As I noted in my earlier essay More Reality Checks for Algal Biodiesel, I initially had high hopes for the idea that we might make significant amounts of biodiesel from algae. A few years ago […]
The Prospects for Algal Biodiesel Dim
How To Sniff Out a Fraud
I tend to get a lot of e-mails from people either claiming to have invented the next big thing in alternative energy, or from people who want to know if a particular company has something […]
Fortune Says Oil Stocks are a Bargain
I certainly can’t disagree with this: Betting on big oil’s comeback The article first argues that oil prices are unlikely to stay low for too long: “Right now, the upsides in the oil sector far […]
Fuel Efficiency of Ethanol in the Real World
There is a particular poster at The Oil Drum who frequently claims that a gallon of ethanol can replace a gallon of gasoline in a car. Although he denies it, his over-the-top defenses of corn […]
2009 EIA Energy Conference
Sorry for the long gap in posts, but I haven’t had much Internet access this week. Now I am freshly arrived back in the U.S., so I thought I would just quickly touch base. The […]
More Reality Checks for Algal Biodiesel
I have to admit, when I first heard about algal biodiesel, I thought it was really an incredible concept. As time went by and I learned a bit more, reality sank in. The reality was […]
The Nuclear Comeback
The natural gas crisis caused by the cutoff of supplies from Russia earlier in the year crystallized for many nations the threat of being overly dependent on another country for their energy supplies. Over the […]
Peak Demand Before Peak Oil?
There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about the possibility that oil demand will peak soon (or has peaked already), which will render a geologically-induced peak in oil production irrelevant. In […]
Investing in Ethanol: A Case Study of Terrible Investment Advice
Comically Terrible Timing In June 2006 I read an article at Financial Sense that promoted ethanol as a great place to put your money:Investing in Ethanol: A “New” Stock Play on Soaring Energy Prices and […]
This is a Good Idea?
Update: Obama Says ‘No Way’ WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday rejected his transportation secretary’s suggestion that the administration consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive instead of how much gasoline […]