Energy

The US House of Representatives approved a bill at the beginning of this month aimed at completely closing off Iranian petroleum exports. Not since President Roosevelt told Japan in July 1941 that he was going to cut it off from American petroleum has the United States threatened to use oil to strangle a country so […]

Energy

India’s Energy could be 15% from Renewables by 2020: Greentech CEOs

Juan Cole

When you actually put renewable energy CEOs on television, they can explain that coal and other hyrdrocarbons receive government subsidies, making them look much cheaper than they actually are, whereas wind is now competitive with coal. When’s the last time you say a conversation like this on American television? You have to wonder if Time […]

Energy

Fukushima’s Strontium Leaks a Neverending Crisis? (Germanos)

Juan Cole

Andrea Germanos writes at Commondreams courtesy VOAnews As the disaster at Fukushima plant continues to unfold, one nuclear expert is warning that "this is an accident that’s shockingly not stopping." Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), sounds particular alarm around radioactive strontium that is being released from the trouble-stricken […]

Energy

Barbecuing the Planet: With Fracking, we’ll go on investing 3x in Hydrocarbons what we will in renewables (Klare)

Juan Cole

Michael T. Klare writes at Tomdispatch.com: When it comes to energy and economics in the climate-change era, nothing is what it seems. Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded […]

Energy

The New Neros: The Koch Bros Profit from Burning the World Up (Halperin Infographic)

Juan Cole

Courtesy Grist

Egypt

“Capturing football fields” of power – Offshore Wind-Wave Energy Farms in Japan and California

Juan Cole

For the real-world project, look to Japan: “The world’s first hybrid power generation system is due to be installed off the coast of western Japan later this year. The offshore facility is designed to draw power from the wind and waves.” Here’s the video on the Japan Wind-Wave facility: And, for the theoretical basis for […]

Energy

Oil Spills blacken Today’s Environment from Alberta to Thailand: Wind and Solar are Way Better!

Juan Cole

1. High pressure steam injection as a technique of getting oil out of the ground has gone very wrong in Canada: Canadian First Nations protest massive Alberta oil spill (CBC): 2. A leaking pipeline in Thailand is the 4th worst oil spill in that nations history. ITN reports: “The oil spill from a leaked pipeline […]

Africa

Kenya turns to Geothermal Green Energy (Video)

Juan Cole

Kenya is blessed with a great deal of hydroelectric power, but its electricity needs outstrip that source’s ability to supply them, a problem that will only grow worse in coming years. One green energy source to which Kenya is turning is geothermal. Because of the Rift Valley, East Africa has enormous geothermal potential. VOAnews reports: […]

Energy

Bye, Bye Florida: Scientists find the last time it was this hot, Seas rose 65 feet

Juan Cole

A study published in Nature Geoscience by researchers, from Imperial College London and their academic partners shows that 5-3 million years ago in the Pliocene, the last time it was as hot as it is going to be in this century, antarctic ice shelf melting caused a sea level rise of as much as 20 […]