I often hear the comment — “If we only had an energy policy” — but what does that really mean? In this column I will provide three examples — originating with both Democrats and Republicans […]
The Most Important Problem in Renewable Energy — R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 22
In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I answer a question about the artificial leaf being worked on by Daniel Nocera at MIT. I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various storage schemes, and […]
Book Review: A Thousand Barrels a Second
I am way behind on reading books that have been sent to me for review by various publishers. The pile on my desk is growing, because I have a bad habit of starting new books […]
Nuclear Power in Japan, Methane Hydrates, and Gasoline Prices — R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 21
In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I cover: Japan’s decision to abandon nuclear power (which will contend for the top energy story of the year — regardless of how it plays out) ConocoPhillips’ […]
Current and Projected Costs for Biofuels from Algae and Pyrolysis
A reader recently called my attention to a new and very interesting presentation from the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program: Biofuels Design Cases The presentation explored the question of whether the U.S. government is spending […]
Rare Earth Elements and Pyrolysis Oil — R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 20
In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I talk about the significance of China’s dominance of rare earth element production, and the conversion of pyrolysis oil into fuel. The questions answered this week are: […]
Why High Oil Prices are Here to Stay
On May 3rd I will be delivering a talk called Moving Beyond Oil Dependence as a part of UC Santa Barbara’s Spring 2012 Chemical Engineering Seminar Series. The talk will roughly follow the outline of […]
Discussing Peak Oil, Speculators, Oil Shale, and Alternative Fuels
I am traveling some over the next two weeks, and did not have a chance to record my weekly video segment this week. However, last Friday I was a guest on Alan Colmes’ show on […]
The Hard Truth: Even Liberals are Big Fans of Oil Subsidies
Survey Says… If you were to survey people and ask the question “Should we subsidize oil companies?” — the overwhelming majority would undoubtedly respond “No!” The notion that we are subsidizing oil companies generates outrage […]
Natural Gas Prices & Canada’s Economy — R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 19
In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I talk about the impact of natural gas in the U.S., and the Canadian economy. Some of the topics discussed this week are: How I think natural […]