Europe Energy

May 14, 2008

Money Shines on Israeli Solar Startup

Luz II has raised $115 million from the likes of Google and BP to speed the delivery of electricity generated by solar-thermal plants.

May 06, 2008

Overseas Utilities Look to the U.S.

Top European power companies such as National Grid are expanding across the Atlantic, attracted by good earnings and regulatory stability.

March 21, 2008

Revolutionizing Urban Transport

British startup Ultra Motor is bringing its two-wheel light electric vehicle to the U.S. With cities crowded and oil prices high, the time is right.

March 20, 2008

Raid on BP: A Russian Spy Story

The day before the Duma enacted tough new foreign investment rules, two brothers with ties to Britain and the U.S. are arrested and accused of spying.

March 14, 2008

Behind the Dollar's Woes

Many factors, including the threat of deeper rate cuts at home and stronger economic performance elsewhere, are piling up against the U.S. dollar.

March 14, 2008

Ocean Power: Europe's Next Green Thing

Ireland's OpenHydro and Germany's RWE are spending millions to try to turn the power of waves into electricity.

February 27, 2008

Breeze Falters for Wind Turbine Maker

When increased competition depressed Vestas Wind Systems' market share, investors balked. Still, the forecast looks fair for the Danish company.

February 20, 2008

The Dawn of Green Mobile Networks

Escalating oil prices are pushing operators to use alternative energies to power cellular base stations in remote areas of the world.

February 05, 2008

BP: Catching Up to ExxonMobil?

The British energy major has fields on tap; it's boosting refining and cutting costs. But it has miles to go to beat the U.S. giant's profits.

February 05, 2008

A Mighty Wind: Eolia Sets IPO

To compete with big utilities, Spain's eco-energy darling is going public to grab as many small and midsize wind power outfits as it can.

February 05, 2008

Gulf States Must Use Oil Wealth Wisely

Policymakers worldwide need to soberly consider the global and domestic consequences of enormous capital investments from the oil-rich GCC.

February 01, 2008

Fueling the Solar Energy Boom

Applied Materials, a leader in chipmaking equipment, is ramping up on solar-panel machines and counting on European regulations for business.

January 25, 2008

Israel: Cradle of the Electric Car

Can Renault-Nissan and Project Better Place make a success of the low-pollution vehicles in a country with bigger problems than the environment?.

January 23, 2008

Giant Steps for Carbon Trading in Europe

With allowances expected to reach $58 per ton of CO2 by 2020, companies could reap big rewards by embracing eco-friendly business practices.

January 17, 2008

Alstom Surges on Upbeat Report

Emerging markets' need for infrastructure is a big part of what's behind the French power and transport engineering company's better-than-expected results.

January 08, 2008

In Europe, New Life for Nuclear

Britain leads the EU's bid to reconsider an energy source that can reduce oil-dependence and emissions—but comes with baggage of its own.

December 12, 2007

Small Business Catches the Green Bug

Climate policy and customer demand are spurring growth for small and medium-sized companies to supply green materials to their corporate clients.

December 07, 2007

Philips' Lightbulb Moment

Europe's largest electronics company is redefining itself as a global lighting king by hawking energy-efficient LED bulbs.

November 23, 2007

John Browne on the Future of Energy

The former BP chief talks about rising energy prices and other challenges, and recommends a set of principles for the industry in its new era.

November 20, 2007

Will OPEC Dump the Dollar?

The fall of the U.S. dollar—and the domestic unhappiness this creates—is causing oil-producing nations to reassess links to the greenback.

November 12, 2007

Carbon Offset Credits: Caveat Emptor

As concerns about climate change heat up, more people are buying carbon credits. Are they paying too much, and where is the money really going?.

November 05, 2007

Will War Worries Hit Turkey's Economy?

Oil prices have reached record highs, but economic effects on Turkey itself are yet to be seen as the government considers sanctions or military action.

October 26, 2007

Clean Coal Gets a Boost in Britain

A handful of British companies are on board with pricey technologies—coal gasification and carbon capture—that can greatly cut greenhouse gas emissions.

October 17, 2007

Lord Browne's Renewable Career

Spills and scandal behind him, can the former chief of BP redeem himself as a private equity player setting up a new alternative-energy company?.

September 25, 2007

U.S. Flip-Flops on Caspian Gas

To restrict Iran's gas exports, Washington could back Russian use of pipelines once meant to cut Moscow's leverage. But will Turkey go along?.