The world is again undergoing an oil shock. Prices, already on a downward trend, have collapsed 30% in less than a week, bringing the total fall to nearly 50% since highs in early January. Consumers, of course, can expect gasoline prices to go down, but the story is far more complicated than that. By Scott L. […]
Toxic and invisible oil spread well beyond the known satellite footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. By Dan Bacher “These new findings have important implications for environmental health during future oil spills,” according […]
A new report published this week by the International Renewable Energy Agency has found that 77% of onshore wind projects and 83% of utility-scale solar PV projects set to be commissioned in 2020 will be cheaper than the lowest fossil fuel-fired generation prices. The news has been heralded across the internet as a death-blow for […]
Corporations all over the world need to make a choice — are they going to commit to a future in which reliance on fossil fuel-based plastics is only a memory? Or are they going to continue to contribute to the 300 million tons of plastics produced every year, half of which is for single use? Loud […]
Hopes that global CO2 emissions might be nearing a peak have been dashed by preliminary data showing that output from fossil fuels and industry will grow by around 2.7% in 2018, the largest increase in seven years. The rapid increase in 2018 CO2 output from fossil fuel use and industry follows a smaller 1.6% rise in 2017. […]
Using data provided by the US Energy Information Agency, the New York Times has created a graphic representation of how America generates electricity and compares today’s energy mix to what it was in 2001. The data shows the shift away from coal power that has occurred in recent years and charts the rise of electricity from natural […]
There are three major categories of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas. I will discuss oil first, with a detour to electricity, followed by coal. Then we have natural gas, and finally we’ll have a section on the fate of utilities. I will go through pricing calculations and comparisons to demonstrate that the alternatives to coal, oil, and gas […]
The Rocky Mountain Institute analyzed a case study of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a coop that provides power to more than 1 million consumers in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming. RMI found the coop’s customers could save over $600 million through 2030 if the co-op integrated more renewable energy resources instead of relying on its array […]
CleanTechnica contributor Michael Ballard published a well researched analysis of the economics behind Canada’s decision this month to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion. He suggests the pipeline is intended to provide China with a reliable source of petroleum for its future needs and questions whether, with China’s increasing reliance on renewable energy, […]
In the great gospel song we sing “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Even the sparrow does not escape God’s care, and He created us to care in His stead. That is precisely why we oppose the latest attempts to begin development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Rev. Mitch […]
Total petroleum deliveries in the US during October 2017 hit their highest mark since 2007 (pre financial crisis) — rising 1.1% on October 2016 figures, to an average of 19.9 million barrels a day — going on the most recent figures from API. By James Ayre Year to date (the first 10 months of 2017), […]
A quarter of all global refining capacity could be stranded, uneconomical and forced to close by 2035 in the face of falling demand, climate regulations and the rapid growth of clean energy technology. By Joshua S Hill The London-based think-tank Carbon Tracker this week published Margin Call: Refining Capacity in a 2°C World, a new report which investigates […]
It’s practically a conservative mantra. When it comes to support for renewable energy: “Government should not be picking winners and losers.” Most of the time, the argument is made by advocates for fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Koch Industries. The fossil fuel companies say all they want is a level playing field. But in fact, […]
Many people expected that peak oil would lead to rising prices – basic supply and demand. But reality has been very different. By George Harvey What we’ve actually seen: Prices dropped because declines in demand actually preceded declines in production. And the result is a market most people, possibly even OPEC leaders, have found unpredictable. We […]
Residents of New York state need not worry, there will be no fracking in New York. The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) banned the practice by issuing the final document needed to ban the practice. The state DEC has studied the controversial practice for seven years leading up to yesterday’s ban of high-volume […]