Geology News
Renewable Energy Current Events

Wind currently accounts for about 3.5% of the U.S. electric power generating capacity with some experts predicting that 20% is a likely goal. NPR investigates if there will be enough wind to go around?

Although Tesoro Corporation has decided to purchase crude oil derived from algae, ExxonMobil has invested $600 million and is not very excited about it.

A new geothermal heating and cooling system on the University of Maine at Farmington campus will have 80 wells drilled to depths of up to 500 feet.

A Scientific American article explains how the National Geothermal Data System can be a valuable asset to companies working on geothermal energy projects.

They call it “renewable methanol”. As carbon dioxide is emitted at a geothermal plant in Iceland it is being converted into methanol that will be blended with gasoline by a Dutch oil company.

An article on the Fox News website includes quotes from a number of energy leaders on American energy independence and American energy security.

The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas plans to lease the geothermal rights to Augustine Volcano and 66,000 acres of surrounding land and seafloor. It should be pretty hot since it last erupted in 2006. Results from the lease at Spurr have not been exciting so far.

An entrepreneur in Arkansas goes from running his diesel pickup truck on waste oil from a catfish restaurant to selling millions of dollars worth of consulting and products that help people run their vehicles on unconventional fuels.

“Most of the oil consumed in South Africa, used mainly in the transportation sector, is imported from large producers in the Middle East and West Africa and is locally refined. South Africa also has a highly developed synthetic fuels industry, producing gasoline and diesel fuels from coal and natural gas.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration country report.

“More than 128 megawatts of geothermal capacity came on-line in the U.S. in 2012, the second largest annual capacity addition since 2005.” This article on the Seeking Alpha blog lists twelve important geothermal events from 2012.

Instead of digging trenches or drilling a vertical well to install a geothermal system, some contractors will drill horizontal wells. This allows installation without digging trenches and the wells can travel under buildings, parking lots, athletic fields and more.