Fossil fuels

The International Energy Agency on Monday published an analysis that found subsidies for fossil fuels are higher than previously thought. Cutting subsidies would encourage energy efficiency and low-carbon fuels, it said.

The amount of money paid to subsidize fossil fuels around the world was $557 billion in 2008, which is up from $342 billion in the previous year. The key findings on fossil fuel subsidies (click for PDF) were published in advance of the IEA's annual World Energy Outlook report, which is due in November.

The IEA, which gathers energy industry data, recommended that governments set up programs to … Read more

A supercomputer simulation conducted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in conjunction with the Los Alamos National Laboratory indicates that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to move up the East Coast. However, officials are stressing the results are a simulation and not a prediction.

The findings, detailed by NCAR, suggest that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill could extend "along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and open ocean as early as this summer."

According to NCAR:

The computer simulations indicate that, once the oil in the uppermost ocean has become entrained … Read more

Using freely available government data, a new Web site helps people quantify the BP oil spill in local terms.

IfItWasMyHome.com uses a combo of Google Maps and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite tracking data to place the parameters of the BP oil spill--the result of the April 20 explosion of an oil rig--over any area in the world.

The spill can be moved to center on any location of one's choosing by simply entering location data (such as a city or postal code) as one would usually do for Google Maps.

Playing with the tool is devastating.… Read more

La./HOUSTON--BP said on Saturday the complex "top kill" maneuver to plug its Gulf of Mexico oil well has failed, crushing hopes for a quick end to the largest oil spill in U.S. history already in its 40th day.

"We have not been able to stop the flow," said Doug Suttles, the London-based oil giant's chief operating officer.

"We have made the decision to move on to the next option," he added.

That next option is called the lower marine riser package cap, one that captures oil from the well rather than … Read more

PORT FOURCHON, Louisiana--BP reported progress on Friday in its struggle to shut off its gushing Gulf of Mexico oil well as President Barack Obama sought to show leadership in tackling the biggest spill in U.S. history.

Obama visited the Louisiana coast, where sticky oil has permeated wetlands, closed down the lucrative fishing trade and angered locals whose communities are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the so-called top-kill procedure, in which heavy drilling "mud" is pumped into the seabed well shaft, was showing some signs of success in choking off … Read more

Rather than pump smokestack gases underground to keep them out of the air, Skyonic wants to turn them into something else and sell them.

The Austin, Texas-based company this week started a pilot project of converting flue gases from a cement factory into industrial chemicals, including baking soda. This SkyMine project, located at in San Antonio, Texas, will test the company's "carbon mineralization" process, with the goal of starting construction of a commercial-scale facility by the third quarter of this year, according to Skyonic founder and CEO Joe Jones.

Carbon capture and storage often refers to separating … Read more

Ford Motor announced Wednesday at the 2010 SAE World Congress that it's incorporating cooled EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) into its EcoBoost repertoire of gas engines.

EcoBoost versions of Ford power trains incorporate the direct injection and turbocharging technology previously restricted to diesel engines to offer more power to gas engines while still maintaining the same level of efficiency. The EcoBoost version of the 2010 Ford Flex SEL, for example, offers a V6 engine that can make 355 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, but get the same mileage as the base model V6 engine that makes 262 horsepower and … Read more

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--As renewable energy gains steam, environmentalists are increasingly being asked whether to support their longtime enemy: nuclear power.

At the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference here, nuclear power has frequently entered the discussion over the future of clean energy. Prompted by government policies, utilities are investing in wind and solar power but there are limits to what renewable power can do, say people in the industry.

When environmentalists say that clean energy can supply all electricity needs in the near future, they're being idealistic, said David Crane, the CEO of utility NRG Energy, which has invested in … Read more

Though some moviegoers' powerful identification with "Avatar" may have inspired them to ponder the planet and rethink their carbon footprint, they likely missed the irony: millions of nonbiodegradable, plastic 3D glasses were reportedly distributed for the movie.

Luckily, cinemas may be on their way to adopting a more sustainable technology. Cereplast, an L.A.-based maker of bioplastics, has partnered with Oculus3D to create what appear to be the first biodegradable 3D glasses. Unlike current 3D glasses that are made using petroleum-based plastic, these will be manufactured with plastic derived from plant materials.

Cereplast and Oculus3D say they'… Read more