Sep
2
Geothermal Reality Check
September 2, 2008 | 1 Comment
The MIT report that discusses and maps the U.S. geothermal potential (a large pdf file) may be a seminal work that still needs attention. The problem might be the scenario, pumping water down multiple wells to deep hot rocks and bringing it back heated for conversion to power. Most people expect that the water coming [...]
Jul
29
A Compressed Air Energy Storage Reality Check
July 29, 2008 | 1 Comment
A guest author going by Libelle posted a piece titled “Compressed Air Energy Storage – How Viable Is It?” Sunday at TheOilDrum, Canada. It’s a top-flight review of the physics and explains the thermodynamics in a quaint, easy to grasp way.
Libelle suggests that raising the elevation of water might be more effective. From here on [...]
Jun
5
A Look Via California At Alternatives and Efficiency
June 5, 2008 | 3 Comments
The American Petroleum Institute who by their gracious effort to get a cross section of bloggers invited yours truly, to attend the Newsweek, Chevron, Woods Institute and Precourt Institute at Stanford University panel discussion. The disclosure is the API covered the travel and lodging, no big surprise, and I see they get a great deal [...]
Jun
4
ElectraTherm has completed the first in place testing of their waste heat to electricity unit at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The ElectraTherm unit is a waste heat recovery unit that generates electricity. The heat to electricity unit uses temperatures as low as 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The first unit was installed by Gulf Coast [...]
May
23
The Agony and No Ecstasy
May 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I was honored to be asked to participate in a conference call with Peter Robertson of Chevron Tuesday afternoon. This is the link to read the text of it. This is the link to the recording of the conversation. (May 20, 2008 API Blogger Conference Call. Also, the audio will download but [...]
May
22
The Cruel Honesty of the Merits
May 22, 2008 | 2 Comments
The price of oil has about doubled in less than a year. Coal has jumped up a similar percentage, too. The specialty press, the Internet writers, mainstream media, investors, producers and customers are by some perspective or another agog at the whole thing. Things are different now and will get a lot [...]
Apr
22
Bits Hit the Rock In Oregon Geothermal Plays
April 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
The weekend saw the local Oregon press let loose with the news that the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has issued three geothermal drilling permits so far in 2008 with another application in processing. These are the first geothermal permits seen in more than 10 years. Bob Houston, Oregon State Geologist [...]
Feb
29
Two New Geothermal Projects Get Underway
February 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a partnership to test Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology near Reno Nevada. The idea is to use the new technology concepts of EGS in a permeable underground strata with water injection into “hot dry rock.” The test is going on at the Ormat Technology Desert Peak site, [...]
Feb
19
Why the Pure Hydrogen Economy Is Dying
February 19, 2008 | 6 Comments
Man has been moving to carbon enriched with hydrogen for a couple of centuries now. One could say we’re decarbonizing, because since the dawn of the fire until the discovery of coal we burned primarily wood. Wood has a carbon to hydrogen (C:H) ratio of 10 to 1 or wood has 10 carbon [...]
Feb
11
Why Isn’t There A Lot Of Geothermal Work?
February 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Not enough people. The drilling for oil has sucked up every qualified drilling person worldwide. Most of the best and easy or shallow locations are working or spoken for leaving the great mass of the available locations deeper than the short depth guys [...]
