM up 10. NENE up 5. NTCXF up 4. XSNX up 2.
AEHI down 70. PSPW down 35. PTOS, CRGE down 28. IFXY down 25. SATCQ down 23. ORYN, SENY down 15. OPTT down 11. CRCL down 10. GSFVF down 10 after reporting. OOIL down 10 on news. WEST down 7. LEDS down 2. CERP down 1.
STUFF
Avg cost of solar panels down 60% since begin of '11. 4Q12 panels 13% of cost for avg residential system. 32% in 4Q10.
US PV solar industry added 3.3Gw of capacity in '12. $11.5B market. Up 34% over '11. US 11% of global growth last year. Residential market 83K installs - 488Mw, up 62% in '12. Commercial installs over 1Gw, up 26%. Utility scale 1.78Gw installed, up 134%. Cal top state at over 1Gw, AZ 710Mw, NJ 415Mw, NV 198Mw, NC 132Mw. Avg installed system prices down 26% to over $3/w. Residential systems down 18% to over $5/w. Commercial down 13% to $4.27/w. Utility down to $2.27/w. Total installed US PV capacity now 7.2Gw. Expecting over 10Gw by yearend.
DOI approved 3 large scale clean energy projects - 1.1Gw - covering thousands of acres of public land in Cal, NV. 1 projected to become world's largest solar plant. 750Mw Next Era energy PV solar project, EDF'S (France) 150Mw PV solar project - both in Cal - and Duke's 200Mw NV wind project. DOI has approved 37 utility scale clean energy projects on fed land since '09. Plans to complete review of 20 more this year and '14.
Enviro groups filed appeal of fed judge's ruling that upheld BLM's decision to lease over 4K acres for coal mining in WY.
Supply worries plague China as it continues to rely on coal power.
Cal groups to provide loans for energy efficiency projects in buildings.
Biz groups say road to EV's to be paved with more creative incentives.
IEA chief: advanced biofuels needed to slow CO2 build up.
US Ex-Im Bank has loaned near $8B to Exxon, Conoco, others building LNG projects in Australia.
MN town denying major frac sand project.
Encana got OK to inject wastewater into WY aquifer.
2 China govt advisers say govt won't rescue Suntech (STP). "Comp needs to retrench along with rest of industry."
Cal Solar Initiative created financial incentives to encourage residents to adopt solar. Residential system typically pays for itself in ~5 yrs. Cal PUC offers solar rebate programs designed for low-income homeowners with 10% of Solar Initiative funds.
Lux Research: rapid biofuels industry growth driven by mandates will greatly strain ag by '30. Using today's techs, it would take area the size of Russia to be cultivated to replace all petrol used for fuels, chems. 1B metric tons biomass/yr now replaces 3% of total petrol products. 3.7B est. for '30.
Petition urges EPA to acknowledge biofuel incentives' link to global hunger.
Berlin to buy back grid, go 100% clean/renewable energy. Vattenfall (Sweden) now owns the grid ... German town south of Berlin gone off grid, 100% energy independent with wind power. (I presume some kind of battery storage for when wind doesn't blow. Or some other back up.)
Nuke reactor outages this year more than past 5 yrs: EIA.
Davy Process Tech, SEKAB to collab to develop, market SEKAB's lignocellulosic-based biorefinery tech. Among most advanced methods to treat lignocell biomass in world. Process includes thermochem pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis to initially produce sugars. Platform can accomodate wood, straw, corn residues, bagasse, other feedstocks.
NASA has developed unique coastal floating system - OMEGA - to grow algae. Photobioreactors also offer new habitats for marine life. 450 gal prototype already trialed.
IEA: oil shipments leaving Iran up 13% last month to 1.28Mb/d.
Team of scientists collected data from NASA's Wind Solar Probe for 19 yrs. Found solar winds increase in speed, temp as they travel away from sun. Ion cyclotron waves. Heavy ions mass interaction with ion cyclotron waves. Increases energy, increases speed, temp. Could lead to grounbreaking advance in nuke fusion power. 1 of main probs in fusion is heavy ions collide with plasma. Steals energy, cooling plasma, eventually stopping reaction. Ion cyclotron waves could add energy to plasma. (If for real, maybe it is time for investment surge in fusion.)
Libya has more solar reserves than oil reserves.
Duke, American Transmission buying 72% stake in Cal power line already built. Atlantic Power (Boston) to get $56M, Duke-ATC to assume $137M debt. 84-mile Path 15 power line links south and north Cal. FERC to rule on deal. AP revs $28.7M, income $5.1M from line in '12. (Seems like a long payback to me.) Duke-ATC has proposed series of projects including 7 midwest power lines for est. $4B, $3.5B line from WY to NV.
TransAlta (TAC) completed 68Mw wind farm in Quebec, connected to grid. Hydro-Quebec 20-yr PPA.
Revolution Energy, Dynamic Energy completed 1.6Mw solar project in Mass.
GBT Brasil - JV between Global Blade Tech (Netherlands) and Feel Energia (Brazil) - to start making 900Kw wind turbines in Brazil by yearend. Brazil wind farms able to produce power at ~$46/Mwh. Factories often buy power from grid for more than twice that. (Some of highest power prices in world.)
India to tender 750Mw of solar capacity in May to kick off phase 2. Expects to auction more than 1.65Gw target for year through March '14.
Iowa, SD approached 25% power from wind in '12.
THURSDAY OPEN
(stock #'s in %)
Market up 58/10/5. Volume normal. Oil under $93. US solar market grew 76% in '12. India set to auction more solar capacity than planned this year. Options Friday tomorrow.
GERS up 46. LEOM up 23. ECOS up 21. BLDP, PRHL up 18. ZAAP up 16. SWET up 15. BWEN up 12, hit new high. XSNX up 11. ENZR up 10. PLUG up 8. NENE up 2.
PSPW down 40. ENSL down 32. CRGE down 28. SATCQ down 23. ABAT, IFXY down 15. BSRC down 12. BLQN down 11, crazy spread. CERP down 3. WEST down 1.
Market up 58/10/5. Volume normal. Oil under $93. US solar market grew 76% in '12. India set to auction more solar capacity than planned this year. Options Friday tomorrow.
GERS up 46. LEOM up 23. ECOS up 21. BLDP, PRHL up 18. ZAAP up 16. SWET up 15. BWEN up 12, hit new high. XSNX up 11. ENZR up 10. PLUG up 8. NENE up 2.
PSPW down 40. ENSL down 32. CRGE down 28. SATCQ down 23. ABAT, IFXY down 15. BSRC down 12. BLQN down 11, crazy spread. CERP down 3. WEST down 1.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
STUFF (Sorry it's late, pards, there was a lot.)
Sudans signed agreement to resume oil exports. May take up to 3 weeks. Halted since Jan '12. 98% of S Sudan govt revenues.
255 of 548 Utica Shale wells that received permits have been drilled, completed in OH. 74 so far producing NG. Wells cost $6-10M.
TX asked Supreme Court to intervene in NM's draining of Rio Grande.
Think tank urged Obama to use exec power to reduce methane, HFCs, black carbon (diesel soot) and other emissions.
Survey of participants at World Biofuels Markets gathering in Europe say biofuels will boom by '20 as cellulosic ethanol becomes competitive. Up to 1/5 of world's energy supply will come from biomass by '20 they say.
Ocean acidification weakens mussels' ability to survive. (Age is challenging me own muscles. Har.)
Designers of Cal's cap-and-trade system predict prices will stay low.
Automakers pushing back against zero-emission vehicle mandate (Cal?).
Scientists discovered early warning system for coral stress. (Got your own early warning system?)
Retired NASA scientists say man-made global warming "not proven". (They're rocket - not climate -scientists.)
Fed appeals court dismissed oil/NG industry argument that BLM can't indefinitely withhold issuing leases to comps that have submitted winning bids. (BLM supposed to issue leases within 60 days of winning bids.)
Workforce, infrastructure challenging Eagle Ford Shale (TX).
Marcellus-area college to dedicate campus to oil/NG programs.
Valero to barge TX oil to Canada refinery.
Sweden's Bioenergy Pyrogrot demo project awarded part of E1.2B from EU program. Forest residue feedstock to produce 160K tons/y of pyrolysis oil. Energy content est. ~750Gwh. Input 720 tons/d of residue. Swede bioenergy use grown from 40Twh/y in '70's to ~140 in '12. Leading energy source for country since '09. 9% decrease in their GHG's '90-'10 while GDP up 50%. '80 referendum called for nuke phase-out by '10 (how goes that?). CO2 tax since '91. Green el certificates since '03. Tax exemptions for transport biofuels. And their total forest stock has increased while using residue for energy.
Schneider El launched complete range of best-in-class products for residential, commercial, off-grid solar, batt backup markets.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab: even with low NG prices, wind power beneficial for long-term price stability. Used data from 287 PPA's, 23.5Gw. Insulates energy portfolios from rising fuel costs (when NG goes up. Already up to 3.70).
3-yr-old NG-fired $523M power plant in Germany may be closed. Losing almost $24/Mwh. Operating less than 25% of time. Slumping power prices, cheaper coal, clean energy requirements, collapsed carbon permits cost. Prob all over Europe. NG now 25% of Europe elgen. NG share of Germany's elgen fell 2.3% to 11.3% in '12. Region's NG demand to drop 3.5% by '15 from '10 to 550B cubic meters: IEA. Gazprom lost position as Europe's largest NG supplier to Norway last year. RWE - Germany's 2nd largest utility, Europe's largest CO2 emitter - put out 11% more GHG's last year with added coal burn. Profitability increased by collapse of carbon permits to record lows, lower cost of coal. Euro utilities need to shut over 30% of fossil-fueled power plants to counter increased wind, solar. El output from French NG plants down 24% in '12. GDF plans to close/mothball 10Gw of capacity across Europe, mostly NG plants. (They have to figure something out now. Regression to coal from NG is not acceptable.)
United Biofuels bought 50M gal/y biodiesel plant under construction in NY. Online next year. Will be 1 of largest biodiesel facilities on east coast. (No $ figs.)
Codexis (CDXS) launching 2 next-gen enzymes. Significantly reduces cost of cellulosic sugar production for biofuels, biochems. Up to 85% conversion of available fermentable sugars. 10-20% improvement over last gen. Should be big boost for Brazil's ethanol industry. Puts CDXS head-to-head with Novozymes, DuPont.
EcoEngineers (Iowa) got EPA approval to offer quality assurance program to prevent fraud in renewable fuel industry. To bring stability, fairness to biofuel marketing.
ZeaChem started production of cellulosic chems, ethanol. Advancing to commercial scale. Oregon 250K gal/y demo refinery. Among 1st such biorefinery in world. (USA!) C2 (2-carbon atom) platform. Market potential for C2 products $485B. Can also create C3 chems. Combined markets over $1T. Local non-food feedstocks. Chrysler, Valero, P&G among investors. 25MG/y refinery in construction with USDA loan guarantee.
Bahrain researchers demo'd date pits can be biodiesel feedstock. Up to 8% oil content. Remaining cake good for animal feed, glycerin for cosmetics. Bahrain has ~380K date palm trees.
Direvo Industrial Biotech (Germany) developing consolidated pilot-scale bioprocess for lactic acid production from lignocellulose. Using Miscanthus grass.
Chatham House (UK) says country should move away from ethanol toward waste (like used cooking oil).
Sun is ~6% more luminous today than 600M years ago. (Luminous = more heat?) Luminosity will only rise with time. (Let's do the science, pards.)
Exxon says algae biofuels still 25 years away. 3 yrs into JV with Synthetic Genomics. At start, they were 10 years away. JV has been unable to come up with way to produce enough raw material from algae to supply a refinery.
Algae Biomass Org expects competetiveness with fossil fuels by '20.
Methane 25x more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in atmos over 100 years. 100x more potent over 20 years. Old study: meth emission levels spike 20x in reservoirs at low water.
Taiwan protests could doom $8.9B new nuke plant, country's 4th. All built near coast on active fault lines. (Why do they DO THAT?!)
Brazil's subsalt oil/NG deposits 2x as large as country's existing reserves. ~35B bls recoverable. Some ests. 100B. Subsalt region ~ size of NY state.
Iceland has cheap, 100% clean energy supply from geothermal. Considering exporting excess to UK. Credits clean energy for GDP growth.
OH regulators approved route for high-volt powerline from OH to just outside Delaware.
Residents near Fukushima filed suit against TEPCO for radiation exposure, forced evac. USS Ronald Reagan sailors, as we know, also bringing suit over delay in warning. (Definitely not the way to deal with nuke disaster. But who saw that quakenami coming?)
GA Power helping Piedmont College save money with rebates, incentives through GA P's Commercial Energy Efficiency program.
Clean air (smog) rules may squeeze SC industry expansion.
Exelon resubmitted ap to increase power output at PA nuke plant.
75% of Asia-Pacific nations face lack of water security.
DOE wants to establish industry to make up to 50 small modular nuke reactors/year by '40 or sooner.
Report: fusion could become commercial with $30B US investment. (View that with plenty of skepticism.)
FL algal bloom killing record #'s of manatees. (I had manatee-friendly prop on my powerboat at Cape in '90's.)
Sierra Club suing DTE Energy over emissions at 4 coal-fired power plants.
Court upheld order keeping Greenpeace away from Shell vessels in Alaska. (If they will ever return.)
Nestle vows to cut emissions, water use.
Utah extended tax credits for clean fuel cars.
255 of 548 Utica Shale wells that received permits have been drilled, completed in OH. 74 so far producing NG. Wells cost $6-10M.
TX asked Supreme Court to intervene in NM's draining of Rio Grande.
Think tank urged Obama to use exec power to reduce methane, HFCs, black carbon (diesel soot) and other emissions.
Survey of participants at World Biofuels Markets gathering in Europe say biofuels will boom by '20 as cellulosic ethanol becomes competitive. Up to 1/5 of world's energy supply will come from biomass by '20 they say.
Ocean acidification weakens mussels' ability to survive. (Age is challenging me own muscles. Har.)
Designers of Cal's cap-and-trade system predict prices will stay low.
Automakers pushing back against zero-emission vehicle mandate (Cal?).
Scientists discovered early warning system for coral stress. (Got your own early warning system?)
Retired NASA scientists say man-made global warming "not proven". (They're rocket - not climate -scientists.)
Fed appeals court dismissed oil/NG industry argument that BLM can't indefinitely withhold issuing leases to comps that have submitted winning bids. (BLM supposed to issue leases within 60 days of winning bids.)
Workforce, infrastructure challenging Eagle Ford Shale (TX).
Marcellus-area college to dedicate campus to oil/NG programs.
Valero to barge TX oil to Canada refinery.
Sweden's Bioenergy Pyrogrot demo project awarded part of E1.2B from EU program. Forest residue feedstock to produce 160K tons/y of pyrolysis oil. Energy content est. ~750Gwh. Input 720 tons/d of residue. Swede bioenergy use grown from 40Twh/y in '70's to ~140 in '12. Leading energy source for country since '09. 9% decrease in their GHG's '90-'10 while GDP up 50%. '80 referendum called for nuke phase-out by '10 (how goes that?). CO2 tax since '91. Green el certificates since '03. Tax exemptions for transport biofuels. And their total forest stock has increased while using residue for energy.
Schneider El launched complete range of best-in-class products for residential, commercial, off-grid solar, batt backup markets.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab: even with low NG prices, wind power beneficial for long-term price stability. Used data from 287 PPA's, 23.5Gw. Insulates energy portfolios from rising fuel costs (when NG goes up. Already up to 3.70).
3-yr-old NG-fired $523M power plant in Germany may be closed. Losing almost $24/Mwh. Operating less than 25% of time. Slumping power prices, cheaper coal, clean energy requirements, collapsed carbon permits cost. Prob all over Europe. NG now 25% of Europe elgen. NG share of Germany's elgen fell 2.3% to 11.3% in '12. Region's NG demand to drop 3.5% by '15 from '10 to 550B cubic meters: IEA. Gazprom lost position as Europe's largest NG supplier to Norway last year. RWE - Germany's 2nd largest utility, Europe's largest CO2 emitter - put out 11% more GHG's last year with added coal burn. Profitability increased by collapse of carbon permits to record lows, lower cost of coal. Euro utilities need to shut over 30% of fossil-fueled power plants to counter increased wind, solar. El output from French NG plants down 24% in '12. GDF plans to close/mothball 10Gw of capacity across Europe, mostly NG plants. (They have to figure something out now. Regression to coal from NG is not acceptable.)
United Biofuels bought 50M gal/y biodiesel plant under construction in NY. Online next year. Will be 1 of largest biodiesel facilities on east coast. (No $ figs.)
Codexis (CDXS) launching 2 next-gen enzymes. Significantly reduces cost of cellulosic sugar production for biofuels, biochems. Up to 85% conversion of available fermentable sugars. 10-20% improvement over last gen. Should be big boost for Brazil's ethanol industry. Puts CDXS head-to-head with Novozymes, DuPont.
EcoEngineers (Iowa) got EPA approval to offer quality assurance program to prevent fraud in renewable fuel industry. To bring stability, fairness to biofuel marketing.
ZeaChem started production of cellulosic chems, ethanol. Advancing to commercial scale. Oregon 250K gal/y demo refinery. Among 1st such biorefinery in world. (USA!) C2 (2-carbon atom) platform. Market potential for C2 products $485B. Can also create C3 chems. Combined markets over $1T. Local non-food feedstocks. Chrysler, Valero, P&G among investors. 25MG/y refinery in construction with USDA loan guarantee.
Bahrain researchers demo'd date pits can be biodiesel feedstock. Up to 8% oil content. Remaining cake good for animal feed, glycerin for cosmetics. Bahrain has ~380K date palm trees.
Direvo Industrial Biotech (Germany) developing consolidated pilot-scale bioprocess for lactic acid production from lignocellulose. Using Miscanthus grass.
Chatham House (UK) says country should move away from ethanol toward waste (like used cooking oil).
Sun is ~6% more luminous today than 600M years ago. (Luminous = more heat?) Luminosity will only rise with time. (Let's do the science, pards.)
Exxon says algae biofuels still 25 years away. 3 yrs into JV with Synthetic Genomics. At start, they were 10 years away. JV has been unable to come up with way to produce enough raw material from algae to supply a refinery.
Algae Biomass Org expects competetiveness with fossil fuels by '20.
Methane 25x more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in atmos over 100 years. 100x more potent over 20 years. Old study: meth emission levels spike 20x in reservoirs at low water.
Taiwan protests could doom $8.9B new nuke plant, country's 4th. All built near coast on active fault lines. (Why do they DO THAT?!)
Brazil's subsalt oil/NG deposits 2x as large as country's existing reserves. ~35B bls recoverable. Some ests. 100B. Subsalt region ~ size of NY state.
Iceland has cheap, 100% clean energy supply from geothermal. Considering exporting excess to UK. Credits clean energy for GDP growth.
OH regulators approved route for high-volt powerline from OH to just outside Delaware.
Residents near Fukushima filed suit against TEPCO for radiation exposure, forced evac. USS Ronald Reagan sailors, as we know, also bringing suit over delay in warning. (Definitely not the way to deal with nuke disaster. But who saw that quakenami coming?)
GA Power helping Piedmont College save money with rebates, incentives through GA P's Commercial Energy Efficiency program.
Clean air (smog) rules may squeeze SC industry expansion.
Exelon resubmitted ap to increase power output at PA nuke plant.
75% of Asia-Pacific nations face lack of water security.
DOE wants to establish industry to make up to 50 small modular nuke reactors/year by '40 or sooner.
Report: fusion could become commercial with $30B US investment. (View that with plenty of skepticism.)
FL algal bloom killing record #'s of manatees. (I had manatee-friendly prop on my powerboat at Cape in '90's.)
Sierra Club suing DTE Energy over emissions at 4 coal-fired power plants.
Court upheld order keeping Greenpeace away from Shell vessels in Alaska. (If they will ever return.)
Nestle vows to cut emissions, water use.
Utah extended tax credits for clean fuel cars.
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