Here is very good news:  The U.S. Department of Energy will stop researching hydrogen fuel cells for cars.  Hydrogen fuel cells might be feasible if there were gigantic supplies of cheap wind and solar power available to make hydrogen.  It was never a near term concept.   In fact, when George Bush proposed a “moon shot” in transportation technology based on hydrogen, my take at the time was that it was being trotted out because of the desire of both Bush and some Detroit executives to defer the inevitable transition to …

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A summary of Australia’s decision to embrace the future of the electric car as a matter of state policy, an  important step toward substituting electricity for oil,  is posted below.  The report originated on The Oil Drum and the complete report is here: Project Better Place founder Shai Agassi was in town last week announcing that Australia will become the third country, following Denmark and Israel, to implement the group’s vision of electric vehicles powered by renewable energy. Better Place and Macquarie Capital …

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Players in the solar field - both photovoltaic and concentrating - are optimistic that they will achieve parity with coal, currently the lowest cost generating source, within eight years.  They believe two factors will make that happen.   First, the full social costs of coal including primarily a cost for carbon dioxide emissions will come into play.  Secondly costs for solar generation will continue to decline.  But according to a representative of Abengoa, a very large and sophisticated player in solar, the point at which the costs will meet will be …

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Who’dathunk we might someday be importing veggies from Kuwait?   The funny thing is it makes perfect sense.  As the report below explains, we can add one more brilliant idea to the coming new age of renewable energy:  solar power can desalinate sea water and at the same time help provide nutrients which when added to that water can make greenhouse farms in the desert viable.  It’s not any crazier than Abu Dhabi’s plan to generate solar power and transmit it via underwater cable to Europe - thus becoming an exporter …

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Xcel ditching 2 coal plants, going to solar PUC approves plan to help meet 2020 goal By Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Judy Walgren © The Rocky/2004 Xcel’s Cherokee plant operates in Denver. Xcel plans to close two coal-powered plants to meet a mandate to provide …

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John Mauldin, an economist and investment advisor who often offers both unusual and insightful views recently wrote that new applications for solar power plants are booming.  He said: “The July 21 Fortune has a great article on the rush to build solar power plants in the deserts of California, Arizona, and Nevada. Applications have been filed to build plants that would generate a theoretical 60 gigawatts of electricity. To put that into perspective, California only uses 33 gigawatts. And the biggest and richest firms are lining up to get land …

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An Israeli company that currently operates a wave-based power generating pilot plant in Haifa has sold two new models to China.  If it proves economical, prospects for further sales to China and others would seem to be very bright.  Thanks to my friend Jeff Stonberg for bringing this to my attention. The Israelis’ claim the capital cost for their wave-generating station is far less than any other alternative including coal, gas, wind or solar.   Just on an intuitive basis and specifying that I know less than nothing about the subject, …

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Somebody gets it at The Washington Post.  Gal Luft makes perfect sense in this piece about how four other countries are becoming energy independent while the U.S. just plays silly games.  He left out the fifth country doing it, Denmark, which is going down a similar road to Israel’s except using wind instead of solar to generate the electricity.  ENERGIZED Iran and Brazil Can Do It. So Can We . Sunday, July 6, 2008; Page B01 When the founding fathers declared our independence, they could not have imagined …

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According to the following press report startup company Saphire Energy is having enormous success in producing crude from algae.  If commercially feasible and scalable, the new technology could be a game changer for both energy and global warming.  The report concludes that production could become available in five years. Funding bonanza for oil-from-algae firm John Sterlicchi, US correspondent guardian.co.uk, Friday May 30 2008 Article history A Californian start-up company promising “green crude” fuel from algae has been given $50m (£25.33m) in funding from …

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A news report of an Ag-breakfast meeting forwarded to me by reader Rob B. indicates that production at Nova Biosource Fuels is proceeding apace.  The second of three lines is apparently functioning well and the third one is scheduled to begin shortly. 

Running three lines simulataneously is a piece of cake in theory but in practice it could be very tricky.  So this progress is very good news but there is significantly more good news required before the companies (fast dwindling) fans breath easy.

Another issue, as highlighted in my last comment …

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PBS’ News Hour featured a report on a Silicon Valley company, Solazyme, that claims to produce oil from algae by “manipulating genes.”  The company claims it will be producing oil at rates cheaper than the present prices of oil in about three years.  It turns out that this company has more than a few competitors.  Another such development stage company, Saphire, was featured in a story in the L.A. Times today.  In fact,  there is a web site now devoted to efforts aimed at turning algae into oil.   …

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“We’re going to beat coal.”  That quote from an Ausra representative encapsulates this story.  Ausra projects their concentrating solar system will generate electricity at a 10 cent/kw cost in 2010 and 8 cents when cost reductions now on the drawing board are implemented.  Ausra is just one of many concentrating solar efforts backed by sophisticated blue ribbon investors and utilities that are in the process of being being implemented, as the Bloomberg report posted below describes in detail.  Concentrating solar, my friends, will be the Big Bertha of oil substitution …

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It appears that the biodiesel tax credit will be extended by one year if the Farm Bill is passed as recently drafted.  If so one major reservation about the future of Nova Biosource Fuels (NBF) will have been temporarily resolved (until next year).  A second question has been the ability of management to bring on line the complex 3-phase 80 mg/y Seneca, IL plant using cheap high-FFA (free fatty acids) feedstock.  The company’s recent press release indicates it is operating the first phase at capacity, has produced …

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My previous report relating to Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc (NBF) indicated doubts about 1.the renewal of the biodiesel tax credit and 2.management’s ability to bring the complex start up issues of their new plant to a successful conclusion.  Both matters have become more questionable since then. A report by AgWeb.com reads in part as follows: “Note: The farm bill will not include a one-year extension of the biodiesel tax incentive program, which is due to expire at the end of 2008. One …

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Nova Biosource Fuels, the one “venture capital” sort of holding in the EIS portfolio, today reported that its primary plant in Seneca, IL has successfully begun production with the first of the three 20 mg/y lines now operating.  That is a major milestone.  It’s not as good as having all three up and going, but it is certainly good news.

On the other hand, NBF suffered a setback when a pump broke and apparently caused major damage to the Scott Petroleum plant that NBF built and owns a 50% interest in.  …

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