All Environment
Turning coal into gas: A solution for China's smog?It鈥檚 not hard to imagine China鈥檚 planners viewing synthetic natural gas as a promising avenue for聽addressing severe local air pollution, Styles writes, but聽the increase in聽carbon dioxide emissions from converting coal to synthetic natural gas could be substantial.
Fracking debate: light on oil, heavy on gasProtests against fracking tend to focus on natural gas, even though the potential for oil from fracking is significant. Would talking about oil change the debate?
Reservoir found under Greenland's snow. What it means for shrinking glaciers.The water in the huge reservoir remains liquid year-round, and researchers say it could help them estimate how Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet will respond to global warming.
Paying for solar power isn't what it used to beMany consumers still can鈥檛 afford the steep sticker price of home solar, even if it offers the promise of low-cost, clean renewable energy in the long term. But innovative third-party financing is changing how solar panels are bought and sold.
Mexico embraces shale. Has Europe missed the boat?Mexico鈥檚 energy reform will unfortunately only isolate Europe further from the shale oil and gas revolution taking place in North America, Grealy writes.聽Funds desperately needed for the European energy sector will flow to governments that are truly serious about shale.
South Sudan violence undermines hope for oil wealthSouth Sudan is rich in oil, but infrastructure challenges and rising violence could undermine economic hopes for a troubled region, Graeber writes.聽The country gained independence in 2011, but border issues, ethnic fighting and disputes over oil have led to violence in South Sudan.
Natural gas production surges in PennsylvaniaAs natural gas production soars at the Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania may be the second-biggest gas-producing US state by the end of the year, according to the US Energy Information Administration.聽
Pennsylvania court strikes down zoning limits on gas drillingThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday struck down portions of a law that stripped some of the powers municipalities have to decide where the booming natural gas industry can operate.
Why Shell nixed a $20 billion gas-to-liquids projectWhen Royal Dutch Shell pulled the plug on its US gas-to-liquids project recently, the company said it was because it saw opportunities elsewhere.聽But abandoning the gas-to-liquids plant speaks much more loudly about shale gas than what Shell is saying in public, Cobb writes.
A Tesla Motors electric car for everyone?Tesla Motors has plans to release a Model E 鈥� 'E' for everyone 鈥� sometime in 2015. With a price estimated to be around $35,000, the Tesla Motors Model E would in theory offer the average American a long-range electric car for half the price of the current Model S.聽
Small nuclear reactors get boost from US Energy DepartmentThe US Department of Energy has awarded up to $226 million to support the development of small modular nuclear reactors.聽Small nuclear reactors can be constructed in factories and shipped to site, cutting costs and avoiding construction delays, but their benefits remain unproven.
Climate change: The warmest November worldwide since 1880How hot was November? NOAA says average global temperature, for water and land surfaces combined, was 56.6 degrees F (13.7 Celsius). It was the 37th consecutive November with above-average temperatures.
Mexico gears up for an oil boom of its ownMexican legislators have passed a reform ending the 75-year state grip on the energy sector in overwhelming fashion. The move is aimed at reversing the decline of Mexico's oil output and attracting outside investment into its considerable natural resources.聽
Australia approves coal port near Great Barrier ReefA vast new coal port and "shipping super-highway" near Australia's Great Barrier Reef has environmentalists worried.
Cleantech in 2014: reasons to be optimistic for wind, solarCleantech聽industry-watchers should take heart, Kachan writes. A quiet recovery is already underway in cleantech, a process that should gain even more momentum through 2014.
Grizzly bear comeback? Feds move to delist as a 'threatened' speciesGovernment scientists have recommended that grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area no longer need listing under the Endangered Species Act. But environmentalists warn of a potentially declining bear population tied to climate change.
Budget deal opens new swaths of Gulf for oil, gas drillingThe budget deal working its way through Congress聽includes provisions that will open up vast new territories in the western Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling.聽The budget deal allows for the development of oil and gas reserves that cross national boundaries, and sets up a framework for their joint development.聽
Is the world ready for Iran's oil?Changing energy portfolios are factoring into oil supply and demand equations in the future. The potential for Iran to return to oil markets could particularly shake up OPEC and the global outlook.
Green crude oil from algae gets a boostPhillips 66 and green crude oil pioneer Sapphire Energy, Inc., have agreed to work together to develop crude oil derived from algae to the commercial level. The project offers the promise of a renewable form of domestic oil, but development will take decades.聽
In Ukraine, an energy balancing actUkraine's recent natural gas deals show that Ukraine will continue to flirt with both East and West, Belinksi writes, and, most of all, move toward energy independence.
