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For many years cobalt has been viewed as an uninteresting byproduct of copper and nickel mining, but these sentiments are rapidly changing with the rise of new energy technology.

Lithium-ion batteries have become incredibly important for new technology, such as those being produced by Tesla Motors.  Over the past year Elon Musk has begun the mass production of these batteries in the $5 billion gigafactory that his company constructed.  The increased demand and production of lithium-ion batteries has changed cobalt’s reputation from a mining byproduct to a popular commodity.

Powerwall dimensions. Image from Tesla.

Powerwall dimensions. Image from Tesla.

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If you are looking for Breaking Energy on Monday morning, you’ll find us at breakingenergy.com. There you will find the same coverage, the same resources, and the same team, with some minor adjustments.

We will also stick to the same goal – to continue covering energy market complexities in an accessible manner, from the oil & gas value chain to renewable energy project development, the evolving nuclear industry and other critical domestic and international energy issues. We will continue to do our best to represent all stakeholder voices, from industry to the environmental community, regulatory bodies and investors. We are a safe place for energy discourse, where the industry community can obtain, share and disseminate information and ideas. Keep reading →


Moody’s analysts are have weighed in on prospects for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the US, forecasting that chemical companies and utilities could see some negative impact from higher domestic natural gas prices, but not enough to bring down their credit ratings.

Moody’s expects US LNG export capacity to rise to 6.3 billion cubic feet per day by 2020 – equivalent to 178.4 million cubic meters per day, compared with global exports totaling 330.8 billion cubic meters per day in 2011, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy. “We do not expect the volume of exports from North America will have a significant impact on the global LNG trade during this decade,” the rating agency said in a report, The Prospect of US LNG Exports Influences Pricing and Gas Markets Worldwide. Keep reading →


As we transition over from Breaking Energy to the new Breaking Energy site on May 6, we will be offering a new feature that seeks to explain, in simple, accessible language, some of the terms that we throw around in our stories. We will also provide links to help direct you to resources that can offer more exhaustive detail.

There’s no reason an electrical engineer should be able to make the immediate mental leap from GTL to gas-to-liquids, the expensive process that can turn gas into liquid automotive fuel, or that an oil and gas lawyer will have any idea what ISO stands for (Independent Systems Operator). We aim to make our coverage accessible to as wide an energy audience as possible, and we also hope to offer a resource for newcomers to the energy industry who just don’t speak the language yet. Keep reading →


The need to secure the electric grid against cyberattacks has attracted attention at both the corporate and policy level. But no one actually knows what “secure” really means, and making that determination may prove challenging.

Decision-makers at energy companies and on Capitol Hill have been alerted to the danger of a cyber attack on the electric grid. While those concerns may be valid, calls to “secure the grid” assume a level of knowledge of the state of grid security that even experts in the field may not possess, said IBM Energy Security Lead Andy Bochman at the Advanced Energy Conference in New York this week. Keep reading →


Sophisticated worms – automated software that spreads between computer devices – can infect an entire electric grid in a matter of seconds, but there may be effective defenses against them, according to Rob Johnson, assistant professor of computer science at Stony Brook University.

The critical role various computing devices have assumed in the daily functioning of the power grid has dramatically altered the security needs of utilities. While safeguards are already in place to protect against physical threats, like natural disasters, utilities may lack the tools to protect their networks from cyber attacks, such as worms. Keep reading →


The Three Forks formation in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana could hold more undiscovered, technically recoverable oil than the Bakken Shale that lies above it, according to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) latest assessment.

The mean of the estimate for the two formations’ combined undiscovered, technically recoverable oil is 7.38 billion barrels, effectively doubling the 2008 estimate for the Bakken shale alone. The mean estimate for Bakken oil, at 3.65 bn bbls – the same as in 2008 – is just shy of the Three Forks’ 3.73 bn bbl estimate. Keep reading →


The Intersection of Energy Law and Project Finance

It’s critically important to understand the regulations associated with financing multi-billion dollar energy projects so as to avoid delays and cost increases that can imperil event the best laid plans. Whether it be an oil & gas project or a major renewable energy initiative, getting the financing right means having the legal pieces in order, and a major law firm with a large energy practice highlights some examples of this in their spring newsletter. Keep reading →


A focus on the atmospheric impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 100 years from now distracts from immediate steps, such as reducing natural gas leakage from the production process, that could offer substantial medium-term climate benefits, according to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Natural gas in power generation offers an obvious advantage over coal in cutting CO2 emissions. “If we think simply of the CO2 emitted per unit of electricity generated, you would say gas is a hands-down winner,” said EDF Chief Scientist Steven Hamburg at the Advanced Energy Conference in New York on Tuesday. Keep reading →


We’d like to give our readers a heads-up about some impending changes at the site. As some of you know, Breaking Energy was acquired by Breaking Media, and as of Monday, May 6, all readers will be redirected to Breaking Energy at www.breakingenergy.com.

What’s the Same: Keep reading →

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