Energy

A financial research firm that was ahead of the curve on red-flagging Bear Stearns Companies’ bad investments is now warning a Kansas utility that expanding a coal-burning power plant would also fall under the financially dubious column. Innovest’s report, “Sunflower Electric Power: Carbon Risks Outweigh Benefits of Holcomb Expansion” (pdf), says looming federal carbon legislation [...]

Politics have overshadowed discussion of the environmental pros and cons in the debate over the Midtown Eco-Energy project. The proposed wood-burning power plant would be built in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. Steve Brandt tries to peel the political onion in today’s Star Tribune. The controversy includes opponents’ suspicion about two politically connected DFLers [...]

I’m one of the pokier bloggers on the block, so I read with a dash of glee last month when New York Times reporter/blogger Andrew Revkin pondered whether now might be the time to consider a “slow blog” movement. I even thought about registering slowblog.com. (Someone beat me to the punch, unfortunately.)

Revkin’s suggestion came on [...]

The developer proposing a wood-burning power plant in south Minneapolis is asking for more time on its option to buy the property from the city, the Star Tribune reports today. Kandyohi Development Partners wants to build the Midtown Eco-Energy facility on the site of a city-owned garbage transfer station at 2850 20th Ave. S.

The project [...]

The word stagflation has been on the minds of economists in recent weeks. The term describes the unusual condition when the economy is slowing but prices are increasing.

Dr. Stephen Leeb, author of the Complete Investor newsletter, believes we’re at the beginning of a long period of energy-driven stagflation. As long as oil and commodity prices [...]

“Let me start first by telling you that America has got to change its habits. We’ve got to get off oil. And the reason why is, first, oil is — dependency on oil presents a real challenge to our economy. … It should be obvious to you all that the demand is outstripping supply, which [...]

As a blogger who follows energy issues, my RSS reader is stuffed with Google alerts for keywords like “wind,” “solar,” and “renewable energy.” I’ve noticed a phrase popping up over and over again used to brag about a state or region’s renewable energy potential: “the Saudi Arabia of…”

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has said Minnesota could be [...]

An NPR segment yesterday about rising concerns over “stagflation” in the nation’s economy reminded me of a book I read last summer called The Coming Economic Collapse, by investor and peak-oil-proponent Stephen Leeb. I checked it out at the library again so I could share.

I wonder if the way we fuel our cars is going to shape up to be another battle a la VHS-vs.-Beta, Blu-Ray-vs.-HD. A new European Union study says using hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles has potential to reduce the amount of oil burned for transportation by 40 percent by 2050. But substantial economic, technological and [...]

Nuclear power has picked up a few unlikely endorsements lately, as some environmentalists reconsider its possible lesser-evil  status as an alternative to carbon-spewing coal plants. Still, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty earlier this month proposed lifting Minnesota’s ban on building new nuclear power plants, it came as a surprise to greens and energy insiders alike. Six [...]