NREL: Feature Story - NREL Research Helps Deliver Clean, Solar Electricity to Thousands of Homes in the Southwest

Shares of Ethanol Producer Aventine Dip in NYSE debut

Aventine Renewable loses steam in open market - MarketWatch

First images made of hydrogen burning in working internal combustion engine

Argonne engineers are the first to capture hydrogen combustion images inside an engine operating at real-world speeds. The red and yellow images show the more intense temperatures.
Images of hydrogen combustion have been captured for the first time in an internal combustion engine operating at real-world speeds and loads by engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. This window into the inner workings of a hydrogen-powered engine is helping to optimize the engines for street use some day.

CEI: Resources - Press Releases: "Community Energy, Inc. Announces Launch of CTCleanEnergyOptionsSM
All Connecticut electric customers can now purchase NewWind Energy®
on their utility bill through new voluntary clean energy program


Hartford, CT - The nation's leading wind energy supplier, Community Energy, Inc. (CEI), announced today the availability of NewWind Energy® to Connecticut consumers through the CTCleanEnergyOptionsSM program; a voluntary new program being offered statewide to all electric customers in the Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating service territories.

CTCleanEnergyOptions enables residents to choose clean, domestic energy for their home or business - produced by resources such as new wind power and landfill gas. CEI's product allows Connecticut residents to make a difference with their purchase. Elizabeth Vitale, of Hartford, CT noted: 'I want to see more focus on developing alternative energy sources, and signing up for it for our home is one way to support those efforts. If everyone did their part, we'd all have a healthier neighborhood - and planet - to live in.'

Commercial and residential customers, such as Vitale, who sign up for CTCleanEnergyOptions will be supporting the development of new clean energy resources in the Northeast region. CEI's New England Director, Jeff Keeler, said: "We are proud to work with the State of Connecticut, Connecticut Light & Power, United Illuminating and the Connecticut environmental community to bring a clean energy option to all Connecticut consumers. The more customers who sign up for Community Energy's CTCleanEnergyOptions offering, the more wind energy will be built in the Northeast."

CEI was chosen through a competitive bid process by the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to offer a clean energy product through the CTCleanEnergyOptions program that is high in new, emission-free wind energy content and yet still affordable for Connecticut consumers. CEI's offering is composed of 50% NewWind Energy® and 50% Landfill Gas from sources in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region and will cost just 1.1 cent per kilowatt hour more than standard electric service for the 100% of usage offering or 0.55 cents per kilowatt hour extra for the 50% of usage offering. Based on the average Connecticut monthly usage of 600 kilowatt-hours per month, participating in CTCleanEnergyOptions with CEI would cost the average customer as little as $3.30 per month.

Bill inserts providing customers the opportunity to choose CEI's CTCleanEnergyOptions offering are being delivered to every electric customer with their April Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating bill. Customers can also sign up at any time by visiting www.newwindenergy.com, or by calling Community Energy at 1-866-WIND-123.

Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) is a leading national retail marketer/developer of wind-generated power. CEI has partnered with over a dozen utilities, competitive electric suppliers, and municipalities to offer a renewable energy choice directly to retail electric customers. CEI was founded in 1999 with the mission to ignite the market and develop the supply of wind and other fuel-free renewable energy sources. CEI cites its retail customers, which include many of the largest purchasers of wind energy in the country, as the reason for its success in bringing wind energy to market in new regions of the country. CEI has wind projects under development in New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and other states east of the Mississippi River.

BREITBART.COM - Bush: Climate change is 'serious problem': "Bush: Climate change is 'serious problem'
Jun 26 2:50 PM US/Eastern


US President George W. Bush said it was time to move past a debate over whether human activity is a significant factor behind global warming and into a discussion of possible remedies.

'I have said consistently that global warming is a serious problem. There's a debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused,' Bush told reporters.

'We ought to get beyond that debate and start implementing the technologies necessary to enable us to achieve a couple of big objectives: One, be good stewards of the environment; two, become less dependent on foreign sources of oil, for economic reasons as for national security reasons,' he said.

Bush cited 'clean-coal technology,' efforts to develop automobiles powered by hydrogen or ethanol, and his push for the United States to develop significant new nuclear energy capabilities.

'The truth of the matter is, if this country wants to get rid of its greenhouse gases, we've got to have the nuclear power industry be vibrant and viable,' he said."

"As much as I love and respect my friend Jim Cramer, I have to disagree with his view that ethanol is a fad. I agree some companies are overvalued, but I don't believe that ethanol itself is a fad."
John Bradshaw Layfield

JBL: Defending Ethanol

Fact Sheet: Promoting Energy Independence and Security: "Fact Sheet: Promoting Energy Independence and Security, April 27, 2006.

Today's Presidential Action
April 27, 2006

Today, President Bush Delivered Remarks On Energy Policy At The Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week Conference In Washington, D.C. The President stressed the need to promote greater energy independence by harnessing the power of technology to create new sources of energy and make more efficient use of existing resources. The President outlined his broad vision for moving America toward greater energy independence and announced five new energy policy initiatives:

# The Department of Energy (DOE) will work to reduce uncertainty in the licensing process for new nuclear power plants and to provide Federal risk insurance to mitigate the additional cost of unforeseen delays.

# The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will simplify regulations to encourage the expansion of refining capacity, and Federal agencies will work with States and local communities to encourage the construction of new refineries on closed military sites.

# The President will call on Congress to make clear federal authority over siting of new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals to increase supply and reduce prices.

# The President will support the extension of his proposed tax credits for energy-efficient hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles to include clean-diesel vehicles.

# The President will encourage the deployment of new and clean energy technologies in the developing world at the G-8 Summit in July.

Background: Our Growing Economy Requires Affordable, Reliable, And Secure Supplies Of Energy

Use Technology To Boost Domestic Energy Production. Over the past decade, America's energy consumption has increased by more than 12 percent, yet domestic production has increased by less than 0.5 percent.

# Nuclear Power Can Provide For Tomorrow's Needs. Technology has made nuclear power safer, cleaner, and ..."

Bloomberg.com: Energy Prices: "
Energy Prices

PETROLEUM ($/bbl)
PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME
Nymex Crude Future 70.84 -.03 -.04 17:12
Dated Brent Spot 69.46 .41 .59 06/23
WTI Cushing Spot 70.69 .20 .28 06/23

PETROLEUM (¢/gal)
PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME
Nymex Heating Oil Future 196.50 .24 .12 16:57
Nymex Gasoline Future 212.85 .09 .04 17:01

NATURAL GAS ($/MMBtu)
PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME
Nymex Henry Hub Future 6.21 -.02 -.26 16:17
Henry Hub Spot 6.14 -.37 -5.68 06/23
New York City Gate Spot 6.49 -.71 -9.86 06/23

ELECTRICITY ($/megawatt hour)
PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME
Mid-Columbia, firm on-peak, spot 61.69 5.03 8.88 06/23
Palo Verde, firm on-peak, spot 74.77 .39 .52 06/23
Bloomberg, firm on-peak, day ahead spot/West Coast 70.55 .10 .14 06/23

*Commodity futures and energy prices are in U.S. dollars."

Friday, June 23, 2006 · Last updated 2:31 p.m. PT

Oil prices hover around $71 a barrel

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- U.S. oil futures were steady on Friday with little fresh news to drive trading, following gains in the two prior sessions. Prices remained above $70 a barrel, buoyed by strong global demand, a Gulf Coast shipping snag and concerns about the unresolved tension between the West and Iran.

Light sweet crude for August delivery rose 3 cents to settle at $70.87 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, where gasoline futures were up by less than a penny to close at $2.1276 per gallon.

Brent crude for August fell $1.87 to $68.08 a barrel on London's ICE Futures exchange...

Oil prices hover around $71 a barrel

The rise in oil prices....

It is perhaps too early to talk of an energy "crisis".

Fossil fuels have been the cheapest and most convenient so far

But take your pick from terms like "serious concern" and "major issue" and you will not be far from the positions which analysts are increasingly adopting.

The reason for their concern can be found in a set of factors which are pulling in glaringly different directions:

Demand for energy, in all its forms, is rising

Supplies of key fuels - notably oil and gas - show signs of decline

Mainstream climate science suggests that reducing greenhouse gas emissions within two decades would be a prudent thing to do

Meanwhile the Earth's population continues to rise, with the majority of its six billion people hankering after a richer lifestyle - ...
Source (BBC NEWS)

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Energy gap: Crisis for humanity?

BBC NEWS | Business | Bush plans to tackle petrol price

If there ever was a time for energy independence, it's about time now! Let's not waste another minute. Threats from the outside never seem to subside.

BBC NEWS | Business | Iran war 'could triple oil price'

Is Butanaol A Better Fuel Alternative than Ethanol?

Butanol is a four carbon alcohol. Alcohols are a family of chemical compounds that also include methanol (1-carbon), ethanol (2-carbon) and propanol (3-carbon). Some of the more common uses for alcohol are alcoholic beverages (ethanol), propanol is commonly used for rubbing alcohol, chemical solvents - paint thinner and fuels. Initially, EEI will produce and market butanol as a solvent, with the future intent of selling butanol as a fuel."


How does butanol compare with ethanol as an alternative fuel?

Butanol has many superior properties as an alternative fuel when compared to ethanol. These include:

• Higher energy content (110,000 Btu’s per gallon for butanol vs. 84,000 Btu per gallon for ethanol). Gasoline contains about 115,000 Btu’s per gallon.
• Butanol is six times less “evaporative” than ethanol and 13.5 times less evaporative than gasoline, making it safer to use as an oxygenate in Arizona, California and other states, thereby eliminating the need for very special blends during the summer and winter months.
• Butanol can be shipped through existing fuel pipelines where ethanol must be transported via rail, barge or truck
• Butanol can be used as a replacement for gasoline gallon for gallon e.g. 100%, or any other percentage. Ethanol can only be used as an additive to gasoline up to about 85% and then only after significant modifications to the engine. Worldwide 10% ethanol blends predominate.

Make your own biodiesel: Journey to Forever

Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen -- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner -- better for the environment and better for health. If you make it from used cooking oil it's not only cheap but you'll be recycling a troublesome waste product. Best of all is the GREAT feeling of freedom, independence and empowerment it will give you. Here's how to do it -- everything you need to know.

Source: JourneytoForever .org

It’s about time our leaders listened to us, the people!

It’s about members of Congress and other elected officials acted to assure the ongoing strength and prosperity of the United States.

It’s about time our elected legislators, governors and president exhibit leadership so that this generation and future generations of Americans are not the pawns of those who control offshore energy resources.

It’s about time state and federal legislators, state governors, local mayors and the President of the United States understand that we view any dependence on offshore energy as a threat to our inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness that were guaranteed to the citizens of this country by the signers of The Declaration of Independence.

Starting on this Fourth of July 2006 join your fellow citizens and sign the Declaration of Energy Independence.

This petition will be forwarded to the House and Senate Leaders of both parties, as well as to the President of the United States and other elected state legislators and governors and mayors.

Your signature will help focus attention to the need of the leadership and action by this country to formulate both short-term and long-term plans that will assure the realistic reduction of dependence on offshore energy, for us, our children and future generations of Americans.

To join, visit our website usaenergyindependence.com

Ford exec urges feds to help boost number of flex-fuel pumps - MarketWatch

Morningstar - PR Newswire: ADM and Millennium Ethanol Announce Marketing Agreement

BUTTON IT, BEN By PAUL THARP - New York Post Online Edition: Business

How to escape the Oil Trap
Fareed Zakaria
Source: Newsweek

By Fareed Zakaria

Newsweek

Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2005 issue - If I could change one thing about American foreign policy, what would it be? The answer is easy, but it's not something most of us think of as foreign policy. I would adopt a serious national program geared toward energy efficiency and independence. Reducing our dependence on oil would be the single greatest multiplier of
Zakaria: Oil Prices Cripple U.S. Foreign Policy - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com

Proposed Hydrogen Highways in California

Source: EnergyIndependencenow.org

Energy Independence Now - California Map

Iowa Governor signs bill supporting e85

Our future and the future of coming generations will be increasingly affected by our dependence on foreign sources of oil. If you think $3.00 a gallon gasoline is costly, think about the continuing economic and geopolitical consequences of being dependent on areas of the Mideast and what that means for the future. Let's do something about it. Subscribe to the next issue of It's About Time at
usaenergyindependence.com

BREITBART.COM - Stocks Slide on Iran Supply Threats

Map to E85 Fueling locations

High fuel prices lift wind energy