MenuEurope is in the throes of an unprecedented energy crunch. Some call it a crisis, which, if not addressed, may be comparable to the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s – with dire economic, social and political consequences. Brent crude is at a 5 year high of $84 per barrel while spot natural gas prices are up more than 500% year-over-year,
Category Archives: Energy Security
FinTech Can Help Fill Climate Resilience Gaps In Emerging Markets
The fuel crisis spreading across Europe and Asia highlights the weather-related vulnerabilities faced by global energy systems. As wind and solar falter under intermittency, power generation has defaulted to gas, where demand is being squeezed by early-autumn heating and late-summer electric cooling needs across Eurasia. The reverberations of February’s polar vortex in Texas—which froze gas output—continue to be felt
AUKUS Sub Deal Could Sink Relations With France, Buoy Nuclear Tech Advances
As an exhausted, internally divided America proclaims its return and promises a new era of diplomatic leadership, its global partners are rightfully skeptical. Year one of the Biden era has seen the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, casting doubts about the president’s foreign policy judgment. So long as the disgraced President Donald J. Trump remains the Republicans’ current frontrunner for
Tesla Flexes Innovative Muscle By Manufacturing Own Chips During Supply Crunch
COVID-19’s impact on the global economy introduced major supply chain shortages, hitting silicon wafer manufacturers particularly hard. Silicon wafers chips are a small slice of semi-conductors, a vital tech component inside all complex electronics from cell phones to cruise missiles. They also require critical minerals and advanced processing techniques to produce, two areas where the United
Big Money For Solar, As Biden Targets Half Of U.S. Electricity From The Sun By 2050
A Solar Futures Study released by the Department of Energy (DOE) Wednesday projected that solar energy generation could reach 40% of the nation’s electricity consumption by 2035 and achieve nearly 50% by 2050, contingent on large federal government infrastructure investments such as those proposed by the Biden Administration. The study found that to reach 40% solar in
Hurricane Ida Puts America’s Energy Security To The Test
Hurricane Ida, the worst storm since Katrina, knocked out an estimated 94% of offshore Gulf oil production, as well as power to one million homes across Louisiana and Mississippi this past weekend. Some 10% of gas stations in the Baton Rouge area were out of fuel — as were 7.5% around New Orleans — leaving thousands lined up for gas to
Dual-Sided Solar Panel Breakthrough Means Massive Efficiency Gains
Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra have created the world’s first “truly bifacial solar cell”. These panels are dual sided, with both the front and the back of the solar module capable of generating power. Place a mirror behind these cells, and incoming sunlight can be absorbed twice. Continued
As U.S. Retreats, China Looks To Back Taliban With Afghan Mining Investments
The U.S. defeat in Afghanistan threatens to undermine already limited U.S. credibility and geostrategic leverage. With the ascendance of the Taliban, the energy infrastructure and natural resources of the region are now more in jeopardy than ever since 2001, the year the U.S. chased out the Taliban regime. Continued
What’s Next For Historic Infrastructure Bill And Green Energy?
After months of negotiation, the Senate voted in a filibuster-proof 69-30 to approve a $1 trillion infrastructure framework. The bill orders repairs to crumbling physical infrastructure such as roads and bridges, expansions to broadband internet access, replacement of lead water pipes, financial support for clean energy projects, and improving the weatherization and cybersecurity of vulnerable infrastructure. Continued
Inferno: Mediterranean Fires Highlight The Need For International Solutions
Thousands across Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon are fleeing their homes as historic wildfires whip through the region. This is climate change in its manic phase. And it is getting worse. Continued