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Consumer

Article, Consumer, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics, Technology

Clean-energy effort avoids D.C. dystopia

March 7, 2016

Democrats and Republicans agree on little when it comes to government policy, including how Washington should influence the ways that Americans produce and use energy. But one exception is a relatively small program at the U.S. Department of Energy that invests in early-stage technologies with the potential to provide new forms of low- or no-carbon energy efficiently, economically and satisfactorily. Established with bipartisan support in Congress in 2007 and first funded two years later, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has awarded $1.3 billion to more than 475 projects formed by teams from academia, private industry and national laboratories with ideas for technologies in such fields as biofuels, energy storage, superconducting wires, and solar and wind systems.

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy

Oil sector may see spurt in M&A activity

February 1, 2016

Shareholders for the British-based BG Group paved the way for the biggest energy merger in more than five years the other day when they approved the acquisition of their oil and gas company by Royal Dutch Shell for $50 billion. When Shell announced plans for the takeover last April, the proposed deal was widely seen as a possible harbinger of mergers and acquisitions across the industry. But aside from an earlier and still pending bid by the oil service provider Halliburton to buy one of its rivals, Baker Hughes, for $35 billion, no such trend has emerged, despite the plunge in oil prices that has taken place over the last 18 months and its devastating impact on many companies. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Huh? Utilities spur power savings, see profits

January 29, 2016

For nearly 125 years, electric utilities have operated according to one basic business principle: the more power they sell, the more money they make. But the industry founded by Thomas Edison in 1882 now faces the potential for the kinds of upheaval that have transformed telecommunications, transportation, TV programming and other industries. Will the utility as we know it disappear? (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Economy / Finance, Policy, Regulations, Utilities and Providers

2016: Another volatile year for energy

January 19, 2016

The year 2016 promises to be an eventful one for energy in the U.S. and nations throughout the world, with more turbulence in oil and natural gas markets, new opportunities for solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy, and increasing challenges for the electric grid. The extraordinary slump in oil and natural gas prices is likely to continue this year, with both good and bad implications, depending on which side of the pump is important to you. For consumers, low prices will mean more savings when they fuel their vehicles and homes. But for oil and gas producers, and the entire industry that supports their operations, low prices will dampen the resurgence of U.S. production and lead to more layoffs, bankruptcies and mergers. How extensive is the toll of the price decline on the U.S. shale revolution? How quickly…

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics, Utilities and Providers

Cheap gas, oil craters: 2015 rocked energy sector

January 3, 2016

The year 2015 has been a tumultuous one for energy throughout the world, including in the U.S. A new era of abundant supplies is emerging here, bringing with it low prices, at least for now. All this comes as the U.S. and other nations take stock of climate change, and the role that producing and using energy plays in the phenomenon. With that in mind, here’s a look back at 10 big developments in energy in the U.S. in 2015. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Internet of Things puts energy grid to test

December 21, 2015

Electric grids in the U.S. and other countries face more challenges than ever when it comes to providing power reliably and affordability. Aging infrastructure, increasing environmental requirements and the influx of solar and other forms of renewable energy all make running an electric utility smoothly increasingly difficult. Add to that test the explosion of data and the need to generate, store and process it on a real-time basis. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Stagnant electric demand sparks mega mergers

November 9, 2015

Stagnant demand for electricity in the USA is forcing utilities to look elsewhere for revenue and earnings, prompting a surge in mergers and acquisitions. Recent announcements by Duke Energy and Southern Company illustrate the trend, which is likely to continue for some time, according to analysts, including the accounting firm EY, previously known as Ernst & Young. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy

Natural Gas: U.S. producing more than ever

September 2, 2015

The U.S. is producing more natural gas than ever in 2015, despite low prices that make it increasingly difficult for companies to spend money on drilling. In fact, the government’s Energy Information Administration forecasts a 5.4% increase in output this year compared to 2014. But new numbers from EIA suggest some trouble just ahead for gas production, especially in the resource-rich shale formations that have given rise to a U.S. renaissance in oil and gas production. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics

Energy Dept. loan chief leaves a shored-up office

July 5, 2015

When Peter Davidson was hired as executive director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office two years ago, his was not an enviable position. The controversial program had been operating without a full-time director for more than a year, had made no financial commitments in some two years, and was still reeling from the fallout of a major fiasco: the bankruptcy of one of its major clients, the solar-panel maker Solyndra. Now, Davidson, who resigned in June to return home to New York, is claiming success for a controversial loan program that supports technologies with the potential to transform the ways we use and produce energy, but with risks that can scare off commercial lenders. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Technology

LED bulbs gain on CFLs in lighting market

June 15, 2015

Consumer choices in light bulbs for their homes have changed significantly over the past few years, and they appear to be doing so again. Compact fluorescent lamp bulbs, the market leader since most incandescent bulbs were phased out in 2014, are gradually giving way to LED lights, those semiconductor devices best known for their use in traffic signals and electronic appliances. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless