One emerging theme at CERA Week, currently underway in Houston, is the need for major oil companies to reduce capital expenditure amid range-bound oil prices and escalating costs. Chevron CEO John Watson reportedly said “One hundred dollars per barrel is becoming the new $20, in our business.” So ostensibly oil prices need to increase by… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
Not much time has passed since Yoichi Masuzoe, backed by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, won Tokyo’s gubernatorial election in January 2014 against two candidates who were running on the promise to phase out nuclear power. In his victory speech he uttered: “The Fukushima disaster has left me without words, but reducing our dependence on… Keep reading →
When you’re talking about trends, it’s usually the major cities in the U.S. that create them. From there, the smaller towns around the major city adopt the trend and it continues to spread onward. The green movement has done just that, with cities being the first to implement recycling programs and finding sustainable solutions to… Keep reading →
The largest US nuclear plant owner Exelon said it may shut nuclear facilities to shore up its balance sheet if profits do not improve this year. Historically low natural gas prices and renewable energy sources have decreased the price the utility receives for the power it sells. “Exelon owns 10 nuclear power plants, six of… Keep reading →
It’s Space Week on Energy.gov. We’re exploring the solar system (and beyond) to highlight the contributions of the Energy Department and our National Labs to the U.S. space program. Check back every day this week for new videos, interactive graphics, timelines and more — and submit your questions for our Lab Twitter chat on dark energy,… Keep reading →
You can’t un-ring that bell, but Total CEO Christophe de Margerie laments the fact “hydraulic fracturing” became the widely accepted terminology for the controversial well completion technology. De Margerie’s dissatisfaction with the term appears to stem from a belief that it sounds overly complex and scares the general public. The French oil major’s chief made… Keep reading →
Towards Understanding How Corruption Impacts the Quality of Electricity Supply to End-Users in Emerging and Developing Economies This article provides a synopsis of a paper submitted to the IAEE/USAEE Best Student Paper Award Competition. On average, a fourth of all electricity produced in low-income countries was lost during transmission and distribution in the year 2000,… Keep reading →
A new methane emission study released this week details sources and potential costs associated with reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas from US energy infrastructure. The study, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund and completed by ICF International, found the US oil and gas industry could significantly reduce methane emissions using existing technology for… Keep reading →
These days, a $40 million dollar equity financing deal might not seem groundbreaking in America’s power markets. But for the keen analyst of distributed solar energy, that same investment may just herald a shift toward the future of project financing. Count our team among the latter after John Hancock Life Insurance announced it would partner… Keep reading →
