Steel plant. Photo credit: Shutterstock A new global index commissioned by Philips ranks countries by their energy productivity performance and finds the US in 38th position trailing the likes of Japan (24th) and Germany (17th). The “2015 Energy Productivity and Economic Prosperity Index – How Efficiency Will Drive Growth, Create Jobs and Spread Wellbeing Throughout… Keep reading →
British oil major BP issued its annual energy outlook and reported that rising energy demand in the coming decades will cause increasing carbon emissions despite efforts to draw them down. BP projects that the growing global economy will cause energy demand to rise 40% in the next twenty years and two-thirds of the demand will… Keep reading →
DOE’s efficiency standards will not slow demand, but could save up to $78 billion in electricity bills. On December 31, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced energy efficiency standards for general service fluorescent lamps (GSFLs) and automatic commercial ice makers (ACIMs), achieving its goal of finalizing 10 energy efficiency standards in 2014. Together, the… Keep reading →
A new ‘Zeitgeist’ is increasingly taking hold in growing pockets of society, politics and the business world. All indications point to one direction – towards the concept of ‘sustainability’ dominating human behavior and thinking in the twenty-first century. As the urbanization wave around the globe rolls on, megacities are increasingly becoming the epicenter of human… Keep reading →
Global energy investment requirements through 2035 amount to $2.5 trillion annually, with $40 trillion devoted to maintaining current supply levels and developing incremental sources to meet anticipated demand. An additional $8 trillion is needed for energy efficiency measures, according the to the OECD’s energy watchdog. [International New York Times] The EPA’s newly-released plan to cut… Keep reading →
Diversity of energy sources and uses guarantees that every year will bring some new, notable developments, and 2013 was no exception. In the US hydraulic fracturing lifted the output of crude oil and natural gas to such an extent that in 2013 the country became, once again, the world’s largest producer of hydrocarbons (the USSR… Keep reading →
Is the rapid increase in US oil and gas production from shale resources a threat to the oil-dependent Saudi Arabian economy? That depends on who within the kingdom you ask. One school of thought proclaims global energy demand growth is expected to be sufficient to absorb all new supply sources, while another fears extensive incremental… Keep reading →
America currently uses more air conditioning than the rest of the world combined. That could change. Stephen Lacey: August 13, 2013 America used to be the king of car sales, but China took that crown in 2009. America also used to be the world’s biggest polluter, but China now has that dubious distinction… Keep reading →
