California eliminates almost half of fossil fuels on electrical grid in one year

Thanks to David S for sharing this story.

Turning fossil fuel core competencies to better use

Ex-fossil fuel engineers created Sage Geosystems. They’re applying their core competency of drilling deep holes to create three different ways to harness geothermal energy anywhere.

Who are the largest carbon producers?

Fewer than 80 entities are responsible for most of global greenhouse gas emissions. While publicly traded companies’ contributions are waning, state actors are getting worse, despite the Paris climate agreements.

A liquid fuel to burn that doesn’t add CO2 to the atmosphere

Scientists have figured out how to turn carbon dioxide into methanol, using the sun, at room temperature. This would create a liquid fuel that could be transported like gasoline. Your car’s engine can’t use it without modification, but IndyCars and Monster Trucks are required to use methanol. It’s also an important industrial feedstock.

Breaking news: California considering charging $10,000 a day for low producing wells

Assembly member Isaac G. Bryan from Los Angeles has proposed a whopping fee for oil wells that produce less than 15 barrels a day. It’s likely the petro-corps will beat this down, but it reveals a nasty truth about the End of the Age of Oil. It's cheaper to keep pitiful wells producing than to…

Batteries are killing off gas power plants

Batteries are now proving to be economical, leading to a number of gas plants being cancelled in the US and Europe. Thank you, David S, for sharing this info!

Gas guzzlers pay a big price in France

France is ramping up their carbon fee on heavy, gas guzzling vehicles. The maximum fine is €60,000 (about $65k) to register a heavy, polluting vehicle. But something around €100 is more likely. Photo by Jacob Moore on Pexels.com Since 2022, large, heavy combustion vehicles already had to pay a penalty tax. But now cars weighing…

Scientist and author Steingraber turns activist to stop fracking, nat gas storage

Sandra Steingraber is the rare scientist who can write engaging books for the general public. I loved Living Downstream and Having Faith. Lately she's been fighting fracking. As a young woman, she got bladder cancer, as did many people in her family. But she was adopted. This set her on a path to investigate environmental…

How cities are getting around a court decision preventing them from banning natural gas

While there are viable alternatives to fossil fuel based electricity, there isn’t a solution at scale for natural gas. To meet climate goals, some municipalities have tried to ban new natural gas hookups. Of course, utilities that only sell natural gas are going to fight cities that try to ban their product. A court in…

Breaking news: Climate agreement includes the need to end fossil fuels

Not surprisingly, the COP28 talks had to wordsmith the agreement to get countries to sign on. But the final language mentions the need to transition away from fossil fuels. While many wished the language would be even stronger, this is more than others thought could be accomplished with an Arab country and a leader affiliated…