AI Infrastructure & Energy Engineering Insight
fossil fuels
Think about spending time in a state park, and what images come to mind? Camping under the stars, perhaps. Or maybe fishing on a pristine, mirror-flat lake at dawn. Whatever you imagine, an oil rig probably isn’t part of the picture. But oil drilling is what more and more
fossil fuels
The US power sector is set for dramatic change over the next several years, as electric utilities work to meet new federal regulations on mercury and other toxic pollution from power plants. In the closing days of 2011, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its first-ever national standards for
fossil fuels
An 11th-hour deal by US Senators this past weekend paved the way for a two-month extension of unemployment benefits and a cut in payroll taxes. But Republicans wouldn’t say yes until they got something in return: an agreement to fast-track approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. (And now their
fossil fuels
The inextricable link between energy and economic growth has been painfully clear to many people since mid-2008, when crude oil prices peaked at more than $145 per barrel … followed by the global economy taking a nose-dive. (Other factors also helped to bring on the recession, of course, but there’s
fossil fuels
While it’s common knowledge to anyone who follows energy news that the world’s appetite for coal keeps growing, this is ridiculous: over the next five years, global coal demand is projected to expand by 600,000 tons a day. That news tends to tarnish any enthusiasm about the
fossil fuels
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is undercutting the EU’s efforts to cut carbon emissions and fight climate change by continuing to provide heavy financial support to oil, gas and coal projects, according to a new report from CEE Bankwatch Network. The report, “Change the lending, not the climate,” finds
fossil fuels
Never mind what your electric bill or receipt at the pump says … using fossil fuels is even more expensive than you think, thanks to “hidden” costs like air pollution’s impact on human health. Those costs amounted to about $120 billion for the US alone in 2005, according to a
fossil fuels
An alternative to oil could be found in ancient sea deposits dating to 300 million years ago, according to a new study carried out at the University of Leicester. Jennifer Graham, a postgraduate researcher in the university’s department of geology, says that mudstones in shallow water seaways could provide
