Financial Times -- By Gregory Meyer in New York , Financial Times, 26 Aug 2010

Los Angeles traffic: Americans are driving less

Evidence of a slowdown in the US economy is turning up in oil markets as demand stagnates in the world's most voracious petroleum consuming nation.

US petroleum stockpiles are at their highest levels since the early 1980s, the energy department revealed this week, and the rapid rebound in demand from the recessionary lows of a year ago has begun to decelerate.

Americans are consuming less oil than they did in 2008 – or most of the previous decade, for that matter.

Demand for petrol, crucial to a car-dependent US, has gained a meagre 0.5 per cent year to date, according to energy department data.

US refiners are, meanwhile, exporting hundreds of thousands of barrels of ...  (read more)

Clean Technica -- "...This new form appears to be a kind of “scavenger” that harvests part of the light spectrum that other forms of chlorophyll don’t absorb.

The discovery is significant because it could help push forward the development of new strains of algae that can use a larger part of the light spectrum to produce biofuel oils, which in turn would help to make renewable biofuel production cheaper and more competitive with fossil fuels....

there is still some homework to be done before a definitive connection can be made, but the future looks promising for applying the mechanisms of photosynthesis not only to improve the efficiency of biofuel production. The implications for renewable energy also go beyond biofuels.... '  (read more)

USA TODAY -- PHOENIX (AP) — A surprise downpour sparked collisions involving 69 vehicles on an interstate near Phoenix's downtown area Saturday evening, closing the westbound roadway for hours and sending seven people to hospitals.
The crashes — described by authorities as the most in a single Phoenix area in recent memory — began about 6:30 p.m. with many drivers going too fast or not leaving enough distance between cars for the slippery conditions, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bob Bailey said.

"The storm hit hard, hit fast, and caught a lot of drivers by surprise," he said. "The collisions began in the far right side of the roadway near the 7th Street exit ramp and this thing kind of perpetuated itself, enveloping the whole roadway."

None of the injuries was life threatening and most  (read more)

Yahoo News -- This could literally be called pee power to the people-researchers have figured out a way to make the world's first urine-powered fuel cells.
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http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15917969 -- As the final days of the 2010 legislative session wind down in Sacramento, a Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing to give California the most far-reaching mandate for renewable energy in the United States.
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The showdown over Simitian's bill, SB 722, could come to a vote early next week. The bill would require California's utilities to produce 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
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Three years ago, Simitian wrote a law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, that required a 20 percent renewable electricity standard by Dec. 31, 2010. That target is close to being met. The state's utilities are on pace to hit 18 percent this year and 21 percent by the end of next year.

But getting to 33 percent is a much steeper climb.  (read more)

CNN -- (CNN) -- In rural communities of Africa -- where more than 95 percent of homes have no access to electricity -- solar energy has the power to transform lives.

Globally, 1.5 billion people, one quarter of the world's population, live without electricity, according to a United Nations report.

Those who can afford any power at all spend large proportions of their income on kerosene for lamps or travel to larger towns to charge their batteries several times a week.

Burning kerosene contributes to indoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill 1.6 million people each year. Kerosene lamps also lead to fires that cause severe burns and deaths.

Solar energy saves families money as well as allowing children to study in the evenings and giving families access to information through rad  (read more)

Medill Reports -- Drivers pay extra to pump midgrade or premium gas into their tanks nearly 15 percent of the time, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

No figures track the exact number of people who fill regular tanks with premium gas for a perceived performance bump. But as the country increasingly looks for big ways to conserve energy, smaller targets also beckon. Shifting gears away from premium gasoline is an obvious move.

Patrick Kelly — a policy adviser at the American Petroleum Group, the country’s largest trade association for producers of oil and natural gas — offers a crash course in “Gasoline 101,” explaining what gasoline octane means, what makes premium gas “premium,” and whether overusing it takes an added toll on the environment.  (read more)

the auto blog -- Hydrogen faces a number of challenges when it comes to supplanting gasoline as the world's transportation fuel of choice, one of the largest of which was underscored by two small explosions at a Rochester, New York refueling station yesterday. According to reports, two people were injured when a spark ignited the fuel during a tank exchange. Praxair driver Robert Scruggs was transported to Strong Hospital with second-degree burns to his hands and face as a result of the incident, and a female Burger King employee was treated for ear pain in connection with the explosions.
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Bloomberg -- Crude oil may rise next week after failing to break through a technical support level, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

Twenty of 49 analysts, or 41 percent, forecast crude oil will increase through Sept. 3. Seventeen respondents, or 35 percent, predicted that futures will be little changed, and 12 projected a decline. Last week, 39 percent of analysts forecast a drop.

October oil in New York fell to $70.76 a barrel on Aug. 25, the lowest intraday price for the contract since May 25. The failure to drop below the May low of $70.35 was a signal for technical traders to purchase futures.

“The market was oversold, and when we failed to take out the May lows the buyers came back in,” said Richard Ilczyszyn, a Chicago-based senior market strategist at Lind-Waldock, a division of MF Global Inc  (read more)

Reuters -- (Reuters) - Canadian developers are plotting a small revolution in the still-tiny market for electric cars, with a concept vehicle made from hemp set to debut at a specialized auto show next month.

The four-seat car, called the Kestrel, has an outer shell of a hemp-based composite, which developers say is lighter than glass fiber and more resilient than steel. It will debut at the EV (Electric Vehicles) tradeshow in Vancouver.

"The first vehicle comes out next year, and it will take four to five years for it to take off, but we hope that by that point electric vehicles will no longer be an 'alternative option'," said Nathan Armstrong, director of development firm Motive Industries, a small Calgary-based company that's looking at new options for the automotive sector.

The global el  (read more)

Gas 2.0 -- A new study published by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found that more and more Americans are warming to the idea of driving electric vehicles, citing environmental concerns as the main reason for making the change.

Over a quarter of the people surveyed described themselves as familiar with electric cars while 42% of respondents said they were likely to follow news reports about electric vehicles. Nearly a third of respondent described themselves as familiar or very familiar with hybrid vehicles.

Of those who said they would consider buying an electric car, nearly 80% said their greatest advantage was the fact they run without gasoline, while 67% cited the reduction in pollution.

However, when it came to reasons not to buy an electric car the survey showed that a defin  (read more)

Truthout.org -- An Alyeska Pipeline Service Company engineer sent a letter to federal regulators and BP's Office of the Ombudsman claiming internal company documents were altered following a 4,500-barrel oil spill May 25 to cover up the fact that Alyeska allegedly failed to perform maintenance on a key piece of equipment.  (read more)

Financial Times -- Major ship deliveries over the next two years could threaten the balance of the market for crude oil tankers, the sector’s biggest operator has warned as the earning power of tankers slumps.

Frontline, whose largest shareholder is John Fredriksen, the Norwegian-born tycoon, also warned in a results statement on Friday that third-quarter earnings would be “materially below” the $81.3m net income on $356m revenue achieved between April and June this year.

The daily rates earned by crude oil tankers have collapsed since the end of June, forcing many operators to lay ships up out of use, as the segment has become the latest area of shipping to be hit by a combination of weak demand and excess ships.

Frontline is particularly exposed to movements in rates because, like other companies  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- In the last part of our series on car insurance, we'll cover the extras that some motorists like to add to their policy- such things as towing, roadside assistance, and car rental.

Now, these may seem like things you don't need- but they certainly become nice luxuries once you've needed or used them. They typically don't cost much every month, but can save you a lot of headaches and bills if you have more than a claim or two every year.

Rental reimbursement will pay for your rental car if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Basically, until your car is done being repaired, you get a rental. If the car is stolen, you can drive the rental until you've determined your next car and the insurance settles your claim. Make sure...  (read more)

Associated Press -- Prices at gasoline stations across the country should keep dropping as travelers hit the road for late-summer trips.

The national average pump price has declined for 17 days in a row, reaching $2.682 for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. The price is 6.3 cents lower than a month ago and about 6.2 cents higher than it was last year at this time.

Motorists in the West are paying the most for gas, ranging from $2.815 to $3.521 a gallon. The cheapest prices are in Texas, parts of the Midwest and the Gulf Coast area, where the range is $2.446 to $2.537 a gallon.

The price pullback comes after a plunge in wholesale gasoline prices earlier this month continues to filter into the retail market. In addition,  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- I'll delay our last part of our series on car insurance- we'll cover that tomorrow. Back to the topic!

Supply? High. Economy? Lousy. Demand? Virtually flat. So what's driving the increase in wholesale prices today? One little report... about jobless numbers.

Jobless claims dropped more than expected and apparently that means that demand will increase, supply will somehow drop even while driving season is nearing its conclusion, and that the economy will grow at double digit rates. Oh wait- but its highly unlikely that any of that will even happen. We're in the midst of another knee jerk reaction by traders- buying at the first sign of promise... only to be let down later by another bad economic report.

Wholesale...  (read more)

LA Times -- As efforts continue to clean the oil that gushed from the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists has found that nature's microbial helpers are hard at work too — and doing a better job than researchers had expected.

Data collected in May and June showed populations of carbon-eating bacteria were increasing in parts of a plume of oil drifting in deep water in the gulf, said lead author Terry Hazen, head of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's ecology departmen  (read more)

Solveclimate.com -- By Stacy Feldman

Excerpts

"Cellulosic biofuel was once widely heralded as the key to cutting United States' dependence on foreign oil, without the adverse environmental effects of corn ethanol."

"The U.S. has set itself a goal of getting one billion gallons of home-grown fuel from corn stalks, wood chips and other non-edible waste by 2013 and 16 billion gallons by 2022, under the 2007 renewable fuels standard (RFS)."

"Cellulosic ethanol is seen as a promising alternative fuel because feedstock does not compete with food and can be grown on marginal lands that don't require much water. It is also perceived as a low-emissions substitute to corn-based fuels."

"Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS),...the U.S. can bring the first 10 to 20 commercial facilities online..."
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Business Week -- The government is expected to report Wednesday a 1.1 million barrel increase in commercial crude oil supplies for the week ended Aug. 20, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

The Energy Information Administration releases its weekly report at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Platts said analysts predicted gasoline stockpiles will shrink by 875,000 barrels, distillate stocks -- including diesel and heating oil -- will increase by 950,000 barrels and refinery utilization will dip by 0.5 percentage point to 89.5 percent.

A reading above or below estimates can influence market trading.

For the week that ended Aug. 13, the department said crude supplies shrank by 800,000 barrels to 354.2 million barrels; gasoline inventories were nearly unchanged at 223.3 million b  (read more)

NY Times -- HOUSTON — Even after dozens of witnesses, a hundred hours of testimony and three months of investigation, a chairman of a federal panel exploring the Deepwater Horizon disaster admitted Wednesday that he still lacked a simple fact: Who was the top authority on the oil rig when it exploded?

But the hearings have been dominated by disagreements among lawyers for the companies involved: BP, which owned the well and leased the rig; Transocean, the rig’s owner; and Halliburton, which poured cement around the well.  (read more)

Idaho Statesman -- BLISS - A 327,000-acre range fire that burned through seven Idaho Power Co. transmission lines couldn't stop energy developers and Gov. Butch Otter from celebrating what could become the largest wind energy project in Idaho.

The fire had forced organizers to move a "blade signing" - as wind-power developers call a groundbreaking - from the plateau above Hagerman, where several of the wind turbines will be erected, to the nearby town of Bliss. And even though seven transmission structures and 75 to 100 electric distribution poles were burned in the fire that began Saturday, the blades of an existing wind farm turned in the breeze.

"The very same winds that fanned the brush fire will turn the turbines to produce clean energy," said GE Energy Financial Services President and CEO Alex Urquha  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- The Department of Energy released its weekly report on the condition of petroleum inventories in the United States today.

Here are some highlights:

Crude oil inventories increased by 4.1 million barrels to a total of 358.3 million barrels. At 358.3 million barrels, inventories are 14.5 million barrels above last year (4.2%) and remain above average. Supply at NYMEX delivery point, Cushing, Oklahoma decreased some 700,000 barrels to 36.3 million barrels this week. Supplies at Cushing have decreased for the third time in a month but remain at healthy levels.

Gasoline inventories increased 2.3 million barrels to 225.6 million barrels. At 225.6 million barrels, inventories are now 17.6 million barrels, or 8.4% higher...  (read more)

CNN -- Athens, Georgia (CNN) -- Samantha Joye's office is littered with otherworldly artifacts from the deep ocean: a mussel the size of a football; a vase filled with tube worms, which look like grissini breadsticks; a photo of the world's biggest bacteria.

Above her cabinets, the University of Georgia oceanographer has posted two images of lunar landscapes. They're bizarrely similar, she says, to the topography on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, the body of water that has captivated her attention for 15 years.

Joye doesn't just work in the Gulf. She lives for it. She stays up at night thinking about what makes it tick. And, like a close friend, she's become fiercely protective of it.

Four months after the BP oil spill, the wiry 45-year-old -- who looks like the librarian version of Angelina  (read more)

autoblog.com -- Our brothers from another mother over at Translogic just released their latest episode yesterday, episode 5.4 for whoever's counting. Host Bradley Hasemeyer spent a day with General Motors at the automaker's Milford Proving Ground driving the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and came away with some heretofore unknown tidbits of information about the plug-in series hybrid.

For one, in addition to Eco, Normal and Sport modes, the Volt will have what's called Mountain Mode that allows it to climb any grade in the country. A GM engineer says they checked to be sure its Mountain Mode was adequate for any grade in the States and we have proof of at least one major mountain the Volt can climb. When Mountain Mode is selected,.. the Volt will kick on its on-board generator and create extra energy (see video  (read more)

Boston Globe -- Toyota’s Prius hybrid is becoming a little less quiet with a new electronic humming device that is the automaker’s answer to complaints that pedestrians can’t hear the top-selling car approaching.

The $148 speaker system that goes under the hood of the third-generation Prius sets off a whirring sound designed to be about the same noise level as a regular car engine so that it isn’t annoying, Toyota Motor Corp. said yesterday.

It goes on sale Aug. 30 in Japan, and owners pay extra for installation charges. Its use is voluntary.

Overseas sales plans are still undecided, but Toyota is studying regulations and considering offering it in the United States and other markets, said spokeswoman Monika Saito.

 (read more)