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August 25, 2009

Solar Cost Down

The Financial Times of Germany reported last week that the solar industry in Germany is facing a wave of bankruptcies. Although Germany is the fastest growing market for solar energy in the world volume and profits are still low, while Asia continues to bring cheaper products to market. An article in the New York Times estimates that Chinese manufacturers have driven down the cost of solar panels by almost half over the past year, putting pressure on Europe and the United States who are currently the largest manufacturers of photovoltaic cells.

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Posted, in Energy,Environment, by Helen Losch | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 28, 2009

Plug-in and Drive

The discussion about electric cars is heating up as is the push to develop cutting edge batteries to use in areas other than consumer electronics, as mentioned by Andy Grove in an article for Fortune magazine. Grove makes a case for the United States to be leaders in this area and outlines ways in which this might happen. At the same time Nissan announced that it will develop small electric vehicles for sale by 2010. The San Francisco Chronicle goes on to explain that the Nissan developed cars will be able to charge their batteries to 80% in 26 minutes and will cost between $20,000 - $30,000. The article entitled All-Electric Cars About to be Resurrected outlines the history of electric cars and what car manufacturers are planning for the future.

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Posted, in Energy,Environment, by Helen Losch | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 17, 2009

Power Rangers

The creators of Flash, Gary Grossman, Peter Santangeli, Matthew Smith, Jonathan Gay, and Robert Tatsumi, are now solving the problem on the global scale: energy crisis. The team came together again now as a company called Greenbox. Its mission is to make a world a better place by enhancing people's awareness about the energy. Greenbox, a two-year old company, has developed the simple “flashy” interface which lets users to monitor and analyze the utilities power usage at their homes in real time. In the immediate future, the company plans to integrate smart appliances with smart thermostats which can intelligently adjust the energy consumption. To learn more about Greenbox exciting plans, read the article in February issue of Entrepreneur magazine in Jackson library.

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Posted, in Energy, by Zina Shapiro | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 15, 2008

FAQ: What do we pay for in a gallon of regular gasoline?

There are four main components that make up the retail price of a gallon of gasoline. EIA reports the percentages as of June, 2008:
1. Crude Oil: 74%
2. Taxes: 10%
3. Refining: 9%
4. Distribution & Marketing: 7%

OPEC reports crude oil REFERENCE PRICES that include Daily Basket Price and Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Average Prices.

The new OPEC Reference Basket (ORB), introduced on 16 June 2005, is currently made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and BCF 17 (Venezuela).

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Posted, in Economy,Energy, by Simone Yu | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 16, 2008

There May Be Blood

The cover theme of American magazine (July/August 2008) highlights the energy crisis, and includes as one of its main stories a piece by former Intel Chairman / CEO and current GSB Faculty member Andy Grove. Titled 'An Energy Policy We Can Stick To', it makes a strong case for electricity, the 'stickiest' form of energy, as the power source of choice. Grove recalls an ominous incident earlier this year when the Saudi oil minister brusquely rejected our President's pleas for increased oil production, suggesting our society is a a critical juncture. He goes on to warn of potential negative political fallout in the global competition for energy if we do not strategize to avoid the wrong path. (A recent editorial by Grove in the Washington Post captures the same sentiment in shorter form.)

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Posted, in Energy,International, by Paul Reist | Permalink | Comments (0)