The U.S. gets closer to its first offshore wind farm; energy speculators come under the microscope; and Chrysler cools hybrid energy needs.

Plans advance for first U.S. offshore wind farm: Though the United States is now the world’s largest market for windpower, there are still no operational offshore wind farms in U.S. waters. That came a step closer to changing Monday after Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC agreed to sell any power generated to a regional utility. The company plans to install 60 turbines 11 miles off the Delaware coast, selling approximately 200 megawatts of electricity to Delmarva Power. Bluewater Wind would be free to build-out an additional 400 megawatts of capacity, getting its first turbines online no later than 2013. (Reuters)

Soaring Oil Prices Put Focus on Speculators: The recent spike in energy prices has sent analysts and politicians scrambling for explanations. The latest: energy speculators, who now account for about 70 percent of the oil traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Critics say speculators are driving up prices and profits by betting on spiraling market prices. While this view isn’t shared by all analysts, politicians are looking into the speculation industry, seeing what — if anything — can be done to cure potential abuses. (NPR)

Green Ceiling: Are High-Flying Alternative-Energy Stocks Due for a Fall?: Are renewable energy stocks becoming overheated? There’s no doubt that green energy firms are seeing big boosts in their stock value as governments push to get solar and wind power online as quickly as possible. On Monday, Jeffries Research began tracking the fortunes of two of the largest wind turbine manufacturers — but placed them with a “hold” recommendation to investors. The reason: a dependency on government subsidies, which could wither under the face of an economic turndown, and a rickety supply chain. Some energy stocks have already seen gains of up to 25 percent in the past year. (WSJ.com)

Prions Are Not Degraded By Conventional Sewage Treatment Processes: Prions — the aggressive family of protiens which causes nerve-related infections such as Mad Cow Disease — are apparently immune from modern wastewater treatment methods. A paper appearing in the July 1st issue of the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science & Technology concludes that prions are undegraded by most chemical and heat processing at current sewage treatment facilities. Scientists conducted the study to determine if the protiens could survive when injected into municipal wastewater from livestock and animal processing sources. (Science Daily)

Chrysler adds integrated temperature humidity sensors on hybrid SUVs: Hybrid vehicle manufacturers are looking for ways to further extend their cars’ range. One method is by reducing the electrical consumption of things such as lighting and air conditioning. Chrysler has come up with a novel solution for their lines: a cabin humidity sensor. The addition of the device will allow air conditioners to run smarter, adjusting comfort levels based on how cool a care feels, not just its actual temperature. Drivers in dry climates will be the biggest beneficiary of this new technology. (Autoblog Green)