The token gesture of Saudi Arabia committing to raise oil production meant nothing to the futures market and crude prices will just continue to climb, an energy analyst told CNBC Europe Monday.

Cramming into a rusty, creaky van and playing dive bars and house parties is a summer ritual for many young musicians and ambitious independent bands trying to get exposure, but high gas prices are putting the brakes on new bands' tours.

The US Government has been trying to find ways to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil in a number of ways.

The reports below offer analysis and research on different parts of the energy industry,  such as the potential for wind energy, higher energy efficiency for low-income neighborhoods and the affects of biofuels on the economy.

These energy industry events and conferences listed below bring together corporate executives, investors, lawmakers and regular folks looking to learn more about a particular industry.

As big as it is, the energy industry has a wealth of  organizations to promote its interests and educate the public.  Here's a sampling.

Not long ago, it was hard for retail investors to play the oil patch. Not anymore. As the energy bull market rages on, investors looking for a piece of the gains in oil and gas (and alternative energy) need only select from the dozens of energy-oriented Exchange Traded Funds (ETFSs) that are cropping up to meet demand.

Even with erratic federal and state subsidies, wind capacity in the US has blossomed since 2000, and there is now enough to serve 5 million homes. The Energy Dept. estimates wind could fulfill 20 percent of our electricity needs by 2020 if the right infrastructure is put in place.

Geothermal power has not only been getting investor attention recently, but it can lay claim to being perhaps the oldest of renewable energy sources.  It is also genuinely renewable. Estimates vary considerably, but all say the potential is vast compared to what exists today.

With the proliferation of energy-oriented mutual funds over the last ten years, getting a piece of this supercharged, if highly volatile, sector has never been easier. But energy funds have been notoriously hot and cold over the years, so investors should allocate no more than 5 percent of their total portfolio to this sector.

Sales of manual -- or push reel -- mowers with the cartwheeling blades are on the rise this year as gas becomes more expensive.

Ernesto Evangelista prefers to pump premium gas into his seven-month-old Nissan Titan, thinking it makes the truck run better.

U.S. and Chinese officials agreed Wednesday to launch negotations on a bilateral investment treaty and to expand their cooperation on energy and environmental issues, but differences remained on how quickly Beijing should liberalize its markets

China intends to make its energy prices better reflect market fundamentals over time, but needs to move cautiously because of concerns about inflation, an official said on Tuesday.

President George W. Bush will make an announcement on Wednesday about energy and call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling, the White House said.