STUFF

Russia bypassing hybrids for now, going for NG vehicles. Buses already running on NG. Cost ~$2/gal less than gas in Russia. Many cars already running on NG with conversion kits that sell for under $1K. In US, regulations-certified kits available for ~40 models at $12-18K. (Quite a disparity there.)

Nominee to Congress: EPA to consider revising GHG emissions standards for new power plants, create separate standards for coal, NG.

Report: last year's Great Plains summer drought not caused by climate change. (What was it? El Nino, El Nina? Jet Stream? Arctic melt? China pollution? ND flaring? Lack of prayer? All of the above?)

Study: fossil fuel subsidies undermine intl climate finance.

Congress report challenges viability of FutureGen.

"Sandy" retired from hurricane name list.

Arundo (giant reed) better than switchgrass for biomass power gen. Regulatory hurdles. Enviros say it's "out of control" invasive species. As biofuel/biomass, it can lower GHGs up to 80%. Can produce 20 dry tons biomass per acre, switchgrass up to 8 tons/acre. Arundo already recognized biofuel feedstock in Europe. Beta Renewables operates 20M gal/y ethanol plant in Italy using Arundo, wheat straw. Uses enzymatic hydrolysis fermentation with patented microorganism. They want to put similar plant in NC. NC Ag Dept decided against putting Arundo on noxious weed list. Still waiting for RIN from EPA. After getting sugars out of Arundo for biofuel, up to 60% of reed leftover for biomass power gen. Gives over 20% more BTU than coal. Can be grown on contaminated soils without herbicides or pesticides with minimum fertilizer. Lives ~15 yrs. (What is EPA waiting for?)

San Antonio utility - CPS Energy - to discontinue net metering for fixed payment per clean energy Kwh produced determined annually. Retail grid Kwh 9.9 cents. PV solar Kwh gets 5.6 cents.

Geothermal energy world capacity expected to more than double by '30. Est. to reach 28Gw in 62 markets. Now 11.4Gw in 25 marts. Indonesia cap est. to more than triple to 5.6Gw, become world's largest mart. US largest mart in '12 at ~3Gw. (I thought Iceland was geo king.)

BioAmber $128M IPO. 8M shares at $15-17. BIOA on NYSE. Makes bio succinic acid for auto plastics. $80M plant online in '14.

New EU 7.5M Euro project to explore conversion of different waste streams to products like bioplastics.

Repsol (Spain) made 2nd major NG discovery in SEast Algeria.

DOE unveiled new tech to make US oil sands, heavy oil economically viable for refining. Est. US heavy oil ~104B bls in place. Too viscous to flow through pipe, too contaminated with sulphur, heavy metals to be refined. New tech uses alkali metals to extract them. Much cheaper than saturating oil with H. Green River Basin shale resources est. at over 1T bls. (I bet an oil guy named that river.)

Portugal generated 70% of its el from clean/ren sources in 1Q13. Hydropower capacity up 312% in last yr, now 37% of total elgen. Wind cap rose 60%, now 27% of total. Coal elgen down 29%, NG down 44%.

Saudi state utility plans to spend $80B next 10 yrs to help meet rising el demand and keep oil exported instead of burned in country. To increase elgen cap 76% to 95Gw. Adding 4Gw this yr, 8 in '14. 41Gw solar by '32. 25Gw CSP, 16 PV. ~$109B.

Shell, Mitsubishi (Basra Gas) to start capturing NG from Iraq oil fields. Country flares off up to 1BCF/d. $17B project. To start producing ~400MCF/d next week. Should get to 2BCF by '17. Will use NG for elgen, exports.

Climate change seen leaving Arctic ice-free in summers by '50.

Photovolt (Germany) to build 400Mw solar plant on Japan island for Tera Sol (Japan). $905M-$1.1B. Includes cost of undersea cable. Construction start 2H13.

Tepco facing decision to dump radioactive water into Pacific. Contaminated water increases by 400 tons/d. And rainy season coming again. Plan to have 450K tons of storage tank cap by October, 700K by mid-'15. They have to stop underground water from pouring into basements. (Are they going to stop eating fish if they do dump? Are we? Oy.)

Cal added BPA to toxics list.