Algae Biofuel Is Booming Without Any Help From ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil dropped the algae biofuel ball last year but many other firms are racing to fill the gap, with an eye on algae-based plastics, fertilizers, and other products, too.
Biofuels
Enbridge Renewable Natural Gas A 1% Greenwashing Rounding Error
One of the amusing side notes of my recent foray into the challenges that the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) is having was the tone deaf and counterproductive social media responses of their board member from Enbridge, the biggest natural gas firm in North America. When that … [continued]
EIA Now Publishes Additional U.S. Biofuel & Distillate Forecasts
Biofuels are making up an increasing share of total distillate fuel oil consumed in the United States. Beginning in the September 2024 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we began publishing forecasts for several new series that help to better capture how biofuels are being consumed and overall demand for distillate fuel oil, a classification of petroleum products that … [continued]
Can We Replace Over-Engineered Single-Use Plastics With Unplastic Solutions?
It’s very nice that the Biden-Harris administration has decided that the US federal government will phase out purchases of single-use plastics. After all, the feds purchase more consumer goods than any other buyers in the world, and plastics seem to be in most consumer goods today. But will the feds … [continued]
Breakthrough Energy Venture’s Wilted Garden Of Climate Investments
Recently I sat down with Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid, European cleantech investors, on their podcast Redefining Energy to talk about Breakthrough Energy Venture’s big misses. This followed our conversation about the cognitive biases of the billionaires such as Bill Gates which have persisted due to a bubble of confirmation … [continued]
US Election 2024: Transportation Decarbonization Report Card
With the increase in renewable electrical generation, transportation has become the highest emitting sector of the US economy, accounting for about 29% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Light-duty vehicles, including cars and small trucks, account for about 57% of transportation emissions. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks contribute an additional 26%, while … [continued]
U.S. Production Capacity for Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Grow
Production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States could increase from around 2,000 barrels per day (b/d) to nearly 30,000 b/d in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line. Developers expect Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewed project to produce up to about 10,000 b/d of SAF beginning this summer, and they … [continued]
Breakthrough Energy Ventures Has Bad Investment Theses Therefore Bad Investments
Eight years ago, Bill Gates and group of his closest billionaire acquaintances launched an incredibly well funded venture capital group. Its noble mission was funding and supporting transformative technologies aimed at mitigating climate change. Many of its investments are sound and if commercialized, would assist, at least a bit. However, … [continued]
Another Day, Another Hydrogen Transportation Firm Plummets To Earth
After a brief period when hydrogen for energy and transportation plays managed to mostly limp along without failing entirely, apparently it’s time for another spate of bankruptcies and closures. A few days ago, it was Hyzon’s time to admit failure. Having gone public via a reverse takeover SPAC, the firm … [continued]
Superyachts For The Super Rich Cause A Whole Lot Of Environmental Damage
Few status symbols for the Super Rich stand out more than superyachts. Members of royal families, oligarchs, and billionaires are known to crave the elegance and indulgence, the refined taste and unparalleled luxury that these enormous floating homes offer. Superyachts are often longer than 100 feet in length and are … [continued]
