The Art of Spinning

As the previous post indicated, we in the U.S. have a pretty low energy IQ. One of the reasons is that energy stories are often reported in a very biased or uninformed manner, which tends […]

We Want Energy Independence!

That is, as long as it doesn’t increase gasoline costs by $0.40/gallon. That is one of a number of findings from Public Agenda in a new report called The Energy Learning Curve™ (PDF): What should […]

Natural Gas Gaining Momentum

I have said a number of times that I would prefer to take the natural gas we use to make ethanol and just use it directly in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Natural gas burns […]

Another Helicopter Down in Scotland

It has been a very bad year so far for helicopters ferrying passengers to and from offshore oil platforms. Today comes word of another tragedy involving BP workers: Sixteen people feared dead in North Sea […]

Dueling Price Predictions

I have seen a flurry of recent predictions on oil and gas prices going forward, so I thought I would share some. Most of them support the thesis I recently put forward that we are […]

The New and Improved CTL Scheme

“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” – Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut A very short paper (two pages) appeared in the latest Science detailing an […]

Yes He Could

Feasible? Yes. Realistic? No. Do I believe the U.S. can be energy independent? Yes, I believe that with certain draconian measures, the U.S. could achieve energy independence within 10 years. But emphasis must be placed […]

Aventine, Verenium on the Ropes

Reality is starting to catch up with prospective cellulosic ethanol producers. I felt like this was bound to happen, but the poor economy is making it happen faster than I expected. I expected some plants […]

The Next Five Years

Peak Lite and the Current Oil Picture A few years ago, after spending a lot of time thinking about peak oil, and then watching the price of oil break out of its historical trading range […]