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Energy Venture Capital CEO Discusses M&A ‘Arms Race,’ and More

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Energy venture capital is a challenging business in the best of times, but greater competition from large non-traditional players and lingering economic weakness in many of the world’s largest economies mean that, more than ever, finding and doing successful deals requires a disciplined, yet open minded approach.

The entrance of large companies into the energy venture capital space, the US elections’ impact on investment cycles, identifying opportunities and dominant sector trends were just a few of the topics Breaking Energy recently discussed with Dr. Wal Van Lierop, CEO of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 18, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Data Show Brazil’s Wind Energy Market is Wide Open for Business

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Blessed with abundant surface water resources and a considerable amount of associated hydroelectric power, Brazil has lots of renewable energy, and a lot of room to generate additional power from renewable sources like wind and solar.

Brazil is the world’s second largest hydro power consumer behind China, but a sharp contrast between wet and dry seasons – along with occasional droughts – has driven the country to import LNG in recent years to supplement its energy security. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Chevron California Refinery Fire Contained; Could Hit Markets

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Firefighters have contained a blaze at Chevron Corp.’s (CVX) Richmond refinery in California, but the fire, which broke out Monday, is still burning.

 /  Published August 7, 2012 at 10:00 AM

Vanadium and Energy: Rare Earth Metal Market Outlook

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Vanadium is a metal used in the steel, aerospace and energy storage industries – and as with virtually all commodities – the supply, demand and price outlook for this commodity varies depending on who one speaks with.

The energy and metals markets first collided in the 1970’s and 80’s when oil and gas companies looking to expand their businesses merged with mining companies. For example, Union Oil of California (UNOCAL) acquired rare earth miner Molycorp in 1977 – UNOCAL was subsequently acquired by Chevron in 2005, making Molycorp a fully owned subsidiary of the oil giant. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 26, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Walmart Sees an Affordable Renewable Energy Future

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Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, will leverage its scale to bring affordable renewable power to consumers using its experience from the retail industry.

Rahul Raj, director of sustainability and merchandising innovation at Walmart.com, said that the retail giant aspires to 100% renewable power. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 29, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Oil Refiners Launch Counter Offensive on Obama’s ‘War on Fossil Fuels’

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America’s oil refiners are preparing to intensify efforts to press the federal government to drop mandates to encourage the development of advanced biofuels and counter the Obama administration’s “war on fossil fuels.”

The Renewable Portfolio Standard requires that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended with petroleum-based products by 2022 under the Bush-era Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 12, 2012 at 8:30 AM

BrightSource IPO: Second Time the Charm?

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An 11th hour withdrawal from a long-anticipated initial public offering could be a potentially damaging blow for a cleantech startup trying to raise additional capital from the public markets.

But BrightSource, the concentrating solar power startup with 9 GW of projects in the pipeline, has not ruled out another attempt at a public launch. Keep reading →

 /  Published May 31, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Fortuitous Timing of Oil and Gas Investor Conference

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Independent oil and gas firms are attempting to focus on the fundamentals following major allegations against one of the sector’s most colorful figures. The looming dispute over Chesapeake Energy’s chairman comes as companies already contend with a glut of natural gas production amid high prices for oil and liquids production warping traditional price dynamics.

US oil and gas company executives “talked turkey” with Wall Street analysts in New York last week at a high-level investor conference. Every spring, the industry’s exploration and production community convenes to discuss their business models and corporate strategies with the analysts who rate their company’s stock for investors. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 24, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Nichols Brushes Aside Doubts About California’s Cap and Trade System

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The chair of the California Air Resources Board, yesterday brushed away concerns that the state’s cap and trade program had failed to give the energy industry enough market certainty.

Mary Nichols told delegates at the Navigating the American Carbon World conference in San Francisco yesterday said she saw no problem with traders in the US power markets adopting a “wait and see mode” on whether the pioneering scheme would begin next year. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 12, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Shell Chief: Energy Prices Too Cheap to Change Consumption

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Amid rising gasoline prices at filling stations across the US, energy prices are still too cheap to force dramatic changes in consumption, Shell’s chief executive said recently.

Peter Voser told Silicon Valley investors at a dinner held by the Churchill Club: “For certain things energy prices need to go up otherwise the behavior will not change. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM
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