Save energy this summer

With the Midwest in the grip of a summer heat wave for the next several days, FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is offering tips to help customers save energy and money while keeping their cool.

• Close air conditioning registers in unused rooms and keep the doors to those rooms closed.  This will reduce the amount of energy your air conditioner will use to maintain your home's temperature.
• Don't position heat-producing appliances near wall-mounted thermostats.  Doing so will make your air conditioner run longer than necessary to maintain your preferred temperature.
• Consider setting air conditioners a few degrees warmer on hot days.  Every degree you add to your interior temperature in the summer can reduce your energy usage by up to 3 percent.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and they produce less heat.  
• Now is a great time for an HVAC tune-up.  Your FirstEnergy utility may offer rebates on HVAC tune-ups or discounts on the purchase of new, energy efficient HVAC units.  To see if you qualify, visit www.energysaveOhio.com or www.energysavePA.com.  
• Close drapes or blinds on windows that receive direct sunlight.  Blocking the sun's rays reduces the temperature in your home, which means your air conditioner has less work to do.
• Consider joining the Easy Cool Rewards Program to manage your air conditioning when you're not home.  You'll receive $60 and a Honeywell programmable thermostat (a $250 value).  For details, please visit www.energysaveOhio.com or www.energysavePA.com.  
• If your home has an attached garage, keep your garage door closed during the hottest hours of the day.  This can reduce the amount of cool air that might escape, resulting in less work for your air conditioner.
• Locate window air conditioning units where they will be in the shade during the hottest hours of the day.  Keeping the sun off your window air conditioner will reduce its workload and increase your energy efficiency.
• Cook with the microwave instead of the oven.  Traditional ovens require far more energy than microwaves, and they produce substantial heat inside your home, making your air conditioner run longer.
• Run kitchen and bath exhaust fans only as long as necessary to remove odors or steam from the room.  Leaving a fan running will pull cool air from your home, increasing its temperature.
• If you have a second refrigerator or a freezer that's running but not being used, consider having it recycled.  You'll get a cash rebate of $35 to $50 and save up to $150 every year in energy costs.  

To learn more about energy efficiency and to read about rebate programs you may be eligible for, please visit www.energysaveOhio.com or www.energysavePA.com.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its ten electric distribution companies comprise the nation's largest investor-owned electric system.  Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of approximately 24,000 megawatts.

2011 predictions for solar industry

S&P Equity Research solar energy analysts Clyde Montevirgen and Angelo Zino have issued their 2011 predictions for the industry.

"The year 2010 was strong for the solar industry, as profits increased substantially. While we see some hurdles early next year as subsidy reductions take effect, we expect demand to strengthen in the second half, as smaller markets look to further establish a solar footprint," said Mr. Montevirgen. "Overall, for 2011, we see a mixed picture, with healthy sales growth but declining profitability for some, added Mr. Zino.

Their predictions for the solar energy industry for 2011 are listed below.

1. We forecast that global solar system installations will increase at least 20% in 2011, well below our 2010 projected growth rate for a two-fold increase. We see demand slowing in the first half of 2011, as customers refrain from purchases following modest government subsidy reductions within important solar markets, such as Germany. However, we expect solar manufacturers to respond by lowering selling prices to enhance project returns, which should stimulate further demand for solar products.

A nice romantic fire

Nothing brightens a home more than a cheery fire burining in the fireplace this time of year. It can also be a great additional heating source for a room. Yet many of us don't have a traditional fire place or we may not want to burn wood. There are alternatives, like Gas Logs which can easily be purchased online at Hansen Wholesale.

They specialize in selling R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs which are believed by many to be the best in ventless ventless Gas Logs and vent required logs. Hansen Wholesale even offers systems that come with a remote, so you can instantly create that romantic fireplace moment while still cuddled on the couch (or loveseat) with a loved one.

Prices vary which means they fit almost any budget. They also have a very helpful Gas Log FAQs for those of you who have used gas logs years ago or are new to this alternative choice over a woodburning stove/fireplace.

Hydrates -- are they really icelike?

In following the story of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, I read this Washington Post article. When it got to this one part, I started wondering:

Crews had been delayed after icelike crystals - called hydrates - formed on the blowout preventer. The device couldn't be safely hoisted from the water until the hydrates melted because the hydrates are combustible, said Darin Hilton, the captain of the Helix Q4000.

Hydrates form when gases such as methane mix with water under high pressure and cold temperatures. The crystals caused BP PLC problems in May, when hydrates formed on a 100-ton, four-story dome the company tried to place over the leak to contain it.

So, I started searching for information and photos of hydrates. I found this which is really informative about hydrates. Part of what is shared there written by John Osegovic:

Gas hydrates are often described as "a type of ice" or "ice-like". The chemistry of gas hydrates is very different from ice and the analogy, while widely used, is often unfortunate.

Gas hydrates are typically named for the guest. Methane hydrate has methane as the guest and water as the host. Guests are usually small molecules, but some larger molecules can be included in the structure. Hydrates can also contain more than one guest. These have various names including mixed-, compound-, and binary- hydrates. An example of a mixed gas hydrate is natural gas hydrate. Natural gas hydrate may contain methane, ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide all trapped in different cages but in the same continuous water molecule network.

BP cautions consequences to oil permit bans

Interesting article in the New York Times:

BP is warning Congress that if lawmakers pass legislation that bars the company from getting new offshore drilling permits, it may not have the money to pay for all the damages caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, to see if Congress believes them and if a ban on new permits continues, if it will really be true...

Gas prices rise 11 cents a gallon in one day...

There's been a huge spike in gas prices in our area -- 11 cents in one day. In theory it's being blamed on the Oilplatform explosion in Louisiana, but seriously...the gasoline that was 11 cents cheaper this morning was the same gas in the tanks at the stations.

Some have also speculated about Hurricane Earl but that's not expected to be a huge storm.

Earl may be a four now but it's expected to drop to a 2 before it hits the US. It is however Labor Day weekend, so it's a great way to gouge people's wallets if they decide to head out for a trip.

:-)

Oil rig final hours finally being probed

With it appearing the oil leak has stopped for now, attention is turning to the final hours before the Deepwater Horizon became national news. Part of the recommended Wall Street Journal article:

In particular, the panel is examining why rig workers missed telltale signs that the well was close to an uncontrolled blowout, according to an internal document assembled by the investigators and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The document lists more than 20 "anomalies" in the well's behavior and the crew's response that particularly interest the investigators.

Investigators are also turning attention to decisions made by employees of Transocean Ltd., the rig's owner, in addition to those made by BP that day, the list indicates. In particular, the list suggests investigators are looking at whether better coordination between the two companies might have prevented the disaster. The document includes several instances of unexpected pressure increases triggering disagreements among workers from the two firms.

The anomalies list was prepared by a joint investigation of the U.S. Coast Guard and the agency that oversees deepwater drilling, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (previously known as the Minerals Management Service). The panel will meet for five days of testimony this week and hear from BP and Transocean employees. The list reflects some of the main issues the panel intends to probe in that testimony.

Oil leak finally stopped...

Hopefully for good...

NEW ORLEANS – BP finally choked off the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday — 85 days and up to 184 million gallons after the crisis unfolded — then began a tense 48 hours of watching to see whether the capped well would hold or blow a new leak.
To the relief of millions of people along the Gulf Coast, the big, billowing brown cloud of crude at the bottom of the sea disappeared from the underwater video feed for the first time since the disaster began in April, as BP closed the last of three openings in the 75-ton cap lowered onto the well earlier this week.
"Finally!" said Renee Brown, a school guidance counselor visiting Pensacola Beach, Fla., from London, Ky. "Honestly, I'm surprised that they haven't been able to do something sooner, though."
But the company stopped far short of declaring victory over the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history and one of the nation's worst environmental disasters, a catastrophe that has killed wildlife and threatened the livelihoods of fishermen, restaurateurs and oil industry workers from Texas to Florida.
Now begins a waiting period during which engineers will monitor pressure gauges and watch for signs of leaks elsewhere in the well. In the worst-case scenario, pressure from the rising oil could fracture the well and cause leaks to erupt across an area of the seafloor too large to cap.

So far cap replacement going well in Gulf

According to a variety of media sources, including CNN the replacement of the cap at the Deep Horizon spill is going well at this stage of the process:

BP said Sunday morning that its attempt to place a new cap on its ruptured undersea well was proceeding as planned.
Officials hope the containment cap will stop oil from gushing into the Gulf. But while robots replace the old cap, crude is flowing freely.
Robots have removed the old cap in an operation that began yesterday, BP said in a statement Sunday.
The replacement is expected to take three to six days, BP senior Vice President Kent Wells said Sunday, with favorable weather helping the process along.

Remove rigs or make reefs?

Since we have been following the oil spill story here in detail, it seemed appropriate to point out this article in Time about the issue California faces -- turn abandoned oil rigs into reefs or demand they be dismantled.

What's interesting is the fact that the sea life has adapted to the existence of the oil rigs which means if they are dismantled then all of the sea creatures who have attached themselves to the rig or feed/breed/live around the rig would be killed/impacted by the removal of the rig.

There's also a cost factor and it's ironic that when California and other states allowed the rigs to exist off their coasts, no one planned for what should be done when that particular rig no longer served a purpose...

Continuing the BP oil spill saga...

The New York Times is reporting that BP is getting ready to replace the cap with a better one...Will it work on the first attempt?

If all goes as planned, the new cap could effectively contain the leaking well by sometime next week. But like other engineering efforts in the 11 weeks since oil began pouring into the gulf after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, there is no guarantee that technicians, using remotely operated submersibles 5,000 feet underwater, will succeed in installing the cap. If the procedure fails, the old cap would have to be reinstalled.

That cap is now diverting about 15,000 barrels of oil a day to a surface ship, the Discoverer Enterprise. This amount “will have to be released while we’re putting the new cap on,” Admiral Allen said. The work should not affect a second system that is collecting 8,000 to 9,000 barrels a day from a pipe lower on the blowout preventer.

BP predicts well plugged in July

Considering the problems BP has had so far when it comes to technology doing what they'd believe it can do, I'm not quite sure how reliable BP's statement that the leak will be plugged in July, especially after reading some of the steps that the Washington Post briefly describes...

The company plans to change caps on the gusher, a tricky task that could greatly improve the ability to capture the oil or perhaps even shut down the well -- but that would permit oil to flow unabated during the switch. The company had planned to change the cap only after first connecting the well to a new ship at the site, the Helix Producer, which can siphon up to 25,000 barrels of oil a day. But with a window of calm weather forecast for the next week or so, BP has accelerated its plans, administration officials said Thursday.

This burst of activity comes as a relief well is nearing the blown-out borehole. BP and administration officials say that if the weather holds and all the technology works as planned, they could begin the process of permanently plugging the well within two weeks.

With so much about to happen at the blowout site, the Obama administration on Thursday gave BP 24 hours to provide a detailed description of what they will do in the weeks ahead and how they will do it. In a letter to BP, National Incident Commander Thad Allen also asked for a series of backup plans to be put into effect if events took unpredicted turns.

Forecasting where oil spills are headed is not easy

CNN is reporting that tropical storm Alex is not predicted at this point to directly hit the part of the Gulf of Mexico where the Deepwater Horizon once was, though as it's pointed out, storms do change course. There are other problems though and as the article points out, forecasters are not experienced when it comes to predicting where oil spills will go.

A tropical storm in the Gulf not only has the potential to disrupt BP efforts to collect gushing oil and drill relief wells. It would also complicate efforts to clean up miles of coastline. High winds and seas could distribute the oil over a wider area while storm surges could wash more oil ashore, according to a fact sheet prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Meteorologist Karen Maginnis says the "preferred scenario" actually would be for it to head to northern Florida. That's because the oil spill has been gradually rotating counterclockwise. If the storm heads to the east of it, it would send the oil farther out to sea. If the storm heads more directly towards the central Gulf and Louisiana, it might push the oil toward Florida.
Of course, forecasting where oil spills are headed is not easy.
"We've never been in this situation before," Maginnis said. "We've never seen an oil spill that encompassed the Gulf like this, end up so close to shore."
She noted that the latest models do point to the storm heading to the central Gulf.

Live video of oil spill shows nothing...

From time to time I've visited CNN and watched the live video of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A few moments ago, it appeared as if there were no oil spill, the video showed no stream of oil as had been the case every other time I've visited. Since it's not being reported anywhere that the spill has been contained - on CNN or elsewhere, it raises questions as to why the video doesn't show plumes of oil.

Financial experts say buy BP stock?

Apparently the fall in the price of BP stock is being looked upon as an opportunity for those of you who wanted to buy the stock before but did not because of the prices. They expect BP to weather the crisis and for the stock price to again go up.

Recommended Newsweek story on this topic:

While this may seem counterintuitive, it's actually an age-old investment strategy of buying into a crisis. The theory goes like this: people tend to overreact to disasters like the gulf oil spill. So while the masses go all Chicken Little and run screaming from the stock of any company remotely near the accident, the smart money grits its teeth, rolls up its sleeves, and wades right into the mess, buying up shares on the cheap. Remember, buy the dip; sell the rally. And this is certainly a dip. BP stock is down nearly 40 percent since the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, knocking its market capitalization from $183 billion down to about $115 billion. The supposed smart money is betting this drop is only temporary, and that the stock will bounce back once we've regained our sanity and realized that spilling an estimated 19,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico is not, in fact, a company-crippling catastrophe.

Even President says top kill failed...

Normally if you hear the words from a President that "top kill has failed" you'd think of some secret mission involving an uncover operation designed to kill some terrorist threat. Now of course most of us realize that the term "top kill" is related to trying to contain the oil spill. As addition coverage to the below posts on this topic is this Reuters story where President Obama shares his thoughts on the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Top kill effort fails to control oil spill...

On the topic of the oil spill, it's being reported by a variety of media sources, including the Washington Post that BP's plan for a "top kill" did not work to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. They are still struggling to find a way that will work to stop the flow of the oil.

BP's three-day effort to throttle the leaking gulf oil well with multiple blasts of heavy mud has failed. The attempted "top kill" of the well was abandoned late Saturday afternoon, leaving the huge Macondo field deep beneath the sea floor once again free to pump at least half a million gallons of crude a day into the gulf.

"I can say we tried. But what I can also say is this scares everybody, the fact that we can't make this well stop flowing," BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said in a late-day news conference.

Gas prices not yet impacted by oil spill...

Typically when there is any type of a major storm or other type of crisis such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, gas prices go up fairly quickly. Which is a constant complaint from consumers since whatever oil is being disrupted is not the oil that was recently refined to create the gas they are pumping.

This time prices have not dramatically increased, but it's not because oil companies have finally decided to give us a break, it's because right now there is an over supply of oil waiting to be refined into gas. If it were not for this basic supply and demand issue? There'd be much more pain at the pump...

Wind farms don't impact property prices

Recommended article from New Scientist, Wind farms don't affect property prices. This is especially important with the increased focus on alternative energy sources. Part of the article:

As part of a US government-funded study, Hoen's team recorded the sale price of around 7500 homes in nine states and then devised mathematical models to reveal how, all other things being equal, proximity to a wind farm affected their value.

Not much, it turns out. Homes less than 1.5 kilometres from a wind farm sold for no less, on average, than homes 8 kilometres away. Similarly, home values tended to remain stable long after wind farms sprung up.

Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman and chief executive doesn't see why oil is up - I do

Sometimes I wonder...After reading this:

With the growing belief in OPEC and a coming financial recovery, “there would be no reason why the current price rally could not extend to $75 within a fairly rapid timeframe,” Mr. Horsnell wrote in his weekly overview of oil-market conditions.

Believers in oil-market fundamentals are left scratching their heads. Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman and chief executive Rex Tillerson told reporters earlier this week that he couldn’t see any reasons involving supply and demand to push up oil prices. He attributed the recent oil rally to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar and people trying to get in front of a perceived economic recovery. “But it’s just a bet on their part as to whether the green shoots have roots or not. And none of us really know yet,” he said.

I had to point out this:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had "put out of operation" a Chevron storage facility by destroying several pipelines that fed into it.

"This will henceforth become our standard mode of operation," the group said in a statement.

The U.S.-based Chevron Corporation could not be immediately reached for an assessment of the damage.

Nigeria's military has been clearing the western Niger Delta region in a major operation against MEND. The armed militant group demands that more of Nigeria's oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those whom they consider corrupt politicians.

The group declared war against the government in September for what it said were unprovoked attacks. At that time, MEND destroyed several oil facilities, forcing Nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 40 percent.

Considering the jump in prices when there is a hurricane predicted, or a fire or mechanical breakdown at a refinery? Common sense dictates with as emotionally reactionary the market is? That's all it takes....