Google, Investing on Alternative Energy

Google, is one of the many companies that have put capitals in solar energy projects.



BrightSource Energy, an Oakland, Calif.-based builder of solar-thermal utility plants, announced it raised $115 million in funding to expand into markets around the world.

BP Alternative Energy and StatoilHydro Venture joined Google in the investment, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

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A Technology Twist for Alternative Energy

High oil price creates alternative energy market!



Energy alternatives have been the focus of the discussion among energy traders today, due to rising energy costs. Some energy traders are trying their luck in investing on the alternative energy as it becomes popular since the oil price sky-rocketed.

Why not? Alternative energy will surely offer profits for those who want to try it because it can lessen the expenses, yet, it still needs funding before an investor can enjoy profitable returns. In addition, some oil investment companies are focusing on the possible merge of technology and alternative energy to counter the possible funding expenses.

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Is Ethanol A Miracle?

On alternative energy....

While ethanol may soon make up 5% of the gas at Ontario's pumps, it certainly isn't matching that in capital investment dollars. Total investment in Canadian ethanol production to date is about $1.2 billion — chump change compared to the $6.2 billion invested in 2004 in Alberta's oilsands, with $2.3 billion more in oilsands development capital projected this year. Recent oilsands projects from the likes of Shell, Chevron or Suncor have already eclipsed cost targets by amounts greater than the capital expenditure costs of all Canada's current ethanol projects. Ethanol producers say production costs are dropping, but at 35¢ to 45¢ per litre, they are still steep compared to Alberta oil, which can cost less than 24¢ per litre to extract and refine. Governments can try to create an ethanol market, but international investors see green only in oil.

After reading the American study, more will be tempted to see ethanol funding as another farm subsidy in disguise. Even with oil on a tear, ethanol producers may encounter more weeds before harvest time.

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Energy Market Updates

Oil prices, energy trading, alternative energy updates....


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The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has no plans to hold an emergency meeting before a scheduled September gathering, they said.

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It is a new sunrise at the Reliance empire as the fuel to food conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani moves into solar energy.

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There seems something surreal about the continuing rally in international prices of petroleum crude. In terms of fundamentals, stocks are ‘high’, supply quite ‘satisfactory’, and demand is actually ‘easing’. Yet crude oil prices keep going up and up and up. The sustained rally in oil quotes does call for a closer look at the role of speculation in hardening prices.
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The presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, and Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton have both called for a gas tax holiday this summer, eliminating the 18.4-cent-per-gallon tax during the time when Americans rekindle their passionate affair with the open road, from the end of May to Labour Day.
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BRITISH gas giant BG Group has made a $13 billion power play in the Australian market, launching an all-cash takeover bid for Origin Energy.
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Additional supplies would have to come from OPEC states because refineries in non-OPEC countries required enormous levels of investment to maintain current production, he wrote.

"In those countries much of the remaining oil in the ground in OPEC is run by National Oil Companies that have, by and large, been starved of investment capital by their own governments, for example Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran," Mr Sieminski wrote.

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How Oil Price Affects Us

What's new with the energy markets? everybody is expecting a positive outlook from this market but it seemed that the expectation remained negative. what more could this oil price give to us?

Evidently, due to the unstable energy markets, some stikes were being posed by some oil workers. They too, are affected with the current trend in oil markets. This is not only happened in Britain, where major oil refinery shut down, stikes is almost everywhere, where oil is one of the most serious problems.


We cannot deny the fact that oil has a pivotal role in our life. Oil alone is our life. This makes us mad when our government prefers to privatize oil energy sector, especially when times that the government itself is not already counting money from it. Privatization for them is the answer, so that, more private entities could invest in their countries. But it would only create fears and troubles, because protesters would not allow it.


However, we can still make a difference out of it. If we would only unite for the common good. Focusing on alternative energy can be one of the solutions. Though, it requires funds, new researches and studies, still, in a futuristic view, nations that would try alternative energy could prossibly be out of the problems brought by the current oil situations.

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JIC Sees Investment Returns in 3 Alternative Energy Projects

The alarming oil price increase has ushered some of the oil firms to try their luck in alternative energy ventures. For instance, the J.I.C Technolgy Company Ltd., which is to be renamed as Hong Kong Energy Holdings Limited, has initiated to venture on three alternative energy projects. Find out how they manage to venture in this projects...

About J.I.C. Technology Company Limited (stock code: 987)

In March 2008, 74.99% interest of J.I.C. Technology Company Limited was acquired by HKC (Holdings) Limited. Following that, all HKC (HOLDINGS)'s new investment in the alternative energy business will be conducted through JIC. The Company is to be renamed as Hong Kong Energy (Holdings) Limited. For more information, please visit website: http://www.hkenergy.com.hk .

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SA Oil Minister Abhors Biofuels, Okays Solar Energy

Solar energy is one of the best and clean energy alternatives, according to Saudi Arabia's oil minister. On the contrary, he claimed that biofuels will not increase energy security, nor help protect the global environment. Ali Al Naimi is firmed that biofuels are not the right solution to the increasing demand of oil supply.

The rise in biofuel use was largely due to government subsidies, high import taxes and financial favoritism vis-a vis others, he added.

"That's why we have to look beyond biofuels... and concentrate instead on truly renewable sources of energy," he said, adding that solar power was perhaps the best clean energy source available in all parts of the world.

"It is abundant, clean and available to all," he said.

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Eneabba gas wants to be carbon-neutral plant

Will the conversion of eneabba gas into a carbon-neutral plant promotes also neutral effects both to the government and environment?

He said Eneabba was negotiating with potential customers and had a memorandum of understanding with West Australian government-owned utility Verge Energy to swap gas to allow the plant to have operational flexibility.

Earlier this year, Eneabba signed an agreement with the state's Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Authority to establish a 1200ha conservation area around the power station site.

The area will be preserved to protect areas of native vegetation and remnant bush.

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Energy projects delayed due to bureacratic process

West Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy Chief executive Tim Shanahan, who will retire this week, divulged problems on bureaucratic process that made energy developments delayed. What was really the issue of delaying projects such as this?

Mr Shanahan said there were projects worth more than $95billion proposed for the state's resources sector, but most were suffering from delays in the approvals process, and he estimated about $70 billion worth of projects were still to be landed.

He said so far this year more than $18 billion had been committed to new minerals developments in Western Australia, suggesting there was more than a boom occurring there.

"The chamber's projection is that we are going through a transformation in our economy driven by what is a transformation in the Chinese economy," Mr Shanahan said.

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Coal prices pressure power generators

As the other oil products get high, coal fuels that energized some of power outlets have already strike into high price.

Physical coal prices on Thursday surged to a record $102.00 a ton delivered into Europe, from $65.00 in the first quarter, because rampant demand in Asia has sucked in millions of tons originally destined for the Atlantic market.

Power generators, Europe's biggest coal consumers by far, buy most of their coal on rolling long-term contracts from producers but usually purchase a small proportion from the spot market.

Coal-fired generation is used most heavily during the winter months when it is usually the lowest-cost fuel. Some European regions can switch from coal to hydro, wind or gas-fired, notably Scandinavia, Germany and Iberia, but most European utilities rely on at least some coal-fired generation. more....