Oil Execs on the Future of Energy Costs

Reported at the Environmental Leader

See the graphic below. The study was based on in-depth phone interviews with more than 50 oil and gas professionals, most holding C-Suite positions at petroleum companies with annual revenues of $100 million or more.



Of note to me. The low number of petroleum executives that believe petroleum is a sustainable energy source. I would really like to know what the motivation for this answer would be. The environmental sense of "sustainable" in reference to CO2 and impact on the environment or the actual long term production (meaning that they can sustainable keep pumping oil out of the ground keeping up with the actual demand for the product).

Usually when oil and gas people talk about sustainability they talk about actual production. Sustainable production is keeping up with demand. So they usually refer to petroleum as a sustainable fuel. Contrast this with environmentalists who refer to "sustainable" as meaning little or no impact on the environment.

I also see this as an interesting contrast with the feelings about US energy independence. If Oil is not sustainable what would be there belief for energy independence? I would assume biofuels development or maybe just something else (those in energy tend to look at technology as an open ended box of hope).

Are these execs saying 'it'll all work out some how' or do they have a consensus inside the industry about an expected future for US energy.

Google and Distributive Wave Power

This is interesting. Google has not taken its success for granted and has invested its historically unique opportunity to move many great ideas forward. This one leads the pack in my opinion. The paring of one technology with a whole business model. I could really see this providing some strong reliable technology to many lesser developed nations. An interesting concept to say the least.

I saw it first at a favorite E-Newsletter of mine the Environmental Leader

"The floating data centers would be located 3 to 7 miles from shore, in 50 to 70 meters of water. If perfected, this approach could be used to build 40 megawatt data centers that don’t require real estate or property taxes."

The E-Leader cites Data Center Knowledge as their source with a more in depth discussion of Google's plans to make containerized data centers.

Solar Power Compared to Standard Utility Cost

The Environmental Leader provides this easy to read chart on solar cost and expected utility rates.

The source for this information is a Utility Solar Assessment Study released recently by Clean Edge. (NOTE: I have not read the study yet)

Windpower by State

Oregon Leads the US. Third place and we just past our RPS. I tracked it down on the Environmental Leader.

New "Green Build" Standard Announced

From the Environmental Leader

The National Association of Home Builders is launching a National Green Building Program at the 2008 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando in February.

The national initiative will link dozens of state and local green building programs with a universal online certification tool, national registry of green homes and green builders. To date, about 100,000 green homes have been built through programs run or supported by local building associations around the country.

“We are bringing green building into the mainstream,” said NAHB President Brian Catalde, a home builder in Southern California. “The NAHB National Green Building Program isn’t a new way to build green. However, it’s a low-cost administrative and certification system that will help keep green affordable – and that’s the key to market acceptance.”

NAHB’s standard would compete with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating tools for residential and commercial buildings, Greenwire reports (via WBCSD).