Energy Literacy Advocates Newsroom
Energy Literacy Advocates (ELA) is a non-partisan, non-profit, public education and advocacy group dedicated to improving the energy literacy of all sectors of our democracy in order to empower a comprehensive national energy policy that is responsible and sustainable. Stay tuned for updated energy news!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Year in Review: Bumpy Road to Market for Renewables
Fairing best in 2008, wind and solar companies will enjoy extended benefits in 2009, thanks to an extension package tied to the $700 billion Congressional financial bailout. The real economic squeeze has caught biofuel companies, particularly those with publicly traded stocks, which lost up to 95% of their value in 2008.
Despite a sober market forecast, renewable companies continue to enjoy set market shares for 2009, due to government mandates on renewable energy usage. Joseph Muscat, Ernst & Young's Americas director of cleantech and venture capital, predicts that clean energy and renewables will be the first economic segment to experience significant rebound.
To read the full Associated Press synopsis, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:12 AM
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A View from the Other Side: Energy in the Tehran Times
In response to the negative effects of low oil prices, the article reported, "Moreover, lower oil prices are likely to impede the massive investment needed to meet rising demand by 2030, delay introduction of energy-saving technologies, and make alternative fuels less competitive. The tight credit environment will also make it more difficult for energy firms to obtain the necessary funding for financing the capital-intensive growth in production capacity, especially necessary for expensive and difficult offshore production, exploration and development, and heavy oil, oil sands, or oil shale production."
The article also discusses the growing threat of energy nationalism, the future supply crunch, and the sleeping giants of China and India.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: energy policy, energy sources, oil price, oil supply/demand, peak oil
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:48 AM
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
OPEC Confirms Predicted Cuts; Oil Production Slashed by 2.2 Million
When questioned about the cuts, OPEC cited the need to preserve oil prices so as to maintain medium- and long-term energy supply goals and investments.
The 2.2 million barrel per day production cut represents the largest cut in OPEC history. OPEC controls roughly 40 percent of the world's oil.
To read the full synopsis from the Wall Street Journal, click here.
Labels: oil price, oil supply, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:24 AM
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Making the Case for a Gas Tax: Robert Rapier's "Taxes And Choice"
Rapier argues that not only does the U.S. needs a gas tax, it should change its perception towards this tool. Comparing the gas tax to the tax on alcohol and cigarettes, Rapier makes the case that a gas tax does not represent a tax hike, but merely a check on consumption. Not only does this promote conservation, it lends funding to long-term transportation solutions and habits.
To access Rapier's full article, issued by ASPO-USA, click here.
Labels: gas tax, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 2:30 PM
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
President-Elect Obama Announces Energy Team
Carol Browner, a confidante of former Vice President Al Gore, will lead a White House council on energy and climate. Browner headed the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration. Nancy Sutley, a deputy Los Angeles mayor, will be chair of the White House Council on Environment Quality.
While these appointments have drawn inevitable criticism and praise, they reflect the President-elect's vow to "move beyond our oil addiction and create a new hybrid economy."
To access the full Associated Press release, click here.
Labels: election 2008, energy policy, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:25 AM
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Monday, December 15, 2008
Price of Oil Rises as OPEC Confirms "Sizable Cuts"
OPEC pumps 42 percent of the world’s oil, and is projected to lower output targets by at least 2 million barrels a day, or 7.3 percent at the meeting Dec. 17 in Oran. Analysts expect Russia to be asked to cut production by 200,000 to 300,000 barrels per day.
Reflecting the uncertainty of the markets, oil, which lost 70% of its value from July, has gained 13 percent in the previous week, its biggest five-day gain in four years, on speculation production cuts will revive prices.
To access the full article in Bloomberg, click here.
Labels: oil price, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:23 AM
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Friday, December 12, 2008
Thwarting the U.S. Oil Addiction: Falling Gas Prices & Consumer Behavior
This is positive news in the face of dire reports fearing low gas prices would bring about America's return to inefficient SUVs and high gasoline consumption.
Falling gas prices still concern industry experts, who fear a 1970's repeat, wherein alternative fuels and technologies were abandoned after the drop in price at the pump. President-elect Barack Obama emphasized these concerns in his November 60 Minutes interview, stating that despite the drop in price, the urgency to diversify energy sources and provide a more stable supply remains.
Labels: biofuels, gas prices, oil price, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:58 AM
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
International Energy Agency Predicts Continued Demand Drop for Oil
Other indicators bolster the IEA's forecast: spare production capacity among OPEC is currently at a six-year high, and the world's leading oil consumer - the US - is posting record demand declines only predicted to continue in 2009.
To access the full Wall Street Journal article, click here.
Labels: economy, oil price, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:02 AM
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Crude Oil Prices Rise on Speculation of Collaboration between Russia, OPEC
OPEC meets December 17 in Algeria, and is expected to substantially cut oil output. Oil has lost 30 percent since the supply cuts issued in October. Production could be cut by as much as 2.5 million barrels per day.
While the success of production cut strategies hinge largely on market recovery, some analysts estimate that OPEC would like to see oil reach $100 a barrel soon.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: oil prices, oil supply, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:55 AM
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Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Colorado Colleges Embracing Alternative Fueled Fleets
In Boulder, the University of Colorado (CU) boasts the CU Biodiesel program, a non-profit student organization dedicated to advancing the use and knowledge of biodiesel, a vegetable based and clean-burning alternative to petroleum diesel. Many of CU's fleet vehicles have been converted to biodiesel, again earning monetary and environmental savings as compared to the use of traditional fossil fuels.
Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, offers biodiesel, electric and hybrid electric vehicles for on-campus use, as well as a test track for alternative fueled vehicles.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:44 AM
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Radical Change in Energy Department Predicted
Currently, the bulk of the $24 billion Deparment budget goes to mitigating issues surrounding nuclear weapons: maintaining the nation's nuclear weapons stockpiles, cleaning up sites used to produce those weapons, or dealing with non-proliferation issues. Only $4 billion is allocated for energy research and development, with only $650 million put towards renewable fuels.
While its role in supervising nuclear affairs will never be abandoned, the new agency is likely to reverse current spending trends, expanding the R&D budget, with particular focus on renewable fuels, while also focusing on greater conservation efforts. Additional agenda items will likely be laying out a role for the Department in curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:44 AM
0 comments
Monday, December 8, 2008
Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Pond Scum for Fuel?
While many questions surrounding this technology remain, including how well this science functions in full-scale production, algae-based fuels avoid the moral dillemma that corn and foodstock-based fuels face.
To visit Solazyme's website, click here.
To explore the scientific theory behind algae fuels, click here.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:19 AM
0 comments
Friday, December 5, 2008
Oil & the Economy: Prices Continue to Fall
As the economic woes dragging oil prices down are not likely to rebound quickly, OPEC is indicating that they will cut production levels at the scheduled December 17 meeting.
To read more about falling oil prices, and to track 2008 NYMEX valuations of crude oil, click here.
Labels: economy, oil price, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:39 AM
0 comments
Thursday, December 4, 2008
China Eyes Fuel Price Reform, Gasoline Tax
Ten years ago, China first proposed a fuel tax to raise revenue for road and infrastructure maintenance. Officials cite the new fuel tax as a measure to encourage resource conservation.
The Chinese government hopes a reduction in fuel prices will stimulate economic activity.
To read the full story, click here.
Labels: energy policy, oil price, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:16 PM
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
What a Depression Means for Alternative Energy
While alternative energy meant big business in the first half of 2008, with over $13 billion invested, investments and large-scale projects have dwindled in the final quarters, according to New Energy Finance, a market research firm based in London. Some fear that the decline in oil prices, coupled with a staggering economy, could doom alternative energy in a way reminiscent of the 1970s.
Yet observers say there are strong reasons for optimism about the alternative energy industry. Geopolitics has made clean energy and energy security a national priority in many countries, including the United States. The government has a host of support mechanisms for the nascent industry, including state and federal mandates for alternative-energy use, as well as subsidies and tax credits. Alternative-energy technologies are now much better, and hold more demonstrable promise, than in the 1970s. Alternative energy also has the support of science and agencies, demonstrated by the latest World Energy Outlook report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which suggests that oil production could decline more rapidly than previously thought.
In the end, alternative energy groups are facing the same challenges as other businesses during this tough economy, but unlike the 1970s, this time the experts are betting on green.
To read the full MIT Technology Review article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:43 PM
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Developments in the Markets: Economy & Oil
Despite the precipitous decline in prices, OPEC leaders tabled an additional production cut at the November 29 summit, delaying the decision until the next meeting. Not all OPEC members have complied with recent cuts, as indicated by the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned producer statement that it would provide full contractual volumes to Asian refiners.
Additionally, the drop in crude oil prices has forced demand and prices for biofuel components, such as palm oil, down.
To read more from Bloomberg's summary of oil market activity, click here.
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:33 PM
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Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Garbage to Ethanol Plant
The gasification/fermentation process that will be used at the facility was purchased by Powers Energy One, and has already demonstrated results at the INEOS Bio pilot-scale facility in Fayetteville, Ark., for five years. According to Powers, this level of technological demonstration was a major selling point to members of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District.
The county hopes that their new approach will alleviate two societal crises - energy security and environmental damage linked to human consumption.
Labels: efficiency, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:06 AM
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