• First commercial hot-dry-rock geothermal power plant to start operation

    Hot fractured dry rock technology was invented to draw energy from deep underground areas where geothermal heat is abundant, but no water exists to carry the heat to the surface; Aussie company this week to begin operation of the world’s first commercial dry rock geothermal power plant

  • Invenergy, GE Energy in $1 billion wind turbine deal

    Since 2004, GE’s wind turbine business has grown 500 percent, with its wind business revenues exceeding $4 billion in 2007; half of all wind turbines sold in the United States since 2005 were manufactured by GE

  • MIT awards more than $1.6 million to fund research projects

    MIT Energy Initiative unveils first seed grant winners for energy research; innovative research projects include harnessing microbes, developing new materials, curbing pollution, harvesting wasted watts, and much more

  • Harvesting rain-drop energy

    The search for clean and renewable energy led French researchers to experiment with harvesting the energy of falling rain drops; they show it is possible to convert the energy into electricity that can be used to power sensors and other devices

  • Westinghouse wins $200 million Watts Bar contract

    The rising price of oil and anxiety about global warming make nuclear power generation more attractive; companies servicing the nuclear power industry benefit

  • Renault/Nissan to turn Israel into electric car haven

    Car makers, with the help of $1 billion investment from Project Better Place, will wire Israel with 500,000 charging points and 150 battery-swap stations where motorists can exchange their depleted batteries for recharged ones within about five minutes

  • Acergy to develop Victoria Field

    As the price of oil rises, the exploitation of difficult-to-reach oil and gas fields becomes more attractive; contract signed to develop Victoria Field in the southern North Sea

  • U.S. wind power generation expands 45% in 2007

    Rapid increase in U.S. wind power generation capacity sees 45 percent growth in 2007, injecting $9 billion into U.S. economy; growth of wind power accounts for 30 percent of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007

  • New consortium to develop tiny sensors to boost energy production

    The University of Texas at Austin announces the Advanced Energy Consortium (AEC), a multimillion-dollar research consortium dedicated to the development of micro and nanotechnology applications to increase oil and gas production

  • Idaho geothermal power plant goes online

    U.S. Geothermal launches first geothermal power plant in Idaho; plant uses innovative binary cycle technology in which the geothermal fluid is pumped through a heat exchanger to vaporize isopentane, an organic compound that vaporizes at lower temperatures than water

  • GAO: More federal efforts needed to thwart threats to oil tankers

    GAO publishes a detailed report on terrorist threats to tankers carrying crude oil, liquefied gases, and refined products to the U.S.; these threats pose a major challenge, since the U.S. imports 55 percent of the nation’s crude oil supply

  • As nuclear power spreads, so do worries about safety

    Of the more than 100 nuclear reactors now being built, planned, or on order, about half are in China, India, and other developing nations; China has 11 nuclear plants and plans to bring more than 30 others on line by 2020; MIT report says China may need to add as many as 200 reactors by 2050; imagine China bringing to nuclear matters the same rigor and corruption-free approach it brings to inspection of food, children toys, and medicines

  • Manchester University leads SPRIng project

    University to develop new tools for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power; among the tools to be developed: Methodology and decision-support system for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power and considering energy supply and demand

  • First commercial wave farm operates in Portugal

    Scottish company Pelamis has been operating the world’s first commercial wave energy farm, located off the coast line of Portugal, for a year now

  • First U.S. hydrokinetic wave energy license granted

    Federal regulator grants Canadian company Finavera conditional five-year license to build and operate wave energy farm off the shore of Washington State; wave energy buoy farm is first in the U.S.