Michael Giberson
Energy stories from around the web.
- Financial Times, Gas threat to wind farm growth – “Construction of new wind farms in the US is set to decline next year because of competition from cheap natural gas for power generation, the country’s largest developer of new wind power projects has said.”
- Greentech grid, California ISO opens new high-tech control room – “We partnered with Google and we went from your typical map board made of plastic tiles, with digital readouts, to an 81-foot video display wall.”
- Reuters, “Japan eyeing plan for solar panels on all new buildings-Nikkei” – Japan may this week announce proposal to require all new buildings to have solar PV panels by 2030.
- San Antonio Express-News, “Eagle Ford’s calling card: help wanted” – Fracking not just for natural gas. Oil from shale big in South Texas. “But drilling in the Eagle Ford, a 400-mile-long formation stretching from East Texas to Webb County, has touched off a hiring frenzy in South Texas that is generating thousands of jobs. Now, drilling is moving so swiftly that the scramble for workers has caught some short.”
- Houston Chronicle, “Nat gas feud pits prosperous N. Texans against energy industry” – Oil and gas wells not always the best of neighbors.
- Reuters, “Chesapeake handed record fine for Pennsylvania gas drilling” – The company was fined a total of $1.1 million for problems at two sites in Southwestern Pennsylvania: $900,000 for seepage from non-shale shallow gas formations due to a poorly-done well casing and cementing job, and $188,000 for violations associated with a fire that injured 3 workers. (See also this Associated Press story.)
- Houston Chronicle reporter Richard Dunham, “Why Washington is no help at the pump” – Dunham says “politics as usual” is causing Washington to be of no help in solving our energy problems. (My view: For the most part we’d be better off without Washington trying to “help” consumers. If politics-as-usual is keeping Washington out of the energy business, that is probably a good thing.)
- William O’Keefe at the FuelFix blog, “3 Myths About Breaking U.S. Oil Habit” – Counter to some prevailing wisdom (while at the same time affirming popular views held by others) about climate change, energy independence, and resource scarcity.
- The Hill’s E2-Wire, “Greens, industry draw battle lines in fight over oil pipeline” – More on the political maneuvering surrounding the Keystone XL pipelines. Environmentalists are mostly opposed to the pipeline since it will mostly be supplied from the Alberta tar sands, and environmentalists are mostly opposed to tar sands development.