Energy Shift: “A rapid shift from fossil fuels? No way – Here’s why”

Plus: BP warns of unsustainable path; London to install 50K EV chargers

Hi Everyone,

As many of us enter summer, I am going to ease up on the frequency of emails. Watch for the next update on July 21st. If you come across stories worth sharing, pass them along. My readership now spans most Canadian provinces, a third of the US states and a handful of other countries. I encourage you to keep sharing this around with family, friends and colleagues.

I am finding there is lots more I want to share with you – thoughts about a new vision for an energy future, for my home province of Alberta and its place in Canada, but also for Canada and its place in the world – and importantly some attributes of the near term pathway to get there. Yet the 8-10 hours a week of discretionary time I invest in keeping you abreast of energy developments combined with other personal commitments, has been hold me back. A little space over the summer could help.

The last couple weeks showcased the divisiveness around energy, in Canada especially – but there is plenty of evidence of the polarization elsewhere as well. I encourage you all to have the will to listen to someone with a different perspective. This takes effort. A couple of the stories I included this week are offered in an exercise of listening to another perspective.

Just before I go…a quick shout out to Keith Mielke out in Drayton Valley. Appreciate the positive comments, Keith! (thanks to Phil, too!)

Hope you all have a great few weeks.

Peter

Peter Shawn Taylor: A rapid transition from fossil fuels? No way — here’s why | National Post

Comment: Like I said: an exercise in listening to someone with a different perspective. I know many of us would rather see more progress on clean energy, but there are some stark realities about the current energy system. It’s big and will take more time than most realize to transition. It means oil and gas will continue to be a part of how we power our lives for many years to come. Have a look where renewables sit in the graph below.

Rex Murphy: Scheer and Trudeau both continue their tiresome climate charades | National Post

Comment: OK, so those outside of Canada – you may not know or have followed what this is all about. Yet it is worth a read. It made me laugh, perhaps you will as well. I appreciate Rex’s ‘call it like it is’ style, though on some things he ought to widen his view. Taking the substantial royalties and taxes generated from oil and gas and reinvesting them to diversify the economy and make it more resilient for the coming transition is not only smart, its is what governments ought to be doing more of. It is exactly what the University of Oxford’s Institute for Energy Studies advises for both companies and countries heavy invested in oil & gas.

French oil giant Total expands into US microgrid market with Go Electric acquisition | Utility Dive

Excerpt: Battery manufacturer and Total subsidiary Saft sees the purchase as an important step in its strategy to accelerate the growth of its energy storage systems business.

Shell aims to beat power utilities at their own game | Reuters

Excerpt: One of the most eye-catching elements of its strategy was the targeting of returns of 8% to 12% after the investment stage, probably around 2030. Such levels have rarely been seen in the power sector.

London looks to install as many as 50,000+ EV charge points by 2025 | Electrek

Excerpt: London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled an updated electric vehicle infrastructure delivery plan which aims to put as many as 50,000 EV charge points in the city by 2025, as London looks to become a zero emission transport city by 2030.

Mega-scheme in Australia’s NSW proposes PV, pumped hydro and 150MWh of battery storage | Energy Storage News

Excerpt: New South Wales (NSW) authorities recently received Walcha Energy’s plans for a 700MW solar PV installation, part of a 4GW complex in the making. In addition to PV and wind, NSW authorities have been asked to consider a 100MW / 150MWh battery energy storage project at the complex, with the location yet to be disclosed. Batteries are set to be joined by pumped hydro storage at gorges to the east and south of Walcha plateau, with feasibility studies now underway for one such scheme at the Dungowan Dam.

Opinion | A Market-Driven Green New Deal? We’d Be Unstoppable | The New York Times

Comment: Though a tad longer of a read, this NY Times op-Ed co-authored by a pair of experts from the Rocky Mountain Institute offers some compelling arguments for government investment to green the US economy. There are plenty of useful parallels for other developed economies, such as investing in building retrofits that will hep low income families. Be among the other ~ 60 million readers that thought this was worth a read.