Natural gas inventories, or the volume of gas periodically injected, stored and withdrawn in various parts of the US, is a major price determinant. Storage dynamics also vary significantly by region, from production centers with ample salt cavern storage capacity to demand centers like the northeast where cold winters require utilities to maintain enough supply… Keep reading →
“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 →
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Last year’s election season brought us an amazing series of zingers and gaffes from national politicians — including a number on Solyndra and the clean energy stimulus. Since 2013 isn’t an election year (well, sort of), cleantech hasn’t been in the national spotlight in the same way. That means most of the key… 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 →
Investments in energy efficiency can involve substantial up-front costs, but they can also pay for themselves several times over. In some cases, they can confer additional benefits that exceed savings from reduced energy use. Honeywell recently completed a $2 million Smart Building retrofit project at the Spring Creek Towers complex in Brooklyn, New York. The… Keep reading →
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz gave a speech at Columbia University yesterday, in which he highlighted the multiple facets of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. And he stressed the progress on one of the plan’s main priorities – lowering the cost of alternative forms of energy – has made tremendous strides in the past few years.… Keep reading →
Carbon dioxide emissions costs have been possibly the great ‘unpriced externality’ for the energy business for more than a decade. Companies have resisted complex and cumbersome government plans only to end up with regional patchworks and failed private pricing mechanisms for the greenhouse gas that scientists have held most directly responsible for the lion’s share of human-contributed… Keep reading →
In recent weeks, debate between between utilities and the residential solar industry has reached fever pitch and escalated to a full-throated public standoff in several states. Across the country, utilities are renewing efforts to roll back or address net metering (NEM) policies; in particular, APS in Arizona and Xcel Energy in Colorado both submitted plans… Keep reading →
The energy industry is absolutely full of things that almost no one thinks about until they break. Until a high profile blackout or a price spike, the complex and technical questions that determine the outcomes of fundamental sector responsibilities like reliability and data security are often ignored by the broader public and even by industry… Keep reading →
Think of an industry dominated by huge, established firms reliant on distribution models that have been in place for more than a century. Or one where customers pay a premium for the reliability assured by known brands despite little difference in delivered product. Or one where financing huge upfront costs depends on both that premium… Keep reading →
