Topic: Energy Sector

Exxon, a Longtime Biofuel Holdout, Makes a $600 Million Algae Fuel Investment

Exxon has long denied plans to move into the biofuel market, but the oil company announced a plan today to invest $600 million in the production of biofuel from algae. As part of the plan, Exxon will partner with Synethetic Genomics, ...READ»

Oil

It's a dilemma for investors who want hefty returns and a clean green conscience: Can you own Big Oil and still feel good in the morning?READ»

• Sensible Investing: Oil
• Guide to Big Oil

Is Misleading the Public Really Profitable?

There shouldn’t be a choice between honest public relations and outright skewing of the truth for short-term gain, but as we know from never ending battles with tobacco companies, the latter is all too often common practice. Enter ...READ»

California's Low-Carbon Fuel Rule: A Boon for Alternative Fuels?

California passed the country's first low-carbon fuel standard law yesterday, with a goal of cutting carbon emissions 10% by 2020. The allowable carbon intensity of fuels will lower incrementally beginning in 2011. As a result, ...READ»

What Does Iberdrola's $295 Million Grant Mean for U.S. Wind Power?

The Department of Energy gave a big boost to solar and wind projects across the United States yesterday when it handed out nearly $503 million to companies in an attempt to raise their prospects of receiving outside capital. The ...READ»

World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Green-Lighted

The world's largest wind farm, dubbed the London Array, has been given the go-ahead after months of doubt caused by Shell pulling out of the project. The project, funded by E.ON, Dong Energy, and Masdar, is back on thanks to ...READ»

Information Is Everything

...And everywhere. It's a simple idea: If you want people to solve problems in real time, give them real-time information. Here's a look at how US West, Chevron, and Micron Electronics are using information to empower their people.READ»

Bucher CityCat: A Hydrogen-Powered Municipal Vehicle

Bucher CityCat H2, the world's first municipal utility vehicle powered by fuel cells, made its debut last week in Basel, Switzerland. The street-cleaning CityCat will undergo an 18-month trial to see how well it can reduce air ...READ»

What If Your ID Badge Says Halliburton?

"At the time of the capture [Saddam] had $750,000 in cash on him. They think he was trying to buy three gallons of gas from Halliburton." -- Jay Leno "I did not have financial relations with that company." -- ficticious quote ...READ»

Nuns Pressure Chevron to Track Carbon Emissions

Oil companies aren't usually known for their environmental awareness, but Chevron became the largest company--and the only major U.S. oil company--to track its carbon emissions yesterday. The declaration came partially as a result ...READ»

Shell Admits Participation in Terrorism

I buy gas at Shell; Am I complicit in the terrorism? Probably.READ»

Brightsource Brings Solar Power to the Oil Industry

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "solar power"? Chances are, you don't picture a Chevron oil field. Yet that's exactly where BrightSource Energy wants to put a 29-megawatt solar thermal plant by the end of 2010. As oil ...READ»

Exxon's Brazen Greenwashing, on the Front Page of The New York Times

Exxon's new ads tout the idea that car emissions are 95% lower now than in 1970. But not so fast, says one scientist.READ»

Net Profit

What does it take to make a better bed net? It's no small matter: Bed nets are a critical defense against malaria, which each year kills 1 million people and makes another 300 million ill in developing regions. The solution, it turns out, is no small matter either.READ»

A Day in the Life of Work: Wave Runner

A former lawyer found her true calling as a harbor pilot, steering 1,000-foot tanker ships through Portland's waterways.READ»

Eden Project's Geothermal Plant Could Power 10% of British Homes

Geothermal power plants are the ugly ducklings of the energy world; they're not as big or flashy as wind and solar plants, and most of their energy-producing magic happens underground. But a new $25 million geothermal plant being ...READ»

Five Companies That Are Turning Algae Into Energy

We recently received a press release from a fledging company called Renewed World Energies claiming that it has created the first commercially viable algae-processing system. The company expects to have two acres of commercial algae ...READ»

Sustainability in Corporate Advertising

I am wondering if the focus on sustainability in corporate advertising, relative to the lower weighting in product advertising indicates a perception on behalf of companies that consumers really don’t care much. READ»

What Can The USA Learn From Iceland Regarding Clean Energy?

Yesterday (September 22), President Obama addressed the United Nations Climate Change Summit with a speech focused on how the United States is "determined" to combat Climate Change. While the Waxman-Markey bill has been held up in the ...READ»

Sustainability: The Green Age of Advertising

While reading through The New York Times on Monday, I came across a giant blue ad proclaiming "It took 125 years to use the first trillion barrels of oil. We'll use the next trillion in 30." More blue boxes showed up on subsequent ...READ»

Under the Sea

The natural gas that powers buses and brings light to your home may come from Norway's Snøhvit field, which sets new standards for harvesting the riches of the deep. READ»

• Under the Sea
• Can Big Oil Become Big Green Energy?

Will San Francisco Lead the U.S. in Wave Power?

Only one week after unveiling three plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charging stations in San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the submission of a permit application to bring renewable ocean energy off the city's ...READ»

My High-Tech Road Test

Collect the top-rated gear for road warriors, take it all on a 36-hour business trip-and what do you get? The final word on whether this stuff really works.READ»

Who Wins Under a Cap-and-Trade System?

The idea behind the cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions is simple: Energy companies that rely mostly on oil and coal will have to pony up big bucks, while those who rely on more diversified forms of power will benefit. ...READ»

VP of Progress

Job Titles We'd Like to Have: Don TornbergREAD»