WIND POWER IN ALASKA ... On the heels of "The Business of Clean Energy in Alaska" conference last week, sister publication Petroleum News will have some 'hot' wind power coverage in the June 27 edition. Freelance reporter and Green blogger for the New York Times, Stefan Milkowski, talked to local wind power experts about financing, access and Alaska's future opportunities, while veteran reporter Kristin Nelson provides updates on Alaska’s newest wind installation in Kodiak. The Kodiak Electric Association installed 3 turbines in 2009, adding to the fact that 80% of KEA’s energy was already coming from hydro power from Terror Lake. Current savings are 830,000 gallons of fuel, more than $2.2 million at a $3 a gallon diesel price, and KEA hopes to have 95 percent of its energy coming from renewables by the year 2020. It's a big state folks, we're more diverse than you think. Check it out!

THE FUTURE IS GASSY ... According to a report released today by MIT, "The Future of Natural Gas". It's one in a series of reports by MIT's Energy Initiative, headed by physics professor and former Under Secretary of the Department of Energy, Ernest Moniz. The findings won't shock oil companies like ExxonMobil or Shell, because both invested billions of dollars in natural gas ventures in the last year. But it also seems the report does a solid job of hitting all the issues and problems surrounding natural gas, including extraction and transportation. Here's a teaser: "It would be a significant error of policy to crowd out the development of other, currently more costly  technologies because of the new assessment of gas supply. Conversely, it would also be a mistake to encourage, via policy and long-term subsidy, more costly technologies to crowd out natural gas in the short to medium term, as this could significantly increase the cost of CO2 reduction." Check out the report’s link above and I'll keep an eye out for the next installment.

OIL REMAINS GRAY ... Seems U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman has a real handle on the gray area pertaining to the future of the oil industry. The Louisiana federal judge's financial disclosure report shows that his striking down a six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling hasn't kept him from selling off half of his energy-related investments. Interestingly enough, Feldman kept ExxonMobil stock, mentioned above for its investment in natural gas development, but sold off stock in Transocean, the company that owned the drilling rig operated by BP that's spilling into the Gulf. I think it shows a lot of thought and consideration, whether you agree with him or not, which generally seems safer than wildly reactive decision making. What do you all think?

NUCLEAR FUSION HOBBIES ... You read right, it's all the rage! Well, not really, but it is for one guy in Brooklyn. Mark Suppes is employed by Gucci as a web developer, per his W2, but at night he's busy tinkering with his fusion reactor. It's a small-scale mechanism, so he uses a bubble detector filled with gel that gets excited every time fusion occurs. Suppes has detailed every step of his project on his blog, and has spent $37,000 of his own money, but next hopes to next achieve "the world's first superconducting Bussard Reactor. Ultimately break-even fusion." Those interested in investing should get a hold of him by email... And in case anyone is reading from Brooklyn, or has relatives there, Stan Milora, director of the Fusion Energy Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory says Suppes current reactor is in no way harmful to the public, and is much smaller-scale than those that have been proven to create health hazards. If you're interested in small and large-scale fusion projects check out www.fusor.net.

FLUSH AND CLEANSE ... The Profile Smart may not be the first toilet that lets you do your business and clean up afterwards with one fixture, but it's the best marketed. That's right, for a reasonable price you can get a "toilet sink" and save water. After flushing, fresh, cold water is directed through the faucet for hand washing, then drains into the tank for the next flush. It's also federally approved as a high efficiency toilet, saving 20% of the water used compared to standard toilets. While it may not go over well in the guest bathroom, it's not a bad idea for shops, lake homes, or in an add-on bathroom in unconventional spaces likes unfinished basements. Would you buy one? Read more about the Profile Smart and other innovative bathroom products on Caroma's website.

Contact me! I am Greening of Oil’s social networker. My weekly column is posted on Greening of Oil’s Buzz and Latest news pages.

My email is mac@greeningofoil.com.