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Energy

Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics

Dude! Oil industry in ‘hang 10’ mode on low prices

September 21, 2016

North Dakota is about as far from an ocean and surfing as any place in the U.S. So why would a North Dakota energy official use a popular surfing term, “hang ten,” to describe the condition of his state’s oil industry? “You have to find the right wave, and generally it’s a big wave,” Lynn Helms, the director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, said the other day, sounding like a surfing aficionado. (Read more.)

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by Bill Loveless
Energy, Government and Politics, Podcast, Policy

Columbia Energy Exchange: Mary Landrieu

September 19, 2016

The political debate over U.S. energy policy has grown more polarized in recent years, making consensus difficult to reach and leaving the country with an uncertain roadmap for supply and demand. Former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, who served as Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and gained a reputation on Capitol Hill as a centrist who worked with Republicans on energy and other national priorities, sits down with host Bill Loveless to talk about why it’s time for the U.S. to take an entirely new approach to making those decisions. Landrieu weighs in on: The differences among regions of the U.S. over energy production and demand; How Democrats and Republicans managed to strike deals and enact major new energy legislation in the past; Fundamental changes in the political parties that have deepened divisions between lawmakers and made legislating more difficult; The opportunities for…

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

Loveless: Solar power’s future bright but has a way to go

September 12, 2016

The largest solar trade show in North America opens in Las Vegas on Monday with another round of good news for the tiny but growing component of the U.S. electric power supply. Among the announcements planned for the Solar Power International 2016 is a report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association that more than 2 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed in the second quarter of 2016 – the 11th straight quarter that solar connections to the grid exceeded 1 gigawatt. (Read more)

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

Oil’s slide will affect sector for ‘some time,’ CEO says

September 11, 2016

Still in the midst of their worst downturn in 30 years, big oil companies warn that world oil markets are likely to remain vulnerable to sharp swings in prices for years to come. Among the latest alerts is one from Ryan Lance, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips, the world’s largest independent exploration and production company. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Energy, Government and Politics, Policy, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Utilities’ drone plans cleared for takeoff

August 30, 2016

Electric utilities across the U.S. are wasting no time taking advantage of new FAA rules authorizing use of drones for commercial purposes. “We’ve certainly heard from our members that they’re excited about this technology,” said Chris Hickling, the director of government relations for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the trade group for investor-owned utilities in the U.S. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Climate, Energy, Technology

Offshore wind farm a green-energy milestone

August 20, 2016

The first offshore wind energy farm in the USA is up and nearly ready to go, marking a new chapter in the nation’s changing electricity grid. Thursday, workers finished installing the last of five turbines off Rhode Island’s coast, a little more than a year after the Providence-based developer Deepwater Wind first put steel in the water. (Read more.)

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

‘World’s energy superpower’ fights OPEC obsession

August 10, 2016

Although OPEC’s influence over world oil prices has declined in recent years, the mere mention of a meeting by the cartel’s member countries is still enough to trigger speculation and move the market. We saw that Monday when oil prices jumped 3% in New York after news broke that OPEC planned to assemble unofficially in Algeria in September in response to the latest setback in the market. (Read more.)

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

Columbia Energy Exchange: Exelon’s Chris Crane

August 9, 2016

Electric power companies across the U.S. are going through a period of unprecedented change. Low-cost natural gas, new technology, rapid expansion of renewables, and initiatives to reduce carbon emissions are some of the major factors shaking up the electricity sector. Moreover, for some power companies, keeping their nuclear power plants alive is another big challenge. On this episode of Columbia Energy Exchange, we welcome Chris Crane, the president and CEO of Exelon Corp., a Fortune 100 energy company with the most utility customers in the U.S., and the nation’s leading operator of nuclear reactors. Crane talks with host Bill Loveless about the ways in which he is piloting his company through this transformation. And on a timely note, they discuss a new clean energy standard in New York that would keep some nuclear power plants alive. (Listen here)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Energy

Nuclear power gets a boost in New York

August 2, 2016

The struggling U.S. nuclear industry enjoyed a boost this week as New York regulators agreed to a clean energy standard that puts reactors on the same footing as solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy. But only time will tell if it marks the start of a trend. The decision by the New York Public Service Commission will require the state to meet half of its electricity needs with “renewable sources” by 2030, including three nuclear power plants at risk of shutting down, as part of a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by that year. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless