Tech

A big question mark hangs over global alternative energy markets and U.S. federal stimulus funding in the clean tech space in the wake of Wednesday’s announcement by California-based Solyndra LLC that it was shutting its solar manufacturing operations at a Fremont, CA, plant and seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A Boston-based high-tech firm, Core Security Technologies, claimed last Wednesday to have discovered a deficiency in key software used by natural gas pipelines and other utility operations that could make them vulnerable to hackers. Core Security representatives described the potential security problem to the Associated Press, which released a wire report on the firm’s allegations.

A Boston-based high-tech firm, Core Security Technologies, claimed Wednesday to have discovered a deficiency in key software used by natural gas pipelines and other utility operations that could make them vulnerable to hackers. Core Security representatives described the potential security problem to the Associated Press, which released a wire report on the firm’s allegations.

The oilpatch has gone high tech and demand for new and better products has never been higher, Raymond James & Associates Inc. analysts said last week.

With ceremonial taps on two cordless computer mice to power upthe high-tech control room in Calgary, Alliance Pipeline enteredservice amid forecasts that it will rapidly be put to full use.Alliance did not immediately announce the opening amount of gas inits 2,300-mile route from Fort St. John in northeastern BritishColumbia to Chicago. But industry sources said it was filling uprapidly after curing startup glitches that postponed the event fora month, with about 800 MMcf/d flowing or 60% of its scheduledvolumes. The line was installed with ability to take up to 1.5Bcf/d in order to guarantee service on its 1.325 Bcf/d inlong-term, firm transportation contracts.

No news was good news for bulls in the natural gas pit yesterdayas prices bubbled higher late in the session in accordance with thelong-term bull trend. Very little in the way of fresh fundamentalnews was seen to bully prices in either direction and as a resultthe market spent most of the session inside the 10-cent tradingrange etched during the first half hour of trading.

In what is a harbinger for other electricity-intensive high-techcorridors that have sprung up in various regions of the U. S., alocal zoning decision in the midst of California’s Silicon Valleycould decide the fate of a new generating plant that everyoneagrees is badly needed to serve the rapidly growing powerrequirements of the Internet-connected, new economy businesses.

In the new economy, while energy-intensive industrial businesslags, the growing information technology (IT) and telecom sectors”should account for an increasingly large piece of the total energypie,” according to an industry analysis report released by J.P.Morgan. And some will profit more than others, the financial giantsaid, in naming seven natural gas-based companies the winners inthe new market.

After about a year of nibbles, the Canadian industry isbeginning to bite on a new ocean transportation technology beingdevised to speed up exploitation of natural gas reserves at remotelocations, led by the country’s Atlantic reserves.