Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

How Fairhaven, MA Residents Got Fleeced by Wind Power
September 3, 2013September 3, 2013

A Fairhaven, MA resident writes that Marcellus and Utica Shale have made natural gas so cheap that a wind energy project funded by Fairhaven town taxpayers has not, nor ever will, produce revenue anywhere near what was promised by the project’s developers–developers, we might add, that continue to get a guaranteed 2.3% increase in revenue each year even though the town is not getting the minimum profits they were told they would get.

Now the residents of Fairhaven are left holding the bag of diminishing revenue and escalating costs–and the Fairhaven residents who are unfortunate enough to live near the project have to endure the never-ending wumpf, wumpf, wumpf noise that comes from the turbines…
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Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

DOE Sec. Moniz Says NatGas Both Problem and Solution
August 27, 2013August 27, 2013

Obama administration officials, including the newly minted Ernest “Hair” Moniz, refuse to “debate” the mythology surrounding man-made global warming, declaring the debate is now over and that they have won a debate only just beginning! Whatever. In a speech yesterday at Columbia University, Moniz towed the Obama line that carbon emissions must be capped, especially from coal (today) and one day from natural gas too. However, the speech and the Q&A that followed weren’t all bad (from a pro-drilling perspective). Moniz is a realist, unlike many in his party. He recognizes that natural gas is a lower-carbon fossil-fuel bridge to a renewable energy future–and it’s a mighty long bridge (decades) at that.

Unfortunately we could not locate a transcript of Moniz’s speech, so we have to rely on skewed, anti-drilling reporting from Bloomberg:
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Air Quality | Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

BHO Sacrifices Liberty and Freedom in the Name of Climate Change
June 27, 2013June 27, 2013

On Tuesday, President Barack Hussein Obama delivered a speech at Georgetown University (full copy embedded below) in which he said, essentially, that he doesn’t have the patience for this messy thing called democracy and freedom and the will of the people when it comes to so-called Climate Change. Therefore he, BHO, in order to save the planet from itself, will charge forward with draconian measures that he’s sure will be unpopular, but according to him, necessary.
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Alternative Energy | Industrywide Issues | Research

New Report: NatGas + Renewables = Lower GHG Emissions
June 7, 2013June 7, 2013

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) has just published a new report titled, “Leveraging Natural Gas To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” The 116-page report (full copy embedded below) looks the recent success of using natural gas and at how it can be used in conjunction with other energy sources to cut the use of greenhouse gases even further. Former Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, John Hanger, is practically orgasmic in his effusive praise of the study, primarily because it mirrors his own philosophy of regulate natural gas drilling a lot more (but still do it), and at the same time work hard to develop renewable sources like wind and solar (see John’s comments here).

The C2ES posts this helpful overview and summary of the study on their website:
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Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Obama to Nominate Moniz for Energy, McCarthy for EPA
March 4, 2013March 4, 2013

It’s official: President Obama will nominate MIT physicist Ernest “Hair” Moniz to be the next Secretary of Energy, and Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency. We call Dr. Moniz “Hair” because of his “wavy mop” of gray hair—you’ll know what we mean when you see his picture.

Details on Dr. Moniz:

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Alternative Energy | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin Proposes Ending Tax Credit for Electric Cars
February 19, 2013February 19, 2013

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed into law a tax credit in 2011 that covers 35% of the cost for “alternative fuel vehicles”—up to $7,500 for passenger cars and $25,000 for large trucks. His “good intentions” are costing too much. The original bill covered many types of alternative fuels, including electric and coal liquids. Gov. Tomblin wants to change that. He’s proposing new legislation that eliminates the tax credit—now—for all vehicle types except those that run on natural gas.

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Alternative Energy | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

The Great and Powerful BHOz Threatens Edict on Global Warming
February 13, 2013February 13, 2013

Apologies in advance to MDN subscribers who voted for and/or support our petulant man-child president with tyrannical tendencies, Barack H. Obama. You’re excused from reading this post. It may give you a stroke.

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Air Quality | Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Climate Change Being Used as Excuse for New Law in PA
December 27, 2012December 27, 2012

In 2009, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Climate Change Advisory Committee released a plan with non-binding recommendations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent statewide by 2020. The move was prompted by a 2008 law passed by the state legislature. (Ever notice “global warming” became “climate change” because the earth isn’t actually warming? … but we digress.) Part of the “recommendations” to reduce carbon dioxide is more use of natural gas. But getting natural gas from the ground tends to increase the release of methane, another so-called greenhouse gas.

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Alternative Energy | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Industrywide Issues | Research

ExxonMobil Predicts World Fossil Fuel Usage Up 5% by 2040
December 12, 2012December 12, 2012

ExxonMobil, not only the world’s largest energy company but the world’s largest company period by revenue, publishes an annual Outlook for Energy. Yesterday they issued the 2013 edition (embedded below). The annual publication is an inside look at how some of the world’s keenest minds in energy view what’s coming down the road for energy over the next 30 years.

A few (very interesting) highlights from this year’s edition:

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Alternative Energy | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

New York Towns Vote to Ban… Wind Energy
November 27, 2012November 27, 2012

The mainstream media loves to run stories about the dozens of townships in New York state that voted to ban hydraulic fracturing. What the media doesn’t cover are the dozens of townships in New York state that have voted to ban or restrict wind power in their communities. You read that right. Many communities in New York don’t like the noisy, disruptive (and permanent, unlike natural gas drilling) presence of huge wind turbines.

Take the case of 60 residents in Herkimer County who are suing Iberdrola, the parent company of New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), over a wind farm in their community:

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Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Global Warming Expert Promotes Shale Gas to Cut Carbon
November 23, 2012November 23, 2012

Oxford economist and a big-time proponent that man causes global warming, Dieter Helm, has a brand new book out called The Carbon Crunch. He believes, as many people do, that earth faces an urgent need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere (we’ll save our global warming skepticism for another day). Here’s the surprise: In Helm’s new book, he argues, strongly, that global warmists should support shale gas as the best, most practical option to help cut carbon emissions in the short-term. He also says expensive and poorly performing wind turbines and solar panels have done more harm than good.

From a review of his new book by New Scientist magazine:

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Alternative Energy | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

Geological Consultant Says Shale Gas is a Commercial Failure
November 19, 2012November 19, 2012

Two weeks ago MDN highlighted the opinions, as expressed in a book to be published in the spring, from an “expert” who says shale gas supplies in the U.S. will last less than 10 years (see this MDN story). We were a bit incredulous and doubtful—the book is written by an energy investment advisor, not a geologist. But we now have a second contrary voice to add to his—this one is Arthur Berman, a geological consultant with 34 years of experience in petroleum exploration and production.

Berman says, among other things, that the decline rates for shale oil are very steep and that unless we’re drilling thousands of new wells each year, we won’t even stay even with the oil we’re producing now. His opinion is in stark contrast to the IEA, EIA and other governmental organizations that predict the U.S. will soon surpass Saudi Arabia to be the world’s largest oil producer (we’ve already surpassed Russia to be the largest natural gas producer). Here’s some of Berman’s comments in an interview on shale gas and oil:

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Alternative Energy | Industrywide Issues

A Peak at the Future of U.S. Energy if Enviro Wackos Prevail
November 15, 2012November 15, 2012

To get an inkling of what’s in store for the U.S. when it comes to energy if the environmental wackos get their way, we give you Exhibit A: The lobotomized country of Germany. Germany now believes, en masse, that in the next 35 years or so they will convert to so-called alternative energy sources like wind and solar—for 100% of their energy needs. MDN editor Jim Willis likely won’t be alive in 35 years to laugh at them and say “we told you that you were nuts,” so we’ll just do it now.

The following self-delusional fantasy is brought to you by Bloomberg News:

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Alternative Energy | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues

Sale of CA Wind Farm Benefits/Enables Shale Fracking
October 12, 2012October 12, 2012

This story is an amusement for MDN, one of those deliciously ironic tales that’s sure to tick off the greenies. And that’s precisely why we bring it to you.

This is the story of how the sale of a wind farm in California will benefit shale gas drilling in the Marcellus, Utica and other shale plays.

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Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Cuomo Announces Green Tech Initiative, Dithers on Fracking
September 18, 2012September 18, 2012

Throwing a little political red meat (and taxpayer money) to his leftist anti-drilling supporters, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced the launch of a new $30 million “green technology” initiative. One of the absurd arguments made by those who oppose drilling is that we can get by, right now, using only alternative sources of energy like wind and solar if we’d only just reduce the amount of energy we use—like by 50% (their estimates). You know, put padlocks on everyone’s thermostats so the furnace doesn’t come on for anything over 60 degrees. Rolling blackouts—“Today’s Tuesday, so we have electricity, horray!” That sort of thing.

Cuomo’s new green energy “initiative” with an emphasis on figuring out how to use energy more efficiently (sans rolling blackouts) will be music to anti-drillers’ ears. Meanwhile, Cuomo continues to dither on the one clean energy alternative that would make an immediate and profound difference for all New Yorkers: drilling for clean-burning natural gas.

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Alternative Energy | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

Natural Gas Benefits Renewables in the Long-Term
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

Michael Butler, co-founder of Cascadia Capital and former managing director at Lehman Brothers responsible for global equity sales, today published his five predictions for the sustainable energy industry for the balance of 2012. His predictions #4 and #5 deal with natural gas. MDN found them interesting:

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