Latest Energy News | World News
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The Largest Problem Facing Renewable Energy: Forecasting the Intermittent Power
According to Charlie Smith, the executive director of the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), at first the integration of wind power in the US was not a high priority for utility companies and grid managers. “In fact, if there were any system disturbances, the typical requirement was that the wind plant get off the system,” he said. “Today, wind plants are an integral part of the system and are expected to ride through disturbances and provide power control and voltage control just like any other power plant.” With 47,000 MW of current wind capacity in the US, and an extra…
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Britain Fear Spike in Oil Prices due to Insurance Ban for Iranian Crude Tankers
The European ban, due to take effect at the beginning of July, on importing Iranian oil will also prevent European insurers from covering any tankers carrying crude from Tehran to the rest of the world. This effect will be felt particularly hard in London, which is the main district for marine insurance.Without insurance tankers will not transport goods, so it is of utmost importance to Asian buyers of Iranian crude that they find other means to replace the shipping insurance cover predominantly provided by London insurers.Indian and Chinese firms have already approached state insurers to provide the cover for their…
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Japan has Shut Down its Last Nuclear Reactor
Japan, the third largest economy in the world, has relied on nuclear energy to provide 30% of its energy for four decades, but this weekend it became the first major, modern economy to operate without nuclear power.On Saturday the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor 3 shut down, leaving Japan’s energy grid completely nuclear free.Junichi Sato of Greenpeace in Japan said that, “there is an increased chance of earthquakes in Japan, so that has a significant risk to the Japanese people and the Japanese economy. The only way forward is to rapidly shift the energy source from nuclear to other sources…
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British Hope their 'Green Deal' will cut Energy Imports by $5 Billion a year
British energy officials have recently been on a trip to the United States, where on Monday, in Houston, Texas, they shared their dream of a market friendly energy efficiency promotion.The ‘dream’ that they were trying to share is the British government’s Green Deal, a program that the government are sponsoring with the aim of encouraging the population to insulate buildings, in order to increase their energy efficiency. The government will support this program by offering low cost loans to cover the necessary improvements. The Green Deal will take effect later in the year.The government has estimated that the program could…
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TransCanada Re-submit their Keystone XL Permit Application
In January Obama decided to reject TransCanada’s application for a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline to transport crude from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the United States. His administration declared that the deadline of February 21, by which they had to make the decision, did not give them enough time to appropriately evaluate the pipelines impact.On Friday the State Department announced that TransCanada has re-submitted its application, and that they must now determine whether approving the new routes will be in the nation’s best interest. They will consider “many factors, including energy security, health,…
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Creating Instant Geothermal Energy from Abandoned Coal Mines
How to create instant geothermal energy: Take one abandoned mine, flood it with water, wait for the surrounding rock of the mine to heat the water, and enjoy.The idea of using abandoned mines to extract geothermal energy is already used in some communities in Europe and Canada, but it is not very widespread.A new study by scientists at the McGill University in Canada has focussed on this method and estimates that geothermal energy from abandoned mines could help provide enough energy for about a million Canadians.As well as providing a new form of cheap, renewable energy for the local communities,…
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BP's New System for Capping Deep-Water Oil Wells Almost Ready
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, BP, and other oil companies, have been developing more effective systems for capping the oil flow from damaged deep-water wells.Their 35 foot tall, 100 ton lump of steel adds to the other systems designed to work in the in deep-water wells around the world, such as the Gulf of Mexico, Angola, and the North Sea. However, BP’s system is different in that it has been designed to be flown around the world on cargo planes to wherever it is needed; reducing the deployment time. It would take…
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Kuwait Looks to Foreign Investment to help with $111 Billion Modernisation Plans
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s website, Kuwait, the fourth-biggest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was the lowest recipient of foreign direct investment among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states in 2010 with US$6.5bn. Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, was the highest with US$170.5bn, followed by the UAE with US$76.2bn.In an attempt to rectify this, the Kuwait government intends to modify its foreign direct investment laws in order to make it far easier for potential investors. Kuwait has plans to spend $111 billion before 2015 on modernising its economy and…
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Using Fleets of Microsubmarines to Clean up Oil Spills
Scientists from the University of California-San Diego, along with some colleagues based in Spain, have developed a new method for removing oil from water. They used self-propelled microsubmarines to capture oil droplets and transport them through the water in a system that could help clear up oil spills.The study, which appeared in the journal ACS Nano, was led by Joseph Wang, and is the first of its kind to try using the tiny machines, normally used in biology as receptors or drug delivery systems, as environmental helpers.The cone-shaped machines are made from self-assembled monolayers and have special chemical properties which…
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South Africa Ignores US Sanctions and Increases Imports of Iranian Crude
The US sanctions against Iran are due to take effect at the beginning of July. Countries must have halted all trading of Iranian oil by that time, or face punishment in the form of being cut off from the US financial system. Those nations unable to completely halt all Iranian oil imports can earn exemptions from the sanctions by making a considerable effort to reduce their oil imports.Iran has generally been the largest supplier of crude oil to South Africa, but following Western pressure to cut imports it managed to decrease that reliance upon the Persian State.The biggest South African…
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