Energy News
China’s infrastructure gains affect energy
Beijing (UPI) May 20, 2010 - China's high-energy consuming sectors are taking a toll on the country's efforts to save energy and cut emissions.
Energy Tech
Louisiana senator proposes split of Gulf oil revenue
Washington (AFP) May 20, 2010 - Senator Mary Landrieu from oil-hit Louisiana introduced legislation Thursday for financial assistance to Gulf states affected by the spill, including sharing oil and gas revenue from offshore drilling.
Bio Fuel
Protein Power for Jack and the Beanstalk
Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) May 20, 2010 - Plant geneticists are on a determined quest - to control auxin, a powerful plant growth hormone. Auxin tells plants how to grow, where to lay down roots, how to make tissues, and how to respond to light and gravity. Knowing how to manipulate auxin could thus have enormous implications for the production of biofuel, making plants grow faster and better.
Energy Tech
Stripes Offer Clues To Superconductivity
Washington DC (SPX) May 20, 2010 - New images of iron-based superconductors are providing telltale clues to the origin of superconductivity in a class of ceramic materials known as pnictides. The images reveal that electrons responsible for the superconducting currents in some pnictides tend to flow primarily along the boundaries between the crystal grains that make up the superconductors.
Wind Daily
Caltech Researchers Find Schooling Fish Offer New Ideas For Wind Farming
California (SPX) May 19, 2010 - The quest to derive energy from wind may soon be getting some help from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) fluid-dynamics expert John Dabiri-and a school of fish.
Energy Tech
Chinese get another big Iraqi oil deal
Baghdad (UPI) May 19, 2010 - A Chinese-led consortium has clinched an oil contract with Baghdad to develop the highly prized Missan field, consolidating Beijing's grip on the energy sector in a country that sees itself eclipsing Saudi Arabia in production.
Energy Tech
Clean energy bank for Muslim countries?
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (UPI) May 19, 2010 - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak proposed setting up a Clean Energy Development Bank for the benefit of Muslim countries to boost development of clean energy-related industries.
Energy News
Ecuador, China agree on hydroelectric financing after spat
Quito (AFP) May 19, 2010 - Ecuador and China have reached an agreement in principle on a 1.7 billion dollar line of credit to build a hydroelectric plant, a government news agency said Wednesday.
Energy News
Gazprom CEO Says May Fund Ukraine Gas Pipeline Modernization
Kiev, Russia (RIA Novosti) May 19, 2010 - If an agreement on the merger of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukrainian Naftogaz takes place, Gazprom may fund the modernization of Ukraine's gas transport system, Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller said on Monday.
Energy News
Russia Wants To Create 10-Year Cooperation Plan With Ukraine
Kiev, Russia (RIA Novosti) May 19, 2010 - Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday he hoped Russia and Ukraine would draw up a cooperation plan for the next ten years.
Energy Tech
Scientists Home In On Lithium Battery Safety Flaws
Cambridge UK (SPX) May 19, 2010 - Scientists at Cambridge have developed a simple, accurate way of seeing chemistry in action inside a lithium-ion battery.
Energy Tech
US overhauls agency in charge of offshore drilling
Washington (AFP) May 19, 2010 - The US agency that regulates offshore drilling was broken up into three separate agencies Wednesday as part of a move to end cozy industry relationships exposed by the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, officials said.
Energy Tech
Kenya admits oil prospects are disappointing
Nairobi (AFP) May 18, 2010 - Oil drilling in northeastern Kenya has not yet yielded any commercially viable finds, a government official said Tuesday, pouring cold water on previous government statements.
Energy Tech
Salazar vows to ‘clean up’ agency that regulates US oil rigs
Washington (AFP) May 18, 2010 - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pledged to revamp the US agency that regulates offshore drilling and admitted faults Tuesday as lawmakers grilled him about the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
Energy Tech
Two abducted Chinese oil-workers released in Yemen: official
Sanaa (AFP) May 18, 2010 - Two Chinese oil-workers who were abducted by tribesmen in eastern Yemen were released on Tuesday after two days in captivity, a local official and tribesmen told AFP.
Energy Tech
BP says containing one fifth of spill; political pressure mounts
New Orleans, Louisiana (AFP) May 17, 2010 - US President Barack Obama is launching a commission to probe the huge Gulf oil spill amid a growing political firestorm as BP said Monday a tube inserted into the gushing leak was siphoning 20 percent of the flow.