Climate crisis plus energy crisis does not equal a good path to net-zero emissions. Policy wonks at the upcoming COP26 conference in Glasgow later this month will have a tough time with this calculus. It’s been a while since the phrase energy crisis has been thrown around. When I hear it, I have déjà vu […]
Inflation is the talk of the town. Price indices around the world are showing sharp year-over-year increases. The benchmark US Consumer Price Index is tracking over 5% per year. That’s high: for over a dozen years we’ve been acclimatized to half that rate. The pull for resource commodities is a big part of what’s driving broad-based inflation. Consider oil. A barrel of Texas light is selling for over $US 70, again. Only a year ago, under debilitating lockdowns, forty bucks […]
In the world of energy, government money is seed capital. Billions of stimulus dollars merely tickle a transition. Wholesale transformation at a national level — decarbonizing factories, changing out vehicle fleets, making buildings efficient — requires trillions. So, private investment must be enticed to follow. Pension and sovereign wealth funds, endowments, family fortunes and corporate spending — these are among the large pools of capital that must be shaken loose to rewire, re-pipe and renovate our energy economy. There are caveats to attracting big money. Investors need an expectation that money will be […]
Imagine this: Your electrical panel is in your neighbour’s basement. Their house, located across the back alley, goes up for sale every four years, and you have no idea who is going to move in. The new owner could be your new best friend or an insensitive curmudgeon who threatens to cut off your power […]