Category: News

December 13 2017

Hyundai Bolsters Electric Car Lineup to Narrow Gap With Rivals

Hyundai Motor Group, which is lagging behind rivals in the introduction of newer electric-vehicle models, is stepping up plans for battery-powered cars as governments around the world crack down on polluting fossil fuels. Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. plan to bring to market as many as 38 green cars in the next […]

December 12 2017

Carney’s Climate Fight Gets $6.3 Trillion Boost From Firms

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the number of companies pledging to increase financial reporting standards to fend off risk from climate change has doubled in five months. Companies with a combined market capitalization of more than $6.3 trillion have thrown their weight behind Carney’s recommendations on climate change disclosure, up from $3.3 trillion […]

December 8 2017

Putin Blesses Multibillion-Dollar Bet on Russia Competing in LNG

As Russia’s President Vladimir Putin oversees the official start of a $27 billion liquefied natural gas plant in the snow-covered tundra of northern Siberia, his mind may wander to its biggest competitor more than 3,000 miles away in Qatar. While the two regions may have vastly different climates, Putin is determined to make Russia’s Arctic competitive in […]

December 7 2017

Biggest U.S. Nuclear Owner Exelon Invests in Storage Startup

Exelon Corp., the biggest U.S. nuclear operator, is investing in the batteries of the future. The company is a lead backer of Volta Energy Technologies, a startup that plans to evaluate and test new energy-storage technologies. Albemarle Corp., the Charlotte-based lithium supplier, is also a lead investor in Volta. Power companies are increasingly focused on energy storage, […]

December 7 2017

World’s No. 1 Miner Sees Bigger Role for Carbon-Capture Systems

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest mining company, said wider use of systems that trap carbon emissions will be needed to meet international climate goals, even as investments in the technology stall. “We have knowledge of geology, markets and economics, so there’s probably something we can bring to the table here in terms of our […]

December 6 2017

The Latest Bull Case for Electric Cars: The Cheapest Batteries Ever

The kind of battery that powers electric vehicles is now the cheapest it’s ever been thanks to a global ramp-up in production. Lithium-ion battery packs are selling at an average price of $209 a kilowatt-hour, down 24 percent from a year ago and about a fifth of what it was in 2010, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance […]

December 6 2017

It’s Getting Less Appealing to Drill for Oil in the Arctic

Oil exploration in Norway’s Arctic seems to have lost some of its appeal after a disappointing drilling campaign. Only 11 companies applied for exploration licenses in the latest round — the nation’s 24th — which focused heavily on the Barents Sea, the Petroleum and Energy Ministry said in a statement on its website on Tuesday. […]

December 6 2017

California Bill to Banish Gasoline Cars by 2040 Is in the Works

A California lawmaker wants to put the state alongside China, France and the U.K. and have its legislature consider a ban on vehicles powered by fossil fuels. California Assembly member Phil Ting, a Democrat who is chairman of the chamber’s budget committee, said he plans to introduce a bill that, starting in 2040, would allow the […]

December 5 2017

VW Unveils Electric Minibus to Take-On Uber in App-Based Rides

Volkswagen AG’s Moia division unveiled a six-seater, battery-powered minibus to enter the market of app-based ride hailing and car-pooling, taking on the likes of Uber Technologies Inc. The modified van will begin roaming the streets of Hamburg in the second half of next year, although Moia aims to roll out the service internationally, Ole Harms, chief […]

December 5 2017

First Solar Bets Its Future on a New Panel

First Solar Inc. is poised to take the wraps off the Series 6 panel Tuesday, a long-awaited product rollout that has huge implications for the biggest U.S. solar manufacturer. It’s not a stretch to say that Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar has bet its future on the success of this product. As solar panels get cheaper and […]