Biofuels

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of a big thumbs down over a pile of money

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]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of an ATR 72 with hydrogen written on the side abandoned in a weedy field beside an airport, covered in dirt and pigeon droppings

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]

"Yachts in Monaco" by levork is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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]

Slide from Michael Barnard's remark at Green Builder's Sustainability Symposium

Green Builder Sustainability Symposium Presentation — Slides & Transcript

In mid-2023, Green Builder Media’s CEO Sara Gutterman reached out to me to see if I were interested in presenting at their annual Sustainability Symposium. It’s been running annually for close to a decade, and with COVID it transitioned to virtual and won’t be going back. That event occurred a … [continued]

Slide from Michael Barnard's ISGF presentation Electrify Everything Everywhere All At Once

Electrify Everything Everywhere All At Once – India Edition Transcript

Under the auspices of the India Smart Grid Forum, the think tank founded as an umbrella organization over India’s 28 state utilities to provide thought leadership, share leading practices, and bring international insights to India, I’m delivering bi-weekly webinars framed by the Short List of Climate Actions That Will Work. … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated image of an agricultural spray drone with an India motif spraying a field of lentils

India’s Report Card Against Short List Of Climate Actions Is Better Than Most Realize

For several years I’ve been iterating The Short List of Climate Actions That Will Work. The work of organizations like Mark Z. Jacobson’s Stanford team around energy and Carbon Drawdown’s around everything are excellent in different ways, but also indigestible to most people. The short list really is that. It’s … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image contrasting a highly wasteful process with a very efficient process is ready. It visually splits the scene to show the stark differences in environmental and resource management

CCS Redux: Carbon Engineering’s Diesel? Just Put Electricity Into Tesla Semi Instead

For the same energy inputs you could travel 3 times as far for a 5th the CO2 emissions and well under half the cost in an electric truck.

Image created by Microsoft Copilot.

From Farm to Fuel: Inside Eni’s African Biofuels Gamble

An in-depth look behind the scenes of Eni’s new green strategy: developing new agricultural production channels from scratch in six African countries to supply its refineries and the emerging “green” aviation market. All against the backdrop of the Meloni government’s new influence strategy in Africa, the Mattei Plan, which gives … [continued]

Image created by Microsoft Copilot.

Uncovered: Italian Oil Giant’s African Biofuels Gamble Falls Short

Investigation into Eni’s projects in Kenya and the Republic of the Congo shows company is failing to produce “miracle” drought-resistant biofuels crops at scale. Italian oil giant Eni is failing to deliver on its promise to produce thousands of tonnes of biofuel crops¹, a new investigation shows. The investigation by … [continued]