UK oil major BP made a big splash in 2000 when it changed its name to “Beyond Petroleum” (originally British Petroleum) and changed its logo to a sunburst design that was supposed to represent the company’s greater renewable energy focus. BP has since scaled back some of those efforts, but other firms are pushing ahead… Keep reading →
The Department of Energy looks set to award $8 bln in loan guarantees to limit greenhouse gas emissions produced from the oil & gas and coal sectors. The DOE’s proposal would apply to both downstream carbon capture – such as from coal-fired power plants – and to upstream emissions mitigation. Perhaps not what the world… Keep reading →
Can BP successfully challenge $blns in settlement payouts related to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent Gulf of Mexico oil spill? The company is accusing “trial lawyers and some politicians” of submitting thousands of inflated or false claims. [New York Times] Can biomass really challenge Gazprom’s supremacy as an energy supplier to Eastern Europe and… Keep reading →
New York Energy Week kicks off today with the Solar Financing Market Perspectives breakfast at 8:00am (see Energy Solutions Forum’s solar policy primer here). The opening ceremony at 5:30pm features New York State Governor’s Office Chairman of Energy & Finance, Richard Kauffman; Kenneth Daly, President of National Grid New York; Francis J. Murray, Jr, President… Keep reading →
In the midst of the shale revolution, US proved natural gas reserves drove the first ever global decline in proved gas reserves in 2012, and it all comes down to low prices, according to BP Chief Economist Christof Rühl. Global proved natural gas reserves fell by half a trillion cubic metres in 2012 compared to… Keep reading →
Renewables suffered their first “serious slowdown” in 2012, as their rapid growth outpaced the capacity of some economies to continue subsidizing them, according to BP Chief Economist Christof Rühl. Global renewables consumption – defined as wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and waste – grew by 15.2% in 2012 over 2011 levels, to 237.4 million tons of… Keep reading →
China has enacted new measures to improve air quality, including a mandate that heavy polluters, such as coal-fired power plants, reduce emissions by 30% per unit of economic output by the end of 2017, and publicly release environmental information. Certainly seems like a step in the right direction for a country whose capital city’s pollution… Keep reading →
The future of Alaska’s abundant natural gas reserves has hung in the balance for decades, with much disagreement over how to maximize value for the disparate stakeholders and minimize negative environmental impacts associated with developing the gas. However, the US energy picture has been radically redrawn in recent years, finally putting a potential solution within… Keep reading →
A pair of proposed pipeline projects may bring more than 90 billion cubic meters per year of natural gas to European markets, but this will not undermine the rationale for developing the continent’s indigenous shale resources, which could offer a range of other economic and security benefits, says Eurasia Group global gas analyst Leslie Palti-Guzman.… Keep reading →
BP displayed a lack of caution in agreeing to a rather lax set of standards regarding payment for Macondo oil spill claims. “The level of compensation was never capped and the settlement didn’t require proof that losses were caused by the spill.” [Bloomberg] Walgreens is building its first “net-zero energy” store in Illinois. Adding generation capacity… Keep reading →
