The age of electric vehicles, those quirky cars that have been perennially stigmatized as lacking range, reliability and affordability, is finally here. If you don’t believe that statement, you probably haven’t driven one recently. Or attended a Formula E auto race. Or taken a look at some of the sales numbers. Or all of the
Many reasons have been provided for the dramatic plunge in the price of oil to about $60 per barrel (nearly half of what it was a year ago): slowing demand due to global economic stagnation; overproduction at shale fields in the United States; the decision of the Saudis and other Middle Eastern OPEC producers to
Renewables have the power to transform not just the world’s energy markets, but global economics and geopolitics. But wind and solar alone cannot deliver a world of clean and free fuel. Both are, by their very nature, variable, so to realise their true potential other technologies need to be harnessed. Improving connectivity to other countries
In isolation, it could have seemed innocuous. Sonangal, the Angolan National Oil company announced cuts in capital expenditure. The industry paid little attention. Since the current crisis began, cuts in cap-ex have been all around us. But this move, from a National Oil Company, marks a significant shift that we should all recognize. Early in
300 pounds: That’s how much coal was not burned in a distant power plant in December as a result of the solar panels we installed on our house in Wyoming this fall. Being December, it was our lowest monthly generation period, with low sun angles and periodic snow covering our panels. An astonishing 1000 pounds
Oil. The commodity. We know what it’s worth – at least we thought we did – but what does a barrel of the black stuff get you in real life? Before we get theoretical, let’s first consider how much oil you use. If you’re in the United States, that figure is approximately 2.5 gallons of
Breaking the Inertia of the Status Quo “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ― Buckminster Fuller In 2007 I began to drive a Gem e4 Neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) powered by roof top solar, It was a personal experiment
This time, it could be long-lasting—with dramatic consequences for the climate, the economy and the global balance of power. Oil is the most valuable commodity in world trade, so any significant change in its price—whether upward or downward—has far-reaching economic consequences. Because oil also plays a pivotal role in world politics, such shifts can have
When it comes to electric cars, buyers are often interested in two types of green. The lower environmental impact of a zero-emission vehicle, and the potential to save cash by eliminating gasoline use are both typically factors that motivate the purchase of an electric car, to varying degrees in different individuals. It’s also generally assumed
In Saudi Arabia, drivers pay roughly 45 cents a gallon to fill up their cars, and in Venezuela even less. Energy is so inexpensive in Kuwait and Qatar that residents chill their enormous swimming pools in the summer and typically leave their air-conditioners on at full blast while they are away on vacation. Across the
