A Barrel Full

Brazilians Switch to Gas as Ethanol Prices Climb: A Dark Sign of Things to Come?

The ability to switch between traditional and alternative fuels does two things.
1) Reduces the risks for transfer to the alternative
2) Reduces the costs to society of too fast switching (in this case high sugar prices)

Therefore although the headline here is a move back to gasoline, the ultimate effect should be a faster cheaper switch.

Is Exxon Betting on $100 Oil?

Surely everyone is betting on $100 oil. Mind you those expecting it next year are likely to be disappointed. Opec still has a lot in reserve. When that is used up though, the sky's the limit.

The Liquid Upside for Energy Recovery's Desalination Technology

It sounds like a good technology. The money is still needed to build the desalination plants though.

www.energyrecovery.com/

Time to Buy Refiners?

Go for complexity. The future needs a better standard of fuel, and those who can't produce it are in trouble.

Energy Will Lead the Next Commodity Shortage

There is no doubt in my mind that we face a difficult future because of rising oil demand. However, I tend towards the view that the problems are political not geological.

1) Most of the world's leading oil producing countries positively chase away foriegn investment, whilst state owned companies mismanage reserves.
2) Huge numbers of consumers do not face the true cost of energy, due to subsidies. Therefore price signals do not work.
3) Some significant areas of production are off limits.
4) Politicians act like natural gas doesn't exist.
5) Politicians pretend that action on global warming will be free, stopping them from introducing effective measures (carbon taxes) whilst shovelling cash at useless projects supported by lobby groups.

If logic were king in capitals around the world, we could expect oil to remain below $100 for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately once the recovery has used up Opec's cuts, we are back on track for a massive oil price rise.

Dyadic: A Stock to Avoid

....Dyadic added me to their press list a couple months ago, probably in response to my popular article on investing in advanced and cellulosic biofuels. .....

And they spam????

Energy Myths for the 21st Century

You would think that someone with a great technology to sell would place a link to his website in his comment. Unless he was a big timewaster that is.

He posted the same comment on WT website.


On Sep 29 11:11 PM DRCAL wrote:

> There is no gloom and doom. The age of fossil fuels is over. There
>
> is a replacement technology.
> REVOLUTION IN HYDROELECTRICITY

Natural Gas: An Energy Resource Whose Time Has Come

In the medium term, DME (Dimethyl Ether) might be the answer.

It is similar to propane, but can be used in diesel engines. Currently it is made from Methanol, but a number of companies are working on direct manufacture from Natural Gas. If they manage, then it is a game changer.

It doesn't need the high pressures of natural gas, and performs better than the fuel it replaces. Plus it leapfrogs the licencing issues.

Gasoline Allies or Gasoline Alleys?

Consumers in all these oil rich countries are being conned. The value of extremely cheap gasoline is a lot less than it looks. The value of gasoline is getting from A to B, not the product itself. So using more than necessary, does not create value.

You give a few examples of how a consumer might be better off under a different system. I can think of a few more.

As for sanctions, they very rarely work, not least because others step in to take your place.

Forestry Stocks, ETFs: The Back Door to Cellulosic Biofuels Investing

.......it probably makes sense to wait until we see action from the US on climate change before investing......

Then it'll be too late.

If you believe that there will be concrete action of one way or another on carbon emissions, then you should surelly act sooner rather than later. Such action looks unavoidable.

A Few Truths About Oil

......For one, it will likely be very difficult for the U.S. to increase its energy efficiency as much in the next 20 years as it did in the past 20 years, .....

Like some of the others I disagree. If you look at Europe as an example, they use far less energy per unit of GDP, despite being almost as rich as the USA.

........Thus, a carbon tax might have to be punitive in order to produce the desired effect, and that in turn would have very negative (and politically undesirable) consequences for the economy..........

Not neccessarily. If a significant carbon tax were to be matched by higher personal allowances on income taxes, lower employer contributions, or lower income taxes (or some mix of the three), we would actually have a net positive effect on the economy. Sure there would be losers, but the winners would outnumber them.

The beauty of carbon taxes is that there is no loss to the economy, as government revenues increase. (I say that as an instinctive tax cutter).

Energy from Sea Water? Consider IBM Intrigued

Sounds great, but I doubt anyone will make much money out of it soon.

Beer, Batteries, and a Solar Power Game Changer

I cannot find any reference to Batteries on either Coortek or Ceramatec websites. The link you give in the article does not mention either company.

Domestic electricity storage would revolutionise the energy sector, allowing distributed generation and night time storage. The problem is that nobody has got the cost down enough yet.

Unless a link or two can be added to the article, I will conclude that the jury is still out.

Supply Glut Pressuring Natural Gas

What is needed is the last mile. Connect everyone up to the gas supply.

Heard the One About the Baker Institute and Oil Speculators?

I also had a look at the report, and it looks like much of the other commentary.

I can't explain oil prices = Its all the work of evil top hat wearing cigar munching speculators.

In all traded commodities, peaks contain speculative froth, and troughs sheer blind panic. It was always thus.

However if you believe that oil prices can be divorced from supply and demand dynamics for an extended period of time, I have a contact in Nigeria who can help you make a fortune, and will do it out of the good of his heart.