Most people find it tough to get excited about regulators. But President Obama’s nomination of Ron Binz to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is reason to sit up and take notice. FERC oversees the nation’s electricity and natural gas networks, and the grid is badly in need of upgrades—up to $2 trillion worth by… Keep reading →
Conway Irwin
Posts by Conway Irwin
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We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy.Accounting giant Ernst & Young’s latest United States renewable energy attractiveness index confirms commonly understood perceptions of which states are friendliest to renewables, such as California and Hawaii, but also shows remarkable progress by individual states and the solar industry as a whole. The top ten states on the All Renewables Index, which you can… Keep reading →
Reports in a Lebanese newspaper detail a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, in which bin Sultan suggested a joint Russian-Saudi strategy to manage oil production volumes and prices, according to Platts. “‘Let us examine how to put together a unified Russian-Saudi strategy on the subject of… Keep reading →
What if price mattered less to the utility ratepayer than winning? That’s the promise of “gamification,” the product and programming trend that has driven Internet success stories like Foursquare or Instagram. At first it can be hard to see how “check-ins” and other forms of social sharing can play a role in businesses like the… Keep reading →
Of all the coverage linking Syria to oil prices, BBC seems to have used to most appropriate word for how the conflict is affecting markets: they’re “jittery”. It conveys that price movements will be both reactive and unpredictable as events unfold. The possibility of conflict has almost certainly pushed oil prices higher, but uncertainty over the… Keep reading →
Will Mexico’s Energy Reform Hamper its Climate Change Legislation?
By Kristina RossThe Mexican energy industry has remained closed to foreign investments since 1938 and its people have taken great pride in its energy independence. But President Enrique Peña Nieto hopes to revolutionize the country’s outdated energy policies with the reform bill he proposed August 12. The bill, which still has to be approved by Congress, would amend… Keep reading →
MIT researchers have devised a membrane-free rechargeable battery prototype that could facilitate cheaper, large-scale energy storage and support widespread renewable energy use. On August 16, 2013, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) unveiled a membrane-free rechargeable flow battery prototype capable of overcoming the major barriers of energy storage – cost and performance –… Keep reading →
Yesterday’s Gulf of Mexico lease sale brought in just over $102 million in high bids, less than the two previous sales. Various news outlets described it in less-than-glowing terms. Oil & Gas Journal called the results “lackluster“, while Fuel Fix said the sale drew “tepid interest“. “This sale was not eye-popping, and may be closer to a… Keep reading →
The trouble with economic booms is that “crazy” is largely a matter of timing. For anyone who was paying attention in the 1980s, the idea that Brazil, with its runaway inflation problems, would emerge as a powerhouse driver of global economic growth while developed economies struggled in the mid to late 2000s would have seemed… Keep reading →