News
The Strait of Hormuz has been closed for business for well over a month now. The effective blockage of the waterway that typically hosts the passage of at least one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas resources on the average day has sent global energy markets into a tailspin. The resounding impacts of this disruption – which is now larger than those in the 1973 and 1979 oil crises combined – are just beginning. The question is how the world will choose to deal with the fallout – will we retreat into well-worn fossil fuel supply…
For years, one argument has dominated the debate around renewables: they are intermittent, and therefore require large-scale, dispatchable backup—usually in the form of gas-fired power plants. It is a compelling argument. It is also becoming increasingly outdated. Because while much of the discussion still treats batteries as a marginal technology, real-world systems are starting to show something very different. Storage is not just filling small gaps. It is beginning to replace the role traditionally played by large, flexible fossil generation.…
This week saw something that does not happen very often. WTI, normally trading at a discount to Brent crude, moved higher than the North Sea-focused benchmark. Traders explained it with fears of tight supply in the immediate term and some relief later this year. Some, however, doubt this relief would come soon enough to avoid something few like to talk about: demand destruction. Indonesia has started rationing fuel, capping daily fuel purchases to 50 liters per car for private consumers and sending civil servants to work from home to conserve fuel.…
The growing share of electric vehicles and the expected increase in EV sales this year amid soaring gasoline prices are reducing the revenues for the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, which pays for America’s roads. Most of the revenue for the fund comes from the 18.4% per gallon federal gas tax, which hasn’t been changed since 1993. Yet, over the past 30 years, the funding for the trust fund has been declining, due to inflation and the fact that EVs now represent 2.5% of total light-duty vehicles in operation in America, and the market…
England has introduced a new Land Use Framework, a 56-page report that has been under development since 2022. The aim of the researchers was to assess the effectiveness of the existing land use in England and develop a more optimal plan based on human and environmental needs, considering the future energy and water outlook and potential risks the country might face, such as increased flooding and other climate challenges. Under the new framework, roughly 7 percent of England’s land must be devoted to nature, forests, and renewable energy…
