STUFF

Conergy (Germany) installing PV solar systems in Spain that gen power at grid-competitive rates without subsidies. 56 projects so far, total near 1Mw. Solar becoming as cheap as other power sources in S Africa, Brazil too.

Palo Alto streamlining permitting process for solar systems.

Est. 60B bls of oil in Macos Shale -  west Colo, NM.

DOI approved Solar Reserve's 100Mw AZ project on BLM land. Concentrated solar with power storage. $600M. SR's 110Mw CSP project in Nevada online late this year.

Greenwood Biosar started building 2.4Mw solar PV plant in VT.

S Cal Ed permanently shutting down San Onofre nuke plant. Shut since Jan '12 after radioactive steam escaped. 3rd, 4th reactors to be retired this year in US. $2.7B saved for decommissioning.

Danube River reaching historic highs. Worst flooding all over Europe in over a decade.

US, China agreeing to rachet down GHGs from refrigerants - HFCs.

IEA warning of looming climate crisis, calling for immediate action.

Spain looking to cut clean/renewable energy subsidies again as national debt balloons.

Satellite images showing expanding vegetation in deserts.

Wash. legislators hired climate consultant.

Scotland fell short of CO2 reduction targets again.

Extreme summer conditions unlikely in North Hemisphere. Will keep power demand for AC down, less demand for NG, coal.

NASA: fires burned 3% of Amazon Basin in 12 yrs.

Experts urging TX to focus on Mexico acquifers.

China, India, Japan, S Korea, Turkey cut Iran oil imports to total 750Kb/d in April from 1.1M in March. Japan imported virtually no Iran oil in April.

Coal use in most polluted regions of China to be cut 100M tons/yr - about 25% - by end of '15. Expected to ban expansion of high polluting industry near major cities. Also to reduce coal use 100M tons more in industrial cities along Yangtze, Pearl Rivers. And plan to build $100B of ultra high volt power lines to move power gen plants away from cities. But analysts say China still likely to consume 5B tons of coal in '20, 7B by '30.

China already buys half the oil Iraq produces - near 1.5Mb/d. Bidding for stake owned by Exxon in 1 of Iraq's largest oil fields.

Tokyo El Power detected radioactive cesium in groundwater flowing into Fukushima nuke plant. Reverses earlier finding.

Oil reserves in Gabon Basin may rival Brazil's deep offshore discoveries. Preparing licensing round. But Gabon grabbed assets of 3 oil comps recently.

Columbia now producing over 1Mb/d of oil.

CNOOC partnered with Iceland comp to explore, produce oil/gas offshore Iceland.

Canada crude output to more than double to 6.7Mb/d by '30. Oil sands production to rise to 5.2Mb/d from 1.8M now.

Sierra Club: avg. coal train car loses some 3,500 lbs of coal dust per trip. Ends up in waterways. To sue Burlington Northern.

High oil prices starting to affect China, India. Lower demand.

NREL teaming with Navy, 2 comps to demo jet fuel can be made economically in large quantities from switchgrass. Butanol a middle product. Process expected to result in 95% GHGs reduction v. current production of jet fuel.

Econ downturn, weather blamed for big drop in Brazil ethanol supply, demand.

Norway tax increase forcing Statoil to delay $15.5B Arctic project.

Coal India (produces 90% of India's coal) to build 2Mw solar power plant to reduce energy costs.

EIA new assessment of world shale oil/gas est. tight oil resources could be 345B bls. Shale gas est. up 10% from '11 to 7,300TCF. US oil production now 30% of world total. NG production 40% of world. Shale oil resources greatest in Russia, US, China. Shale gas greatest in China, Argentina, Algeria. Shale resources 32% of world NG total, 10% of total oil.

Canadian Solar (CSIQ) to build 130Mw solar power plant for Samsung unit in Ontario for $304M. Q3 start, '15 completion.

SoftBank, Mitsui, Green Power Investment to build 48Mw wind farm in Japan. Online 1H16.

UK report: planned $39B tidal "dam" to gen up to 5% of England's power not economic, may pose enviro risk.

US Northeast carbon offset quarterly sale raised record $125M. 38.8M allowances for $3.21 each, up from $2.80 in March. RGGI slashed next year's supply by almost half.

Future Capital Partners to raise $11M for next stage of developing $250M wheat-to-ethanol refinery in England.