Technology

Devon Energy’s Bet on Barnett Shale, Made 10 Years Ago, Has Paid off

Michael Giberson Yesterday, August 14, 2011, was the ten-year anniversary of the announcement by Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy of its intention to acquire Houston-based Mitchell Energy and Development for $3.5 billion. The prime target of interest lay about halfway between the two company headquarters, in the Barnett Shale surrounding Fort Worth, Texas. Mitchell had figured …

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Evaporative Cooling: Low Tech Method Good for Facebook’s High Tech Facility

Michael Giberson Earlier in the week I discovered this Household Hacker video “Flower Pot Fridge” courtesy of a Energy Circle blog post with the appealing title, “How to cool your beer without electricity!” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSZH0K-Qhuw&rel=0] Simple! All you need is a pair of flower pots (one slightly smaller than the other), some sand, a damp towel, …

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Don’t Bet Against Netflix, at Least Not Now

Michael Giberson Jonathan Knee argues that Netflix is succeeding the way big media companies always have succeeded, in a time where such opportunities are less frequent than before. From The Atlantic: The economic structure of the media business is not fundamentally different from that of business in general. The most-prevalent sources of industrial strength are …

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Civil Liberties and Economics: More Than Just Free Markets

Lynne Kiesling I wasn’t around KP a lot last week because I was spending a lot of time following the Patriot Act extension debacle and contacting my Congressional representatives to urge them to vote against it (of my so-called representatives, only Senator Durbin did so; I think this is the first time he and I …

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Eagle Ford Shale Providing Oil Production Boost

Michael Giberson Much of the talk about hydraulic fracturing of shale has been about natural gas, but the method is being used to develop oil shale as well. The New York Times is bringing the news to the east coast, “Shale Boom in Texas Could Increase U.S. Oil Output,” and Texas newspapers have been covering the …

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Massachusetts Wants $22.5 Million in Tax Breaks Back from Evergreen Solar, Company in Dire Financial Condition

Michael Giberson Politicians show up, grinning for the cameras at groundbreaking, they come applauding the expansion announcement (and why not, public tax breaks and other policy support for solar power manufacturers were chief among the reasons the plants were built in the first place), but where are the toothy smiles of supporting public officials when …

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Will Android@Home Help Make Smart Grid More Consumer-Centric?

Lynne Kiesling I think the past 18 months have been disappointing for consumer-centric smart grid proponents and companies. In January 2010 the incisive Katie Fehrenbacher pronounced 2010 the year in which the consumer would be the king of home energy management, and this pronouncement has not come to fruition. I’ve been formulating some ideas about …

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Should Buildings Be Wired for Dc Power Distribution?

Michael Giberson From Paul Savage in EnergyBiz Magazine: The majority of our devices today use DC, so let’s give it to them. Using a DC distribution circuit for a building brings many benefits such as better compatibility with renewables and battery storage, greater safety and higher efficiency no matter what the type of power input. …

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