STUFF

Solar power 100% of new elgen capacity in US in March. Over 44Mw from 7 projects in Cal, NV, NJ, HI, AZ, NC. Didn't include new distributed solar on commercial, residential rooftops.

US ended Iran-related sanctions on 3 maritime firms after they said they won't help Iran ship oil again. (Ever never cross your heart?)

EPA delaying new rule limiting GHG emissions from new power plants.Utilities industry objected on legal, tech grounds. Would have limited new plants to 1K lb CO2/Mwh. (No say on when they might again look at rule.)

Woodside Petrol (Australia) shelved plans for $45B LNG project with Shell, BP, Petro China, Mitsubishi. To consider offshore LNG plant for 20% less cost. Also interested in Canada LNG project.

POWR bought Solais Lighting for $15M.

Osram launched 10Euro LED bulb.

Tullow delaying Ethiopia oil well 2 months.

US, China pledge "large scale cooperative action" to reduce emissions.

Study: methane, HFC's, soot reductions could cut projected sea level rise by half.

Experts: recycling building materials may create substantial emissions reduction.

Antarctic peninsula has unprecendented ice melt these days.

Experts: better indicators needed to rank climate vulnerability of nations.

Major US comps urging congressional action on climate.

Work about to commence on 3rd power plant of 6.8Gw Grand Coulee Dam. Rehabbing all 6 units. Potential uprating 3. Possible 240Mw more power gen cap. 3rd plant 4.48Gw. Went online in '75. Rehab work completion by '23. Should give plant another 30-40 yrs life. Dam completed in '41. Overhaul expected to cost ~$400M.

Iceland 1st in Europe to sign free trade agreement with China. Iceland offering geothermal expertise.

Obama budget included near $1B to support deployment, long-term development of clean energy. $615M to increase use of, decrease costs of clean E. $372M for long-term development, E efficiency research.

Strong earthquake did considerable damage near Iran's lone nuke power plant last week. Tehran, Russian builders reported no damage to plant. (Will someone tell me why countries continue to allow building of nuke plants near earthquake zones? Let alone on faults?)

Taiwan's 4th nuke plant near operational. (I hope not near earthquake fault. Or zone.)

Chevron expects to resume normal ops at Cal refinery following Aug fire. Fire caused by leak from corrosion. (Don't we have corrosion detectors?)

Exxon CEO's total comp up 15% in '12 to over $40M. (Wonder how much % the lowest guys' pay went up.)

Largest producer of Bakken crude to now deliver oil by rail to PBF Energy's Delaware refinery.

EIA: NG use by US utilities down 16% in March yoy with sharp NG price rise.

Iraq raised est. proven crude oil reserves to 150B bls from 143.

Ponticelli (France) pulling pipeline ops out of Libya over country's insecurity. Ponti a subcontractor for JV between Libya's National Oil, Total, Statoil.

Shell's Nigerian unit had 137 spills last yr from theft, sabotage. ~3.3K tons oil lost. Significant enviro damage/cost.

China March auto/light truck sales up 13.3% yoy. 1.6M units. 2M V's with large trucks, buses. (RV's yet? It's a beautiful country to go see.)

Ground broken on 1st new refinery in US since '76. (There's a headline.) ND. Will help resolve ND's diesel demand prob.

EIA cut forecast for US coal exports 3.5% for yr - 4M tons - to 107M. Expects slight increase in '14.

Exxon to gather Bakken oil production into new gathering system. Center Point Energy subsid building. Proposed pipeline to have 19.5Kb/d gathering cap.

Iraq plans to auction giant oil field in S Iraq in Dec. 52 intl oils able to bid to develop $4.4B field, 300Kb/d refinery.

Supreme Court Justices asking WH for input on TX-NM water dispute.

(Karma): meat from endangered species filled Chinese boat that crashed into reef.

GM, Ford teaming up on transmission design to boost fuel efficiency.

Clean E funding from US govt down 22% with subsidy cuts.

Alberta: oil sands spill would have killed fish if undiluted.

Worst smog this year blanketing Hong Kong. (Air quality probably as bad in '70 when Stace and I visited. Electrical outlet in hotel room went ballistic in mid of night! Mamories.)

Hydrogen leak forced emergency shutdown at Bulgaria nuke plant. (Let's hope that's all right.)

Sweetwater Energy to provide Naturally Scientific customized industrial sugars over 15 yrs for $250M. Sweet converts crop residues, energy crops, wood waste into sugar. NS will process into high-value veg oils in US. Sweet's 1st deal outside corn eth regimen. 3rd cellulosic deal.

Cobalt Tech (Cal) entered strategic relationship with 2 Asian chem comps for development of butadiene from range of biomass feedstocks. Comm-scale biorefinery in Asia online by '15.

Report: biofuels to cost drivers $707M this yr in UK. "Brit program to expand biofuel use doesn't offer value for money ... Cheaper emission reductions can be made elsewhere with existing techs ... At worst, biofuels produce more emissions than fossil fuels and contribute to high, unstable high food prices."

Enzymes from fungi from feces, intestinal tracts of horses discovered to break down lignin, produce cellulose effectively. Could hold down costs. (Cows? Deer? Moose? Elk? Etc?)

Carbios (France) 7MEuro 5-yr collab with INRA (France) to develop bioprocesses for recovering plastic waste, producing biopolymers.

Global investment in cleanE/renE/E efficiency down 22% yoy 1Q13 to $40.6B. Lower than in any Q in past 4 yrs. Down 38% from 4Q12.