Volume 1, Issue 3
February 15, 2016 – February 21, 2016
Jason Mulderrig | Anushka Dasgupta
Oil and Gas:
Oil Output Freeze Has a Catch: Attracting OPEC Unity http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/business/energy-environment/opec-oil-production.html?ref=energy-environment
February 16, 2016 | Andrew E. Kramer and Stanley Reed On Tuesday, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Qatar began moving towards the coordinated cut on oil production that will be needed to counter the current surplus and price instability in the market. Initially, markets responded favorably to the news that the four nations are considering the deal. However, investors remain doubtful that it will get off the ground – the deal depends on the commitment of other major producers, namely Iraq and Iran. Currently, the deal remains more of a freeze than a reduction. However, even steadying production levels – as opposed to recent increases – will ease some pressure on the market. The viability of the deal depends on responses to talks with several producers, including Iran, Iraq, and Oman. -AD
Energy Policy:
Next Supreme Court Justice Will Be Crucial to Climate Change http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/business/economy/next-supreme-court-justice-will-be-crucial-to-climate-change.html?ref=energy-environment
February 16, 2016 | Eduardo Porter The topic of climate change is in a precarious position in America today. In particular, the Supreme Court, with the recently-passed Antonin Scalia, issued a stay on the Clean Power Act, an essential piece of domestic legislation that was meant to help reach emission cuts set at the Paris climate talks. Even if the emissions cuts are fully put in place, analyst groups have predicted that the planned cuts will not be enough to fulfill Paris pledges. As a result, the writer of the article suggested that we should attack emissions from the transportation and industrial sectors and foster a political environment that is willing to have healthy negotiations about climate goals. Even though this article examined the political and environmental implications of the future of emission cuts, it failed to look at the economic burdens that would arise from such cuts. The article was also written with a clear left-leaning thread. -JPM
Renewable Energy:
Coalition of US states pledge to accelerate renewable energy efforts http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/16/us-states-renewable-energy-green-economy
February 16, 2016 | Oliver Milman On the heels of the multi-state suit against the Clean Power Plan, governors from 17 states signed an accord pledging their efforts to create a green economy for the United States supported by renewable energy, a modernized energy grid, and cutting transportation emissions. Some governors, particularly California’s Jerry Brown, see the accord as a continuation of goals set in place in their home states. Other governors, like Nevada’s Brian Sandoval, see the accord as a way to expand their state’s connections and partnerships with renewable energy players. It should be interesting to see how these states interact with the states who opposed the Clean Power Plan in the near future. -JPM
US Wind Energy Tops New Electric Capacity in 2015. http://cleantechnica.com/2016/02/17/us-wind-energy-tops-new-electric-capacity-2015/
February 17, 2016 | Joshua S. Hill According to the 2016 Factbook published by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, wind energy was the largest source of electricity installed in the United States last year. Installation of wind energy accounted for 8.6 GW of electricity capacity, trumping 7.3 GW of installed solar PVs and 6 GW of installed natural gas. The increase in wind energy installation is influenced by a continual drop in cost of the technology along with the renewal of tax cuts for wind energy by Congress at the end of 2015. -JPM
Energy Storage:
Tesla Energy Ramps Up Hiring In Africa http://fortune.com/2016/02/19/tesla-energy-ramps-up-hiring-in-africa/
February 19, 2016 | Kirsten Korosec Tesla Energy quietly added five job postings in South Africa to its website this week, its first move into a continent rich in opportunity for innovation in energy storage. Africa’s rising demand for power and abundance of resources could very well make it the next big tech job market. Ultimately, Tesla could help Africa towards zero-emissions power generation with products such as the “Powerwall” and “PowerPack,” batteries for operations of different scales. -AD
Power Distribution/The Grid:
In Britain, a Green Utility Company Sees Winds of Change http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/business/energy-environment/in-britain-a-green-utility-company-sees-winds-of-change.html?ref=energy-environment
February 19, 2016 | Stanley Reed As of recent, more and more governments around the world are reconsidering renewable energy subsidies (we saw this last week with the US government and solar energy). The British government is one such government. As energy prices are being driven lower and lower, the British government is now reducing their subsidies for most renewable energy sources in an effort to push for energy production based on natural gas, nuclear, and off-shore wind power. This has pushed energy utilities that had been increasing their renewable energy dependance, like the company SSE, to change their strategy in a pinch. -JPM