“There has rarely been a more compelling time to invest in energy,” said Barclays analysts in their latest Global Energy Outlook, released this morning. Here are four key takeaways: Oil price risk has swung from downside to upside, thanks to geopolitical risk. Geopolitical risk has supplanted US production growth as the big global story in… Keep reading →
China’s power market will more than double in size by 2030, with more than half of expected additions to come from renewables, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “China’s power sector could attract investment as high as US$159 billion per year, with around half going to renewables…As a result of a cleaner energy mix, the… Keep reading →
Coal-to-gas switching in the power sector has been a “brutally efficient” driver of US natural gas demand, and until new demand sources materialize, it will keep gas trading in the $3.20-$4.20 per million Btu range, according to Macquarie Global Oil & Natural Gas Economist Vikas Dwivedi. “Gas demand so far has been led by power,” Dwivedi said during… Keep reading →
Hardly a bastion of security at the best of times, sectarian violence in post-war Iraq has trended upward over the past few months, with the number of dead – mostly from car bombs and reprisals – reportedly at a five-year high. However, despite deteriorating security, the country’s largest oil fields located in the southern region… Keep reading →
Persistently low natural gas prices and a search for stable cash flows helped drive a large year-over-year increase in power and utilities mergers and acquisitions in 2Q 2013, according to accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers. The value of North American power and utilities M&A deals worth $50 million or more rose sharply year-over-year, reaching $12.5 billion, up… Keep reading →
The unpredictability of renewable energy sources like wind and solar creates reliability challenges for utilities seeking to balance power supply and demand across centralized grid networks. Policies compelling energy providers to incorporate more renewable energy into their portfolios make the challenge more urgent, but also create business opportunities for companies finding solutions. Those who crack… Keep reading →
Investment bank Simmons & Co’s long-term forecasting envisions 12-20 billion cubic feet per day of incremental US natural gas demand by 2020, pushing total demand to 82-90 bcfd from around 70 bcfd this year. LNG exports are the biggest driver, adding 4.2-6.8 bcfd, followed by exports to Canada and Mexico (2.5-3.4 bcfd), power generation (3.2-5.6… Keep reading →
Utility customers often don’t know how their power is priced and who makes the decisions that impact price, delivery, reliability and other important factors. “Decisions made by PUCs [Public Utility Commissions] will influence the $100 billion in utility infrastructure investments expected each year between now and 2020, ranging from smart meters to transmission lines to… Keep reading →
Smart meters and advanced analytics could come to the rescue. It’s no secret that it takes a lot of energy to grow blueberry kush, purple sour diesel, voodoo or any of the dozens of other potent strains of marijuana available in North America. In the U.S. alone, indoor cannabis growing uses about $5 billion in… Keep reading →
New York Energy Week officially kicked off Monday night with a star-studded panel discussion and reception held at the New York Academy of Sciences’ beautiful event space on the 40th floor at 7 World Trade Center. The need for public/private partnerships when advancing energy initiatives was a common theme throughout the discussion, which was appropriate… Keep reading →
