The Bullroarer - Sunday 25th January 2009

ABC - Turnbull's carbon capture plan 'props up polluters'

The Greens are outraged that the federal Opposition's new climate change policy includes subsidising the construction of two new coal-fired power stations. Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has revealed a new policy to fight climate change by investing in carbon capture and storage.

Peak Energy - The great stall of China

The SMH has an article noting the slowdown in China and the large drop in resource consumption this implies - The great stall of China. This highlights an issue which is going to be painful for Australia in the coming years, given the assumption by both government and business that we can remain prosperous just by digging up dirt and shipping it offshore. Once the developing world has industrialised, demand for raw materials will drop, then, as we move to cradle to cradle style manufacturing systems and a clean energy economy, it will slowly disappear almost entirely.


Peak Energy - Environmental changes a chance for investors

The Australian has a report on global warming driven opportunities in the cleantech sector in Australia - environmental changes a chance for investors. There isn't a lot to choose from in the local market, with the preferred picks being companies like Energy Developments (landfill gas), Ceramic Fuel Cells (cogeneration), GeoDynamics (geothermal energy) and (not quite so clean) Origin Energy (coal seam gas).

The Australian - Oil rises for a fifth straight day

OIL prices jumped 6.4 per cent, rising for a fifth straight day as they were helped by a weather-related surge in heating oil prices.

Peak Energy - Saul Griffith, Renewistan And Energy Literacy

The Long Now blog has a post from Stewart Brand on a talk by Saul Griffith (who I've mentioned before when talking about alternative wind power company Makani) and his vision of "renewistan" - the area of the world's surface that we need to use to convert our energy systems to clean energy sources - Saul Griffith, “Climate Change Recalculated”. It also talks about the changes Saul has made to his own lifestyle to reduce his energy consumption, and notes the many side-benefits that have been accrued as a result.

Ninemsn - Arrow Energy sells $66m stake to Shell

Arrow Energy Limited (AOE) said that Royal Dutch Shell Group had purchased a 10% interest in its Singaporean subsidiary, Arrow International. Arrow had received $66 million for this component of its international operations, the company said. The Australian integrated energy company said Arrow International currently held all of Arrow Energy's international assets, spanning locations across the globe including India, Vietnam and China.

Bloomberg - Santos Says Oil, Gas Production to Be Little Changed

Santos Ltd., Australia's third- biggest oil and gas producer, said production this year will be little changed as expansions in Indonesia and in Queensland state offset declining output from maturing fields. Output should be between 53 million and 56 million barrels of oil equivalent, compared with 54.4 million last year, Adelaide-based Santos said today in a statement.

Adelaide Advertiser - Geothermal explorer reveals inferred resource at Penola

HOT rocks explorer Panax Geothermal has revealed 41,000 petajoules of inferred resource at its Penola tenement in the State's South East. The company said 5 per cent of the inferred resource could be classified as a measured resource - sufficient to operate a 200 MWe geothermal base-load power plant for 30 years, subject to a full feasibility study.

ABC - Commercial gas find on NSW north coast

Coal seam gas has been found west of Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales north coast, after ten years of searching. The presence of gas in the area has been documented since 1902. However, this is the first time that a potentially commercial quantity has been found. David Johnson, from Metgasco, says it's a very positive find that could service large local markets.

Southland Times - Methane hunt continues in Kaitangata

Christchurch-based company Lime and Marble Coal Seam Gas has been given permission to continue gas exploration near Kaitangata, its chief executive said. ... The company had estimated the seam encased about 54 petajoules of energy but that did not mean it could be accessed in its entirety, he said. "If the wells do prove to be productive and accessible it will be a particularly valuable resource for the region."

The Australian - BHP job cull confirms depth of resources crash

IF there were any doubts the resources boom was over, it was wiped by global mining leader BHP Billiton this week when it finally began an aggressive cull of its staff and operations. BHP, the world's largest miner, was one of the last majors to finally admit that the severity of the downturn had forced it to review all its operations, with 6000 staff to be axed and production to be scaled back.

The Australian - We won't interfere: Martin Ferguson

FEDERAL Resources Minister Martin Ferguson has reassured Australia's export partners that the Government will not attempt to artificially support depressed commodity prices.

The Australian - Woodside predicts $1.8bn profit in volatile market

WOODSIDE expects net profit after tax for 2008 to be between $1.75 billion and $1.8 billion, up to 75 per cent higher than the previous year, but "well below" the expectations of some analysts because of depressed commodity prices and exchange rate movements.

ABC - Beat the Peak

Western Power is urging people to turn up their air conditioners, to reduce power consumption as the peak electricity season approaches. WA has the highest rate of air conditioner use in the country and Western Power's Doug Aberle says that means the most effective way to lower electricity consumption is to change air conditioner use. Launching a new 'Beat the Peak' campaign he said people should set their air conditioners to no lower than 24 degrees.

Science Alert - Hot rock energy a likely source of baseload power

Australia is at the world forefront of the drive to develop commercial geothermal power plants from ‘hot rocks’ located deep underground, superheating water to drive turbines.

Geodynamics Ltd leads the way in Australia. It has been operating a hot fractured rock (HFR) geothermal energy project in granite rock in the Innamincka area of north-east South Australia since 2003 and is now achieving considerable success. The Innamincka granite is buried about four kilometres beneath Australia’s largest onshore petroleum basin, the Cooper Basin.

Peak Energy - We need a licence to print our own money

George Monbiot has a column in The Guardian advocating alternative currencies (aka locabucks) , declaring "It bypasses greedy banks. It recharges local economies. It's time to think seriously about an alternative currency" - If the state can't save us, we need a licence to print our own money.

Peak Energy - Tim O'Reilly On Pascal's Wager and Climate Change

Tim O'Reilly has a post outlining the case why even climate skeptics should shut up and stop obstructing efforts to mitigate global warming - first, its insurance in case they are wrong, and second it has other benefits relating to peak oil, job creation, energy security, reducing pollution and renewing our industrial base - Pascal's Wager and Climate Change.

Peak Energy - The Swift and Violent Rise of Oil

Dan Denning at The Daily Reckoning has some notes on oil futures prices, noting that prices don't look like staying this low for long and that a number of players are storing oil in tankers while waiting for the rebound - The Swift and Violent Rise of Oil. Note, Dan seems a little bit confused about contango in oil prices - it isn't normal (backwardation is, otherwise arbitrageurs should have a field day), and it means future prices are higher than present prices, not lower.

Peak Energy - Solar Energy Companies Competing for Desert Land

Peak Energy - Energy efficient osmosis for desalination

Peak Energy - Project 10^100

Peak Energy - Crunching Electricity Demand With Smart Grids

Peak Energy - Obama signs order to close Guantanamo Bay

Peak Energy - Introducing The Kids To Big Brother

Peak Energy - Britain's Winter Of Discontent And The Age Of Rebellion

Peak Energy - Wing Suit Base Jumping