Bizjournals Energy and the Environment

Gasoline prices are continuing an upward trek, with the Florida average for a gallon of self-serve regular up 4 cents at $2.84 and Orlando-area prices up 5 cents at $2.78.

Ecology and Environment Inc. will expand its operations western United States with the formation of a new subsidiary. (EEI)

Plug Power Inc. reported a net loss of $12.1 million, or 9 cents a share, for the fourth quarter.

A drop in a consumer sentiment index has helped to stabilize crude oil prices, albeit minimally, the AAA Auto Club South said.

Lisa Hyland joined Equitable Gas Co. in 2000 and held positions in finance, strategic planning and customer service before being named president in 2007. Under her leadership, Equitable Gas has grown to become one of the top natural gas utilities in the state. As part of her responsibilities, she is currently overseeing a project that will promote the use of natural gas vehicles, including work with the Port Authority of Allegheny County on a grant that would provide federal funding for natural gas powered buses. She currently serves as secretary of the board of the Manchester Bidwell Corp.

GL Commercial purchased seven parcels at the Fountains of Miramar shopping complex in southwest Broward for a combined $8 million.

During a cyber security conference held recently in downtown San Antonio, Texas Lyceum President John James discussed his group’s plans for upcoming events in Texas.

When it comes to businesses adhering to the growing trend of “going green,” Bob Ehrler suggests taking note of retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

When Nashville Electric Service sees that fewer than 1 percent of its residential customers have taken advantage of an in-home energy evaluation program, it sees frustratingly little progress. For businesses, however — especially those of the green variety — it could represent an untapped market.

Tennessee’s proposed “bottle bill” remains bottled up in a subcommittee of the Tennessee General Assembly, where a Mount Juliet conservationist claws for votes under an avalanche of business opposition.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will award $8 million to help develop or commercialize 19 energy storage projects, including three in the Capital Region.

Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp., a Kansas City, Mo.-based producer of zero-emission trucks for commercial shippers, could make its first foray into the East Coast with a 50,000-square-foot production and sales facility in the Washington area.

Solar companies are sprouting up all over the Valley, and one West Valley operation has made mergers and acquisitions a key part of its growth strategy.

A few hundred miles up the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh sits as a shining example of sustainability.

RALEIGH – A year from now, students showering after a workout at Carmichael Gymnasium at North Carolina State University could be using water warmed by the sun instead of an aging water heater.

Several Bay Area companies are racing against a Dec. 31 deadline that could be the difference between building massive solar projects in the desert or not.

The Main Line Chamber of Commerce is currently recruiting members for its Go Green Committee. The committee is dedicated to exploring ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental footprints. In one recent initiative by two members, the pet supply store Braxton’s Animal Works in Wayne was able to reduce its energy consumption by converting to LED lighting with the help of fellow chamber member Charlie Szoradi, president of GREENandSAVE.com. Dave Braxton invested $19,000 in converting to LED and has since netted $700 a month in electricity savings. That represents a 27-month return on the investment, which will likely accelerate when rate caps are eliminated at the end of the year.

Environmentally minded shareholder proposals, many of which ask companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and set a plan for reducing them, are at an all time-high this year. And, for the first time, they are joined by a new initiative — asking oil and natural gas companies to study the environmental, legal and financial repercussions of hydraulically fracturing shale.

Oasis Petroleum Inc. bet the future on Big Sky country, investing millions into acquiring shale oil acreage in northern Montana and North Dakota.

To envision what happens on the surface at one of the world’s biggest energy conferences, picture this in your mind: