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Chinese Labourers Work At Lunnan Oilfield In Xinjiang

A new report evaluates shale energy development potential around the world and the degree to which freshwater access is likely to impact that development. Despite a fair amount of water related risk in many regions, the upside is tight resources are in early stages of exploration and production, giving stakeholders time to collaborate on water… Keep reading →

Solar Power Tariff Incentive Spurns Boom In Gainsville Solar Industry

  We could all learn to get along without cell phones. And many of us are already learning to get along without cable TV. But civilization as we know it could not get along without electricity, which makes the electric industry – the generation, transmission and delivery of power – one of our most vital,… Keep reading →

UEFA EURO 2012 Final Draw Ceremony

Chevron has signed a $10 bin, 50-year agreement with the government of Ukraine to explore for and develop oil and gas in the Olesska field in the western part of the country. Chevron is expected to spend $350MM for exploration over two to three years. Ukraine has a strong interest in developing its domestic resources as a means of reducing… Keep reading →

Solar Power Tariff Incentive Spurns Boom In Gainsville Solar Industry

One thing about the smart grid sector: you can always count on seeing how technologies, services and products are progressing – and how and where they are being implemented. This week’s smart grid wins highlights some notable examples. PROJECT WINS Ambient Corporation announced that Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. has contracted the communications… Keep reading →


Even in an era of struggling economic growth, it makes sense to invest money in efficiency and cost savings efforts. For companies that provide those services in the energy sector, the traditionally often wasteful approaches of companies accustomed to cheap or subsidized supply is a huge opportunity as many finally bite the bullet and invest in industrial efficiency.

That’s the message behind the results of global power and automation technology giant ABB’s results from its US operations in 2012, the company said at a customer conference in Orlando this week. The firm has invested $10 billion US manufacturing and software since 2010, including the acquisition of electric products Baldor, components firm Thomas & Betts and software firm Ventyx. Keep reading →


Not surprisingly, fuel makes up a significant portion of a cruise ship’s operating budget – about $1 million for a 10 day trip – but due to tighter maritime industry emissions regulations, these costs are sharply rising.

Cruise ships are often described as floating hotels, but they are also floating power plants. “This ship is a diesel-electric plant,” Richard Pruitt, Associate Vice President of Safety and Environmental Stewardship at Royal Caribbean recently told a group of journalists during a tour of the “Explorer of the Seas,” at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Beyonne, New Jersey. Keep reading →


One criticism of wind and solar power is their lack of reliability. Both depend on the weather for energy production and any change in weather affects their ability to produce electricity. In many regions, wind has the added liability of producing power when it is least needed. To solve this challenge, some suggest pairing standby generators with wind and solar farms so continuous power can be produced. Under this scheme, proponents argue that standby generators should be capable of varying its output to assure continuous energy production.

Varying output is called load following or turn down. The physical objective is to throttle back power generation to response to changing demands. The financial objective is to turn down without increasing fuel consumption on a unit basis. The environmental objective is to minimize air pollution, specifically carbon. Keep reading →


To borrow a phrase from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, we are not dead yet. The media has picked up on the A123 Systems Chapter 11 filing and has extrapolated it to mean that somehow energy storage is another failed Department of Energy (DOE) technology. In fact, the industry feels fine.

First, A123 is not dead; they are restructuring and continue operations. They also have 90 megawatts of energy storage up and running worldwide with a number of other projects in process. Roland Berger just released a report on the projected market for lithium ion batteries and the top five players included the likes of LG, Panasonic, Sanyo-and A123 Systems. Recognizing this opportunity, a number of suitors have lined up in a bidding war for A123, which the bankruptcy judge called “the popular girl at the dance.” Not exactly demise. Keep reading →


New markets are the Holy Grail for businesses, but success in accessing and serving new markets is far from easy. The difficulties are multiplied when those new markets are in parts of the world where language, culture and regulation are completely different.

Brazil’s energy market is undergoing a transformation that opens up new opportunities for many businesses that might have steered clear of the tightly regulated sector in the past, despite the obvious temptations offered by the country’s broader economic growth trajectory. Keep reading →

It isn’t gold.

Weakening venture capital funding for one of the globe’s fastest-growing sectors isn’t a mystery for sector watchers, but with increasing adoption of disruptive monitoring technology, the market opportunity isn’t a matter of if, but when. Keep reading →

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