Wind turbines that float 1,000 above ground for months at a time take advantage of higher wind speeds than ground-based units, but they cost a lot more. Nevertheless, floating windmills could be deployed in circumstances where cost is not a primary limitation, such as remote locations characterized by high power prices or military installations. [Inhabitat]… Keep reading →
President Obama is meeting with the leaders of Japan and South Korea – two of Asia’s largest energy consumers – today in The Hague. Easing strained relations between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Park Geun-hye of South Korea could help the US work more closely with these important allies on critical regional… Keep reading →
Economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and EU in response to Crimea’s annexation from Ukraine are beginning to ripple through the energy industry. The South Stream pipeline that would bring Russian gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine was scheduled to start up in 2015. However, the pipeline now faces legal problems as companies involved… Keep reading →
A Marquette political science teacher is taking a year off to focus on a business that allows smart phone users to pool water, power and natural gas usage data so as to more effectively manage consumption. It’s interesting because the application does the job smart meters promise without waiting for their truncated deployment or relying… Keep reading →
One day after a disputed and widely deemed unlawful referendum in Crimea, the Crimean Parliament declared Crimea’s independence from Ukraine, formally asking Russia to annex it, the New York Times reports. This comes after 96.6% of voters in Crimea support joining Russia. With this, the crisis in the Ukraine hit its peak to date and… Keep reading →
In a post last week we discussed the way the Ukrainian crisis is focusing a number of U.S. leaders on the potential foreign policy impacts of surging U.S. energy production. With its vast natural gas reserves, the U.S. could be a leader in the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG), if we took the steps to make… Keep reading →
The US has gone from a net chemical importer in 2011 to an exporter with anticipated export revenue of almost $30 billion by 2018, thanks in large part to comparatively cheap natural gas and power prices. “US groups such as ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, Chevron and Phillips 66 are among the leaders in investing in new… Keep reading →
The Saudis threatened to block fellow GCC member Qatar’s land and sea borders unless it cuts all Muslim Brotherhood ties, shuts down Al Jazeera and expels think tanks Brookings Doha Centre and the Rand Qatar Policy Institute. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha last week to protest Qatar’s Muslim Brotherhood support,… Keep reading →
During his first stint as prime minister in 2006, Prime Minister Abe’s Nuclear Energy National Plan from December 2006 talked about a “re-recognition of the importance of energy security in industrialized nations” with the direction of energy policy not being “Nuclear energy “OR” Renewable energy but Nuclear energy “AND” Renewable energy.” As a previous article… Keep reading →
Malaysian national oil company Petronas is selling a 10% stake in its proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG Ltd. (PNW LNG) export facility and the gas reserves underpinning the project to Indian Oil Corp. As part of the deal, Indian Oil will offtake 1.2 million tons of LNG – 10% of production capacity – from the liquefaction… Keep reading →
