World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the United States or other food-exporting countries could trigger a major hunger crisis next year, the United Nations has warned. [Guardian] […]
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Petroleum refineries vary by level of complexity
A refinery is an industrial complex that manufactures petroleum products, such as gasoline, from crude oil and other feedstocks. Many different types of refineries exist across the country. What differentiates one refinery […]
Crude oil distillation and the definition of refinery capacity
A crude oil refinery is a group of industrial facilities that turns crude oil and other inputs into finished petroleum products. A refinery’s capacity refers to the maximum amount of crude oil designed to […]
IRS to Rule on Status of Solar PV Owned by REITs
The biggest open question in my article Solar REITs: A Better Way to Invest in Solar was, when will we have a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? In particular, Will solar photovoltaics […]
The Breakeven Oil Price for OPEC Nations
In a paper presented at Chatham House, Matthew Hulbert of European Energy Review argues that there is an inherent instability in world oil markets because the OPEC producing countries have failed to […]
$8 Natural Gas: We’re Right On Schedule
New natural gas rig counts hit the wires Friday morning and on cue the number decreased yet another 15 rigs to 422, another 21st century low and a massive 55% below the […]
Hofmeister: A Difficult Decade Ahead For Oil Prices and Supplies
I, along with my editor Sam Avro, recently conducted a broad-ranging interview with John Hofmeister, former President of Shell Oil. The topics touched upon included future oil supplies and prices, climate change, […]
Thresholds in the Economic Effects of Oil Prices
As U.S. retail gasoline prices once again near $4.00 a gallon, does this pose a threat to the economy and President Obama’s prospects for re-election? My answer is no. The graph below […]
U.S. ethanol waiver would roil grains market: traders
The U.S. government is unlikely to bow to pressure for a waiver on quotas requiring a proportion of corn is used to make ethanol before November, at the earliest, traders said, despite […]
Projected retirements of coal-fired power plants
Current trends in the electric power market put many coal-fired generators in the United States at risk for retirement. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO2012) Reference case, 49 gigawatts of coal-fired […]
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