A lot of arguments are put foward of why consumers would not want to buy electric vehicles, such as “range anxiety” or worries about lack of infrastruture. But according to Eduardo Avendaño of cleantech startup Ozone Drive, there is only one thing that really matters in the end: the price. Both policymakers and industry should focus on bringing down the sales price of electric cars. This is all the more important as government subsidies for … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel euphoria: oil and gas forever!
A European country like Germany may have embarked on an energy transformation away from fossil fuels - with major German energy companies like RWE following suit - worldwide there is no such trend, notes US energy expert and author Michael T. Klare. On the contrary, countries and companies, particularly in the US, are euphoric about all the new "unconventional" oil and gas coming on the market. "What we're seeing is a sea change in elite thinking … [Read more...]
How to turn Bulgaria into Eastern Europe’s energy hub and gateway
Bulgaria has become notorious for the failure of many big energy projects in recent years. Yet there is more going on in the Bulgarian energy sector than meets the eye, writes independent energy consultant Valentin Stoyanov. According to Stoyanov, Bulgaria could even become one of Europe’s main energy hubs. The country has strong and diverse energy assets to start with, ranging from coal and nuclear power to hydropower and renewable energies. It … [Read more...]
Interview Tony Hayward: “Kurdistan is a good place to be”
For independent oil companies, getting their hands on new exploration acreage where both technical risk and political risk are low is an illusion, says Tony Hayward, former BP chief and current CEO of the independent Anglo-Turkish oil and gas producer Genel Energy, in an interview with James Stafford of Oilprice.com. Exploring for oil and gas in new frontiers is all about striking the right balance between geological potential and political risk. … [Read more...]
Interview Tyler Cowen: “The shale boom? It’s just getting started”
The shale boom in the US is only just beginning to affect the global economy, says famous US economist and New York Times best-selling author Tyler Cowen in an interview with James Stafford of Oilprice.com. The only question, says Cowen, is who will be the next to latch on to this revolution. Photo: shale oil production in Estonia, by WaronError1 … [Read more...]
World Energy in 2040: Our fossil-fueled future
What sort of fabulous new energy systems will the world possess in 2040? Which fuels will supply the bulk of our energy needs? And how will that change the global energy equation, international politics, and the planet’s health? If the experts at the U.S. Department of Energy are right, the startling “new” fuels of 2040 will be oil, coal, and natural gas -- and we will find ourselves on a baking, painfully uncomfortable planet. Famous energy … [Read more...]
Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven
Now that a new political year has started, it may be useful to ask what exactly are the most important parameters that should go into any energy policy mix. I have identified seven – which I have dubbed the Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven. The nice thing about my “energy policy model” is that it may come in handy – even if you totally disagree with my ideas. Photo: Heaven visited me by Kevin Dooley … [Read more...]
The coming oil price clash – and what it will mean for our economies
Peak oil is dead, we all know that by now. Or is it? Oil prices are certainly not coming down despite years of recession and stagnant demand in OECD countries. According to Gail Tverberg, who runs the blog Our Finite World, prices are so high because oil exporters need ever more money to fund their expenditures. The problem is that oil importers increasingly cannot afford those prices anymore: they are disguising the effect of high oil prices by … [Read more...]
How solar and EVs will kill the fossil fuel dinosaurs
Stanford University energy expert Tony Seba predicts that by 2030, solar power will make the fossil fuel-based utilities redundant while electric vehicles will put the oil companies out of business. “Utilities as we know them are over. They are the land line telephone companies of 20, 30 years ago”, he says in an interview with Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of the path-breaking Australian website RenewEconomy. Photo: dinosaur footprints by … [Read more...]
The Third Carbon Age
Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded the Age of Coal. But according to Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, and the author, most recently, of The Race for What’s Left, this is an illusion. In reality, the energy industry is pouring its historic profits into new … [Read more...]
Virunga: The real price of energy
In 2010, the Congolese Government of Kinshasa granted concessions to European companies to exploit oil near the border with Uganda. Exploration is only starting now in a context of civil war. But the area includes one of the world’s most exceptional nature reserves: Virunga National Park. Energy versus wildlife: the same story once again. The EU is financing a cost-benefit analysis to decide on a way ahead, but one conclusion is already clear: … [Read more...]
The new energy world according to the IEA
The International Energy Agency has given us a lot to think about recently. The IEA has produced one major report after the other – on renewables, gas, oil and climate change. How do these outlooks stack up and what do they impy for our energy future? Editor Karel Beckman provides a handy summary – so you won’t have to worry about this anymore over the summer. Or maybe you do… Photo: Audi A3 Sportback g-tron … [Read more...]
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