Category: Energy Economics

October 14, 2020

The IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook has been released and at a ‘mere’ 464 pages, did not crash the internet. (When I was a boy, we would say its release meant the death of many trees for the printing.) As […]

October 13, 2020

A developer has shelved a 920-MW natural gas–fired power plant planned for Brooke County, West Virginia, citing “changing conditions in the energy and financial markets” and alleged coal industry interference. Energy Solutions Consortium (ESC), a single purpose entity engaged in […]

October 12, 2020

The Trump Administration in the US has set in motion plans to repeal the exemption for bifacial panels within Section 201 trade tariffs, while also increasing the proposed tariff from 15% to 18% from next year. The White House has […]

August 18, 2020

After the oil industry’s worst quarter in history, companies are taking a variety of approaches towards their finances, and getting a variety of advice and criticism from the pundits and media. Saudi Aramco’s decision to maintain its dividend has been […]

July 2, 2020

A bill which promises to revamp solar support frameworks and stimulate investment in grids in the US has cleared its first hurdle, passing the House of Representatives. H. R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, passed the House yesterday evening by […]

June 26, 2020

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently announced plans to hold a technical conference on carbon pricing in wholesale electric power markets in late September. This decision comes after a diverse coalition of private energy interests petitioned FERC to carefully […]

June 18, 2020

The International Energy Agency has outlined a $3 trillion plan to restart the global economy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions, saying that governments have a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to create jobs while decarbonizing infrastructure. Released today, the IEA says its three-year […]

June 10, 2020

With discussions in the U.S. Congress underway on the makeup of a ‘Phase 4’ coronavirus stimulus package, multiple reports are identifying clean and renewable energy as a key sector that Democrats hope to support. Although details are still scarce, ideas […]

June 8, 2020

The calls on the US to rescue its COVID-hit renewables sector are gathering steam, with high-profile Democrats now lobbying for new aid after the first stimulus package left the industry out. In recent days, former Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, […]

June 3, 2020

Following days of rioting that frightened even those of us who remember the 1960’s, a dazed America wakes up in a very different place than before. Still in the midst of civic unrest and a global pandemic, the country also […]

May 21, 2020

When the United States and China signed their historic trade deal in January, many believed that mounting tensions were beginning to thaw. I wrote then on these pages that the Phase One trade agreement was a mere cease-fire in an […]

May 13, 2020

During the past two months of COVID-19 “lockdown”, the United States has watched 30 million jobs evaporate, incurred an additional $2 trillion dollars of debt, seen our national debt exceed the GDP, and still not fixed our infrastructure. In fighting […]

May 7, 2020

Declaring a national emergency over threats to the U.S. bulk power system (BPS), President Trump in an executive order (EO) on May 1 issued a sweeping ban on transactions by U.S. persons for electric equipment sourced abroad if the U.S. […]

March 26, 2020

The U.S. Department of Energy is suspending its plans to buy crude for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve after the requested $3 billion in funding for the project was left out of the $2 trillion stimulus package. “Given the current […]

March 20, 2020

During his coronavirus Task Force press conference on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he was considering intervening in the situation with the global oil market “at the appropriate time”: “It’s very devastating to Russia because when you look at it, […]

March 18, 2020

With the threat of a worldwide pandemic, the Trump administration would be advised to quickly ease trade tensions with China. The coronavirus is disrupting global supply chains — a phenomenon that will likely continue for several months. China has promised […]

March 9, 2020

Spring is in the air. But it feels like Christmas on Capitol Hill. An enormous energy bill is now pending in the U.S. Senate — one that incorporates more than 50 previously introduced provisions, including giving money to green energy, […]

February 11, 2020

US president Donald Trump has once again advocated for slashing federal funding for clean energy in a budget proposal for fiscal year 2021, released on Monday. ‘A Budget for America’s Future’ is a largely symbolic document ahead of the federal […]

January 28, 2020

There is simply no sanctuary for Iran’s state run oil industry. China has all but abandoned it because of U.S. sanctions. France will be hard pressed to do business with them due to the extraterritorial nature of the Iranian sanctions, […]

January 21, 2020

At the World Economic Forum’s 50th Annual Meeting at Davos, there’s a keen focus on the energy transition and how best to pivot to more zero-carbon solutions like renewable energy, renewable gas, hydrogen and other promising fuels. While the rise […]