Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Enphase Promotes STEM Careers for Women
March 2nd, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems that include Enphase products in New Zealand. This is far off topic, but I thought I’d share this for people with young daughters, or for any young women who happen to be reading. The media is saturated with stories about women leaving tech jobs because of entrenched nonsense. Let’s […]
Britain: Tidal Lagoon Power Stations
March 2nd, 2015“Man needs only to exercise his engineering ingenuity to convert the ocean’s surge into a great national asset.” –John F. Kennedy, July 16th, 1963 Via: Wired: The world’s first electricity-generating tidal lagoons are to be built in six locations across Britain, with at least one already in the planning stage. Four of them will be […]
BASF Doubles Nickel-Metal Hydride Energy Storage
February 19th, 2015Via: MIT Technology Review: Almost every automaker interested in producing electric cars is betting on improvements to lithium-ion batteries to make the cars cheaper and extend their driving range. But scientists at BASF are exploring the possibilities of an older type of battery, nickel-metal hydride, now used in hybrids. They recently doubled the amount of […]
Buffett Dumped Entire $4 Billion Position in Exxon
February 18th, 2015Disclosure: I’m long one oil exploration and production company. Via: Yahoo Finance: The Warren watch is on. Warren Buffett revealed in a SEC filing yesterday that he sold his entire stake in Exxon Mobil (XOM) – roughly four billion dollars worth last quarter. Investors like to pay attention to what the Oracle of Omaha is […]
LG Chem to Build Battery Storage Systems Worth $272 Million for Japanese Solar Plants
February 16th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. I’m doing a solar power deal for a guy who wants a normal grid tie rig for his house, but he also wants to charge his electric farm vehicle with solar. “Would that work?” he asked me. Oh yes. We’re going to set up his hot […]
Tesla Plans Battery for Household Energy-Storage Market
February 12th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. Via: Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc., best known for making the all-electric Model S sedan, is using its lithium-ion battery technology to position itself as a frontrunner in the emerging energy-storage market that supplements and may ultimately threaten the traditional electric grid. “We are going to unveil […]
Apple Makes Huge Solar Power Investment
February 11th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. And I’m holding one almost worthless February 27th put option on Apple. — Huge? Huge, in terms of the solar industry? Yes. Huge. But is it huge in terms of Apple? This story is being reported all over the place, but consider that $850 million represents […]
Stopped Out of USO
February 10th, 2015Warning: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. I set a stop limit order to get me out of USO with a few cents gain in case it went down again. Well, that’s what happened early this morning. The picture on oil is more blurry now. I can see […]
Oil Caps Biggest 2-Week Gain in 17 Years
February 7th, 2015Disclosure: I’m long oil and multiple companies involved with oil exploration and production. Via: Bloomberg: Crude oil capped the biggest two-week rally in 17 years on speculation a falling rig count will curb U.S. production growth. Price volatility rose to the highest in almost six years. Brent crude jumped 18 percent in the past 10 […]
Citigroup Predicts Battery Storage Will Hasten Demise Of Fossil Fuels, Utilities Focused on Centralized Generation
February 6th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. Via: Clean Technica: Investment bank Citigroup predicts that the wide deployment of battery storage technologies will hasten the demise of fossil fuels across the globe in the coming decade, including oil, coal and gas. And it also warns that the battery phenomenon will be even more […]
