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Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog The natural gas crisis caused by the cutoff of supplies from Russia earlier in the year crystallized for many nations the threat of being overly dependent on another country for their energy supplies. Over the past decades, countries in Europe have shut down nuclear reactors, which caused them to turn to other energy supplies – like …

Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com Raymond James & Associates’ alternative energy analyst Pavel Molchanov has three solar and wind plays for investors during this time when the credit crisis and the recession have combined to force many green energy projects to be postponed or cancelled. Why these three? Because, Molchanov told EnergyTechStocks.com in an exclusive interview, each has what might be considered a …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog Comically Terrible Timing In June 2006 I read an article at Financial Sense that promoted ethanol as a great place to put your money: Investing in Ethanol: A “New” Stock Play on Soaring Energy Prices and Why Now is the Time to Invest in this “Fuel of the Future” Among the gems in the article were these: Strap …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog Regular readers know that I would be strongly in favor of increasing gasoline taxes in exchange for income tax credits. I think such an idea would be politically palatable, provided it is clearly communicated to everyone that 1). If they make efforts to conserve, this system would be better for them financially; and 2). Higher gasoline …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog When I was working in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2007 I had to fly out to oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Regulations there require that anyone doing so has to undertake survival training in case a helicopter goes down in the sea while transporting people to the platforms. I previously documented my experience with …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog At least according to the New York Times, if you pull out the energy-related provisions from the just passed stimulus package, the $80 billion “would amount to the biggest energy bill in history.” An $80 Billion Start An excerpt from the NYT editorial: RENEWABLE ENERGY In addition to new money for research into alternative fuels, the measure …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog I have written a few posts in the past about Jatropha curcas, a tropical shrub with the potential to make an important contribution to our fuel supplies. (See here and here for previous essays concerning jatropha). While I believe that the present status of jatropha has been exaggerated, I believe the potential is enormous. I want to devote the next couple …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog In 2009 and 2010 we should see a lot of hybrids and fully electric cars hitting the roads. I spent a little time this weekend reviewing the potential offerings. Here is where some of the more frequently-mentioned offerings stand. 1. The Aptera 2e The Aptera 2e This is probably the most unusual offering. I first mentioned the …

Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com Despite the frightening state of the U.S. economy, it still appears to be “politics as usual” in Washington, aided and abetted by journalism as usual. Yes, the economic recovery act should be vigorously debated. But does anyone – anyone – think the debate has been conducted thoughtfully in the House and the Senate by elected officials who are more concerned about the fate …

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog Implicit in the previous post on the recovery of gasoline demand is that the conditions are setting up for a gasoline supply crunch – and the price rise that goes along with that. As I pointed out, refiners are cut back, but they can turn that around pretty quickly. The low utilization numbers could lead to a short-term …