July 25, 2008
When the wind stops - the other side of the wind turbine argument | www.telegraph.co.uk
Governments see wind power as an easy answer to the problem of climate change The public are not being told the real costs both direct and indirect, of wind power
June 11, 2008
British Energy says 'no' to French offer | www.telegraph.co.uk
If the UK is to meet its greenhouse gas targets it is essential to replace and possibly increase its nuclear power station fleet. As the main owner and operator of the present nuclear stations the position of British Energy (BE) is critical to success. Will the rejection of the EDF takeover slow down progress?
Revitalisation of Coal Seam Methane in UK
June 10, 2008
Eden Secures Increase in UK Petroleum/Coal Seam Methane Licences | www.oilvoice.com
The price of gas throughout the world has risen dramatically and the commercial potential of coal bed methane is being re-examined. The main new source is Australia but other countries are following. Europe with its need for gas and a history of mining may be the next major area.
Accessing cushion gas in an emergency
June 10, 2008
DJ Portland Gas Patent Application | www.tradingmarkets.com
Cushion gas is generally considered a liability as generally it will never be recovered. Portland Gas Storage Limited a quoted UK company specialising in natural gas storage has filed a patent proposing a method of accessing cushion gas in times of exceptionally high demand. The concept is simple, so simple that the patent might fail. The proposal is to pump a liquid into the storage facility to displace the cushion gas. One suggestion is to use sea water.
Malaysian company Petronas proposes takeover of UK Gas Storage Company
November 19, 2007
UK Gas Storage market | www.hemscott.com
The UK Gas market is short of storage due to the tailing off of UK gas reserves. Most new gas storage projects are associated with existing major market players. Star Energy is one of the few credible independent storage players.
September 5, 2007
Idaho Transmission Dispute Settled | www.renewableenergyaccess.com
The issue of access to crucial transmission infrastructure is not limited to wind power. Much the same argument can be made about pipeline access for non-conventional natural gas developments in areas of the midwest or indeed for conventional forms of merchant power generation. Ask any merchant generator about his negotiations for access to any of the regional power grids and you will likely hear the same complaint. Namely, that the existing utility should cover the expense of requisite switch gear and reliability checks, plus pay a higher price for the power being supplied. The porblem is not new and the ultimate suolution is a motivated customer base.
July 17, 2007
Offshore Score since 2001: Europe 24, U.S. 0 | www.renewableenergyaccess.com
The use of onshore windpower has made remarkable strides in the US where the proper conditions exist, for example, in Texas where windy conditions are endemic and where the body politic supports initiatives of this type. In contrast, the major US effort for offshore widnpower, the Cape Wind project in Naragansett Bay, has been stymied over classic NIMBY issues.
Where does the corn come from?
July 9, 2007
Riding the Rails With Ethanol | www.businessweek.com
A quick look at the location of the ethanol plants will reveal that most are located in corn producing regions. That isn't particularly surprising. However, within those regions the majority of the ethanol plants are located as far from the river systems as possible. The reason for this is that corn with economic access to barge transportation will preferentially flow to marine transportation, given the generally lower freight rates.
Windpower, the good, the bad and the ugly
June 4, 2007
FPL Energy Files Texas Transmission Application | www.nawindpower.com
The analysis does a fine job of describing the good points of wind power. That's the "good" in the title. The "bad" is that just adding transmission capacity will not solve the real problem with wind which is that it is an opportunistic supply. In order to utilize it, every kilowatthour needs to be backed up by a redundant power source. This is not fatal, but it does hurt the economics as the only positive is the "free" fuel when the wind is blowing and their is a power deficit. That will not offset the cost of the windmills plus the cost of a 100% back up fossil system, even if the transmission lines are already available. The "ugly" is some peoples' opinion of the appearance of a field of "thousands" of 4 mw generators towering over the landscape. One other "ugly" that is being improved is that the gearboxes for these units are reported to require excessive maintenance, leading to lower overall availablity.
Did the word "market" occur to anyone?
August 2, 2006
Green energy firm on verge of collapse due to lack of orders | news.scotsman.com
Camcal, a company at the forefront of Scotland's booming renewable energy industry, is facing closure, raising concerns about the wider health of the sector.
Big-Foot YRC Drops the Other Shoe on Shareholders
November 3, 2009
Bombardier Barbs Shows CSeries Can't Cut The Mustard
November 2, 2009
New 777 Depends On 787 Success
October 13, 2009
Another Leash on Life for YRC Worldwide
October 12, 2009
Airbus Lost $7.5bn+ Trying to Flog the A350XWB
August 28, 2009