...Solar energy and battery technology are going to be discussed today. For non-engineers, which is most of us, there is a belief that alternative energy technologies are designed and ready to be deployed. Some believe the conversion to alternate energy systems is being blocked for economic reasons. Our guest today is an engineer. Dr. Andy Lozowski runs the Power Electronics Laboratory for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His research area involves design of energy conversion devices. He commutes to school on an electric bike using energy captured with roof-mount solar panels. In the next thirty minutes I will be asking several important questions. Can electric consumers in the United States stop using fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum) in the near future? If so, what might the infrastructure look like? Will electric consumers of the future be able to get off-the-grid? Conversation with Lee Presser is a weekly half hour television program seen for eleven years in the St. Louis market on Charter Cable TV....

...Mickey Fulp, the Mercenary Geologist, is always trying to see the world in different ways. When you can break from the pack to gain unique insight into the way markets behave and participants react, there's a great potential for profits. When we talked to Mickey back in October, Platinum was trading below Gold, an occurrence that has happened only very rarely in the past. Every time it's happened before, Platinum has posted large gains, and this time has been no exception. Today, 3/16/12 it's at $1670; Mickey was a buyer at $1500. Now, it's back over Gold and the fundamentals look extremely favorable. The undervalued commodity play of the decade has to be natural gas. It's trading just over $2 per mcf, and the ratio of btu's against a barrel of oil just shot up 50! Of course there are very good reasons why this is happening. The shale gas boom in the US has given us an extreme NG surplus. It's a regional market, and the gas is very hard to move and export to other places in the world. But, be sure that as long as the world is hungry for energy, someone will find a way to get that gas where it needs to be. Especially when gas trades around $10 per mcf in Europe and $15 per mcf in Asia. But patience in this market is clearly a requisite and a virtue....

...Karen Foertsch, a farmer in Butler county, Pennsylvania, has signed leases with a gas company for eight shale gas wells. Natural gas is like another crop for a farmer. But she must trust that the drillers will not damage her land. Foertsch cautions "The ground is our goose - you don't want to destroy it. You can reap the benefits of the golden eggs, but you cannot destroy the goose". -Gas Rush Stories is a series of short documentaries on shale gas drilling....

...Foxboro Selected By Dakota Gasification Company As Automation Partner For 5-Year Modernization Program Dakota Gasification Company (DGC), a subsidiary of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, has selected Invensys Operations Management as automation partner for a five-year modernization project at the company's Great Plains Synfuels Plant located in Beulah, North Dakota. Constructed in the 1980s, the plant currently produces more than 54 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas annually. Plant byproducts include fertilizers, solvents, phenol, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals. Utilizing its unique "plug in" system migration approach, Invensys will help DGC to gradually upgrade the company's obsolete Honeywell and Bailey control systems to advanced I/A Series automation technology. This approach enables legacy systems to be upgraded at minimum cost, with minimal risk, and with minimal process downtime by replacing the existing system I/O (input/output) modules with new I/A Series I/O modules designed to plug right into the existing system enclosures. Existing field wiring and I/O terminations are also retained. Prior to the actual system switchover, the existing control strategies are mapped to I/A Series control blocks and operator displays converted to the latest I/A Series graphical display technology. At DGC, approximately 17000 I/O points will be migrated to the new system. "While our legacy distributed control systems have served us well, it's clear that they have ......

...Obama is peddling more half-truths about oil, and is even offering erroneous anecdotes about Rutherford B. Hayes to support his green energy agenda. From wind power to solar energy, Obama is not telling you the truth about alternative energy. Hear why as Front Page regulars Terry Jones and Yaron Brook talk to Allen Barton about oil, energy and the environment. See more at www.pjtv.com...

...The NATIONAL PETROLEUM CONSTRUCTION COMPANY (NPCC), a Public Joint Stock company, was established in April 1973. The fabrication facilities then were located on Sadiyat Island, 3 km east of Abu Dhabi city. The present facilities are now located at Mussafah, 35 km from Abu Dhabi city. Growth of NPCC In 1973, NPCC was initially established to provide a facility for the fabrication of steel structures required by the onshore and offshore Oil and Gas production industry. In 1978 NPCC expanded its operation by setting up a custom built pipe coating facility at the yard. In 1979, NPCC ventured into offshore activities for the Oil & Gas industry, providing marine spreads for Pipelay, Installation and Hook-up works. Today, NPCC owns a dedicated marine fleet consisting 13 construction barges, capable of transportation of up to 12000 tons, lifting single structures weighing up to 2600 tons, laying submarine pipelines up to 60" in diameter and hook-up and maintenance works. In 1986, with the intention of serving onshore projects, NPCC ventured into manufacturing Storage Tanks & Spheres for storing various types of petroleum products such as; liquid sulphur, water, diesel oil, crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), etc The dynamic growth of NPCC since its inception and its achievements over the years, have placed this National Company in a league with major international EPC contractors involved in the development of the Oil and Gas Industry. In 1992 ......

...Marking the last day of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee visit to Australia protesters descended on Gladstone Harbour and stopped dredging. Mark (Potts) Driscoll chained himself to the harbour dredge Razende Bol and Rotterdam boat, shutting down the controversial development of the Coal Seam Gas LNG port facility on Curtis Island in Gladstone Queensland. "The dredging activities in Gladstone are a crime against the environment. The LNG facilities in Gladstone are another part in the destructive Coal Seam Gas industry in Queensland. This industry is destroying our farmland, polluting our water systems, and killing the Great Barrier Reef," said Friends of the Earth spokesperson Drew Hutton. "Today is the final day of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee monitoring mission to Australia. We want to send a clear reminder to the World Heritage team that Gladstone harbour is being killed and the dredging by the Coal Seam Gas industry is the cause". The visit by UNESCO was initiated by Gladstone locals over their concern for Gladstone Harbour and the massive industrial development, dredging and fish kills. In June 2011 the Australian Government was requested by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to 'please explain' why it should be able to maintain World Heritage declaration over the Great Barrier Reef for allowing LNG projects within the Great Barrier Reef marine park. Images can be found here - www.flickr.com Sources - Thanks to Channel 7 and Win 9....

...35 KW Kohler Genset for sale used...

...Carnegie Science Center's newest Science on the Road live show! It's an epic energy adventure millions of years in the making! Journey through time in search of coal, oil, and natural gas. Travel to Prehistoric Park, roar with ancient animals, and discover the plants or plankton that became fossil fuels. At Geology Junction, use sound and electricity to locate underground fuel deposits. At Rockbuster Rig, extract natural gas from the region's Marcellus Shale formation. Content themes: Geology, Energy, Paleontology, Regional Science...

...Rep. Ron Miller supports legislation to promote the development of natural gas vehicles in Pennsylvania....

......

......

...... to pay for costlier gas out of savings rather than cutting spending in other areas. Easing the impact further, other energy prices have fallen even as gas costs have soared. The price of natural gas to residential consumers has dropped an average of 8 percent a year since 2009. Consumers saved more money in January from lower natural gas and electricity prices than they paid in higher gas ......

yahoo.com

[Show/Hide 97 Additional Articles]

...... penny on Friday to a national average of $3.831 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service . Meanwhile, oil prices rose closer to $106 per barrel and natural gas futures headed back above $2.30 per 1,000 cubic feet. The average price for a gallon of regular is now above $4 Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois and New York. Gasoline has jumped ......

yahoo.com

[Show/Hide 38 Additional Articles]

...... Carmakers had raised production to meet demand that had been pent up by a lack of popular models. Mining output slid sharply for a second straight month, partly reflecting a drop in natural gas extraction. Demand for natural gas has fallen sharply due to an unusually warm winter. Utility production, which plummeted in both December and January, was flat. INFLATION RISE JUST TEMPORARY? ......

reuters.com

[Show/Hide 11 Additional Articles]

...... internal policies for its bankers involved in deals. The New York investment bank's policies on conflicts of interest became an issue in the $21 billion buyout of El Paso by Houston natural gas pipeline company Kinder Morgan . Goldman collected a fee for advising El Paso on the deal. However Goldman failed to disclose that one of its lead bankers on the team owned Kinder Morgan Stock . El ......

yahoo.com

[Show/Hide 27 Additional Articles]

...... had been pent up by a lack of popular models after natural disasters in Japan early last year disrupted supply chains. The sharp drop in mining output partly reflected a drop off in natural gas extraction. An unusually warm winter has cut into natural gas demand and pushed prices sharply lower. Capacity utilization, a measure of how close to full-out factories and mines are running, ......

reuters.com

[Show/Hide 7 Additional Articles]

...... clients and not acting in customers' best interest. The bank did not offer specifics Friday on the review of its policies. The energy deal was a $21 billion buyout of El Paso, a Houston natural gas and oil company, by Kinder Morgan , a Houston natural gas pipeline company. The judge ultimate allowed the deal. Goldman collected a fee for advising El Paso on the deal. The judge criticized ......

yahoo.com

[Show/Hide 36 Additional Articles]

...... Consumers paid less last month for vegetables, dairy products, and meat, fish and eggs. Clothing costs dropped by the most in more than five years in February and airfares dipped. And natural gas prices dropped sharply last month and have declined nearly 10 percent in the past year. That offset some of the increase in gas costs. Mild winter weather has cut demand, at the same time that ......

google.com

[Show/Hide 62 Additional Articles]

...... Bank. "The demand for crude remains relatively weak." In other energy trading, heating oil was up 0.5 cent at $3.23 per gallon and gasoline futures gained 0.7 cent at $3.29 per gallon. Natural gas slid 1.5 cents at $2.25 per 1,000 cubic feet. ......

yahoo.com

[Show/Hide 36 Additional Articles]

...... NEW YORK (Reuters) - America's steel industry, for decades a symbol of industrial decline, is betting on natural gas to make it more competitive against foreign producers. U.S. Steel Corp ( X.N ) and Nucor Inc ( NUE.N ), the two largest U.S. steel producers, are changing their traditional manufacturing processes as relatively cheap domestic natural gas supplies become more plentiful. Some ......

reuters.com

[Show/Hide 5 Additional Articles]

...... on Thursday it was evacuating non-essential personnel from Barrow Island, 70 km (44 miles) off the coast, where it operates oil production facilities and is building the Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The company said it was also evacuating personnel related to its Wheatstone LNG project near the coastal town of Onslow. On Wednesday, Woodside Petroleum ( WPL.AX ) and Apache ......

reuters.com

[Show/Hide 4 Additional Articles]

...... Do Low Natural Gas Prices = Opportunity? Be Careful! Posted on 16. Mar, 2012 by Another Joe in Economics, Education, Finances I love reading Marin Katusa's articles. Sometimes they're dealing with something that I'm not particularly interested in at this moment. But they always offer great insights and ideas. Usually I'll file the information for the future, hoping to be able to use it. I ......

notanotheraveragejoe.com

...... A year after a startup making natural gas vans, called the Vehicle Production Group (VPG), closed a $50 million Department of Energy loan, the company began producing its inaugural van. Today, the Miami startup, which was the most recent beneficiary of the controversial federal program, is seeing hundreds of vehicles on the road, according to Fred Drasner, chairman of the company. Founded in ......

4evriders.org

...... No, this is not a lost Doors solo. This is about drilling for natural gas. I would like to thank Stan Witkowski for passing this along on his FaceBook page. There is no question that natural gas is a clean-burning fuel. There is also no question that many countries including the United States have identified large deposits of natural gas that offer hopeful promise to reducing the ......

dimidia.com

...... Saddle Creek's new Freightliner Business Class M2 112 tractors run on compressed natural gas. Saddle Creek Corp., a nationwide third-party logistics provider based in Lakeland, Fla., is taking delivery of the first 40 natural gas trucks in a planned purchase of 120. The Freightliner Business Class M2 112 tractors run on compressed natural gas. Saddle Creek's new tractors will reduce the ......

cpatrucking.com

...... By JENNIFER CHEN Capital News Service LANSING Falling natural gas prices in the state might prompt drilling companies to cut production, according to the Michigan Oil and Gas Association. A growing supply of natural gas in the state has weakened prices, putting pressure on drillers, said association president Frank Mortl. With dropping prices, producers are hurting, but consumers are ......

news.jrn.msu.edu

...... The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) this week issued two updated consumer tips sheets on natural gas choice. "Interest in natural gas choice is high," noted MPSC Chairman John D. Quackenbush. "So, it is important to get the facts before signing a contract with an alternative gas supplier (AGS). The two consumer tips sheets updated today by the MPSC explain natural gas choice, ......

rivercountryjournal.info

...... Natural gas is up over 2% (5.2 cents) at $2.33. Here's last weeks rig count. And here's Reuters with this week's: The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States fell to a 10-year low this week as producers cut back on gas-related drilling operations. The gas-directed rig count fell for the 10th straight week, down by seven to 663, its lowest since May 2002, data from ......

climateerinvest.blogspot.com

...... Natural gas futures edged higher on Friday, on bargain hunting, but were still near 10-year lows a day after the Energy Administration released its inventory report. Natural gas prices have been on a downward spiral for some time now, and after this disastrous run, many analysts are starting to sound the alarm, claiming the natural gas market is about to touch bottom. "Gas is more than a ......

geonomicinvesting.com

...... more than a bargain. It is not sustainable at this price," said James Williams, an energy economist at WTRG Economics. "The question isn't whether prices will rise, but when." Natural gas for April delivery /quotes/zigman/2199348 NGJ12 -0.70% settled at $2.27 per million British thermal units on March 12. That was the lowest settlement level for a front-month contract ......

gasoilstocks.com

...... W ith output falling in most of the larger producing regions and basins, could a turnaround in US natural gas oversupply finally be at hand? Gas experts appear hesitant to call it a trend, but numbers released recently by the Energy Information Administration show a decline in total US production for ......

platts.com

...#Forex #finance #commodity #gold #oil #market #News: Natural Gas Technical Analysis March 16, 2012 http://t.co/57ZcUuCo...

[View Original Post]

...Cheap natural gas unplugs U.S. nuclear power revival. http://t.co/zcNatJpW #WSJ #natgas #nuclear #energy...

[View Original Post]

...Should Investors Go Nuclear?: Real-Time Advice: Cheap natural gas aside, analysts say investors sh... http://t.co/3w1dWCYB #energy #risk...

[View Original Post]

...Cheap Natural Gas Unplugs US #Nuclear Power Revival http://t.co/kuyvgXNj #natgas #energy...

[View Original Post]

...RT "@ShaleGasExpert: #shalegas @frack We've never seen natural gas cut into coal like this http://t.co/JmJSIj1N"...

[View Original Post]

...@ABCPolitics Green Energy is from the Communist Van Jones and the manifesto. Oil & Natural gas is No. 1, Alternative is No 2. Obama lies...

[View Original Post]

...RT @susanmcp1: A natural gas economy is no better for stopping #climatechange than other fossil fuels. http://t.co/sEG3dPNZ v @matmcdermott #globe2012...

[View Original Post]

...@MsEradicate Problem with electric cars is that they are not green. 45% of electricity in the US is generated from coal, 23% by natural gas....

[View Original Post]

...instinctivefist: Buy Oil & Natural Gas Corpn Ltd below 271.50, target 300.00 for 6 Months #stocks #tips #bse...

[View Original Post]

...New study suggests replacing coal with natural gas "worthless for [fighting] #climate change" http://t.co/D9A5rA5n...

[View Original Post]