Energy Technology
Algae biofuels update
In the nearly two years since we first announced our alliance with Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI), we’ve made good progress in our research aimed at developing next-generation biofuels from photosynthetic algae. Basically, we are working to identify and develop strains of algae that could produce refinery feedstocks for the production of transportation fuels. We also need to design and engineer the systems to do this at scale. It’s a big program, and it will take time.
America’s natural gas is reinvigorating the U.S. petrochemical sector, too
To see how innovation in one industry can open doors in another, take a look at a speech given last week by Steve Pryor, president of ExxonMobil Chemical. We already know that rising U.S. natural gas production is strengthening the economy by creating jobs and tax revenue. But in Steve’s speech, you’ll see it also is providing a big boost to the U.S. petrochemical industry.
Fix education, fix the future
Speaking at a conference hosted by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas late last week, our chairman and CEO, Rex Tillerson, made an interesting statement that I think has implications for U.S. policy as we usher in a new Congress.
U.S. EIA forecasts growing domestic natural gas supplies – and Americans will benefit
When the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Annual Energy Outlook 2011 last week, growing U.S. shale gas production was the major headline. The upswing of natural gas in general is good news for several reasons: it’s a cleaner-burning fuel for power generation, resulting in up to 60 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than coal; the abundance of domestic gas supplies helps strengthen U.S. energy security; and growing gas production means more jobs and economic activity in states across the U.S. But if you go back only five or 10 years, few would have been talking about these benefits of domestic supplies of natural gas.
Is the world running out of oil?
Recently, Newsweek invited its Twitter followers to suggest topics to discuss here on this blog. We had a great response and a lot of ideas. But I noticed that one theme kept coming up: Is the world running out of oil? This is a legitimate question, and one that those of us at ExxonMobil hear frequently; so, I’d like to address it.
Our most powerful energy solution? Efficiency.
It might look like a trivia question, but it’s quite the opposite. As you might have seen, we posed a question on the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal: What will make the single biggest contribution to meeting global energy needs in coming decades? The correct answer is not oil. It’s not nuclear, solar or any other energy source. The answer is improved energy efficiency.
