It’s been a strange month — plenty of reasons to be MORE bullish on conventional energy fundamentals, but a clear regression in investor sentiment, reflected in crude prices. My view is that there should be an oil price spike, but that the last six months are not ‘it,’ as fear, violence, weather, and QE2 (for …
Ethanol is a Growth Chemical, but not from Corn I never thought I’d see the day – untaxed moonshine is worth as much as the drinkable stuff. But a few anecdotes: Brazil, the largest ethanol consumerism the world, with the lowest cost process, is short, and getting shorter. High sugar prices are forcing ethanol economics …
More on fuels…. At $4/gallon, would you buy an electric or advanced hybrid car? The issue has attracted surprisingly little attention in recent weeks. While an all-electric fleet would bring your neighborhood’s grid to a halt (and even your house during a daytime charge), YOU might like the numbers! If the Chevy Volt, after …
Big Oil Goes CleanTech Earlier this month, French Oil Major TOTAL announced an agreement to tender for 60% of SunPower (SPWRA), one of the leading solar module manufacturers and distributor/project developers, at a 43% premium to the previous market close. TOT is not new to the non-hydrocarbon energy market, having acquired some thin film …
Other Middle East updates Egypt has postponed final decision on its first nuclear powered investment, in the aftermath of its own turmoil. It is possible that outside (French, Korean, Japanese, and Russian partners), may also go slow on next steps for projects throughout the region (Kuwait, Jordan, UAE). Roughly twenty projects are in various …
Batteries – Momentum builds for both electric vehicles and backup storage With the launch of the Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt, the newsflow actual performance and market interest in electric vehicles is building. The VOLT was (surprisingly?) well reviewed in the New York Times, and the roster of new vehicle launches is building. …
Building Boom on the Horizon Spot uranium prices have doubled over the past year, as Chinese buyers continue to stockpile product to fuel 25 plants (over 20 GW) now in construction, and part of 60 worldwide in-process projects. With significant additional plans in place, both in China and many other markets (India, Middle …
Going Nu-cular i attended a Uranium Conference in Toronto last week. Key takeaways for this source of low carbon baseload electric power: a) Most estimates of Chinese nuclear expansion plans are understated, even by the Chinese, who have doubled their 2020 plan, to 75 plants, since 2005. b) China’s ramp to 2020 will requires about …
(After a brief hiatus, mostly tied to ‘Macondo-Fatigue,’ we’re back, with more observations on the broad energy scene. I thought I’d open with a review and update of the initial outlook from the first issue, in March. ) My view of oil supply fundamentals is largely unchanged from Issue 1 – a hole in the …
Renewables and Smart Grid – MIT speaks out Last week, I attended a BofA/Merrill Lynch Cleantech Seminar, featuring presentations by MIT professors on Global Warming, Solar, Wind, Smart Grid, and Storage. While an academic setting might appear to be inappropriate for practical, nearer term, investors, some views were startling: 1) Without judging the conclusions, the …