Pure Venom

It is disturbing to me that an industry that plays as important a role in modern life as that of the farmer is so vilified. It must be that people simply do not recognize the […]

TreeHugger Sells for $10 Million

This one caught me by surprise: Discovery Acquires TreeHugger.com For $10million Discovery Communications has announced the acquisition of TreeHugger.com for what is believed to be $10 million. TreeHugger.com started as an environmentally focused blog in […]

University of Delaware Breaks Solar Efficiency Record

UD-led team sets solar cell record, joins DuPont on $100 million project Using a novel technology that adds multiple innovations to a very high-performance crystalline silicon solar cell platform, a consortium led by the University […]

This Week in Petroleum 8-01-07

Edited to add: Just got a note from the API. They added: According to today’s API report outlining last week’s production figures, gasoline production reached an all-time high of 9.63 million barrels per day, nearly […]

LS9’s Oil-Crapping Bugs

I have only half-jokingly commented before that the ideal microorganism for energy production would consume garbage and excrete gasoline, which would float to the top of a reactor to be skimmed off via a low-energy […]

Windows Vista Sucks

Windows Vista sucks. There, I said it. I feel better now. Off-topic, but I am really hacked off. I had gotten an upgrade to Windows Vista with a laptop I bought in December, and I […]

Rolling Stone Article

A few months back, Jeff Goodell, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, contacted me with some questions about ethanol. Jeff’s name may be familiar to those in the energy business, as he is the author […]

Google Solar, Hydrogen, and Farm Bills

I wanted to briefly comment on several issues. Some of them deserve their own essays, but I am too pressed for time. Google Solar If you are into solar, Google’s Solar Panel Project is incredibly […]

A California Solar Dilemma

After grappling with the thought experiment of replacing all of our electricity consumption with solar panels, the problem came into focus. This problem seems simple, but it isn’t trivial. As I mentioned, I have seen […]

A Solar Thought Experiment

Note: This is a work in progress. I am modifying the calculations as I get constructive feedback. Credit goes to several people for that. I think I have figured out the best approach to solving […]