Category: News

November 24 2017

Putin Crowns Himself OPEC King

For more than half a century, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister could move markets with a few choice words about what OPEC may decide at its next meeting, generating millions if not billions of dollars of profit for insiders. Not anymore. While OPEC’s gatherings still influence prices, it’s not Saudi Arabia’s voice that matters most, but […]

November 23 2017

Elon Musk’s Giant Battery Set for Testing in the Australian Outback

Billionaire Elon Musk’s giant battery being built in the Australian outback will be energized in coming days and begin testing, indicating Tesla Inc. is on track to meet a 100-day self-imposed deadline to install the system. Tesla power packs have now been fully installed on a site near a wind farm north of Adelaide and […]

November 21 2017

Global Electric Car Sales Jump 63 Percent

Electric vehicles sales surged to a record in the third quarter, largely driven by strong demand in China. Sales of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids exceeded 287,000 units in the three months ended in September, 63 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago and up 23 percent from the second quarter, according […]

November 21 2017

A Former Miami Dolphin Has Big U.S. Plans for Canada’s Hydro One

Hydro One Ltd.’s $3.4 billion deal to purchase Avista Corp. is just the beginning of a strategy that will see the Canadian utility expand into the U.S. market. The Toronto-based electricity transmission and distribution company will look to snap up other companies in the Pacific Northwest, the region where Spokane, Washington-based Avista operates, said Hydro […]

November 21 2017

Centrica to Pull Standard Tariffs in Plan to Reform Market

Centrica Plc will scrap its default tariffs for new customers by the end of March as part of a set of proposals for reforming the U.K. energy retail market. Removing the rolling plan, known as standard variable tariff, and replacing it with a choice of fixed-term contracts with a duration as long as three years will […]

November 20 2017

Coal Back as Flashpoint in Climate-Change Fight

Coal emerged as the surprise winner from two weeks of international climate talks in Germany, with leaders of the host country and neighboring Poland joining Donald Trump in support of the dirtiest fossil fuel. While more than 20 nations, led by Britain and Canada, pledged to stop burning coal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her country’s use […]

November 17 2017

Bid to Revive U.S. Solar Factories Runs Into Familiar Job-Killer

A bankrupt Georgia company is pushing to revive U.S. solar manufacturing with a trade case that’s headed for the president’s desk. The simmering dispute from Suniva Inc. stands a good chance of leading to import tariffs, but don’t expect that to bring the jobs back. While at least six Asian solar companies say the prospect […]

November 17 2017

Tesla Unveils ‘World’s Fastest Production Car’ and Electric Big Rig

  Elon Musk pulled off a Steve Jobs-ian “one more thing” surprise at the unveiling of Tesla Inc.’s Semi model, rolling a new Roadster sports car out of the back of a big rig on stage. Tesla’s new Roadster. Source: Tesla Inc. The Semi truck going into production in 2019 will boast 500 miles of […]

November 16 2017

This Cryptocurrency Miner Says It Solved Bitcoin’s Power Problem

A green-energy startup says it can solve bitcoin’s surging electricity consumption without boosting pollution, an issue threatening to halt the meteoric rise of the virtual currency. Austria’s HydroMiner GmbH raised $2.8 million after closing its first initial coin offering on Wednesday, according to its website. The cash will be used to install high-powered computers at […]

November 16 2017

World’s Biggest Wealth Fund Wants Out of Oil and Gas

  The $1 trillion fund that Norway has amassed pumping oil and gas over the past two decades wants out of petroleum stocks. Norway, which relies on oil and gas for about a fifth of economic output, would be less vulnerable to declining crude prices without its fund investing in the industry, the central bank said Thursday. The […]