Plus: watch Koning’s top energy trends webinar; listen to Vaclav Smil on transition
Happy New Year Everyone!
Hope you all had some time to connect with family and friends over the holidays.
As we begin a new decade, I thought it appropriate to help you view events with a more long-sighted strategic lens. If you only have time to read one article, read the first post by Andrew Winston from MIT Sloan Management Review. It points to nine mega trends to watch. As I read it, I couldn’t help give myself a little pat on the back. Back in May of last year, I did a webinar on top energy trends (see link below) for the Energy Futures Lab here in Alberta, of which I am proud to be a Fellow. Right up front, I included my take on macro trends many of which closely mirror those mentioned by Andrew.
I strongly encourage you to listen to the 30 minute podcast inteviewing Vaclav Smil. Bill Gates is a big fan of his books. Vaclav quotes a lot of facts many would be surprised to learn.
Peruse the rest of the links as there is sure to be something else there of interest: the two companion pieces by Michael Liebriech of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, for example.
Continue forwarding on to friends and family and encourage them to subscribe! Have a great week.
Thanks,
Peter
The World in 2030: Nine Megatrends to Watch | MIT Sloan Management Review
Comment: As noted in my opening remarks, this is a quick read for those short on time, though I encourage you to also listen to my webinar (see below). I believe viewing all the many current events through a macro lens helps to connect the dots and to know what to watch for.
Koning’s Webinar: ‘Top Energy Trends’
Comment: as I mentioned in my opening comments, I provided this talk for the Energy Futures Lab of which I am a Fellow. My presentation is about the first 35 minutes of this recording. I’ll admit I’m not as crisp and polished as I could have been, so will work on tightening up future talks. I do cover a fair bit of ground, so encourage you to see what I have to say. There are sure to be some nuggets for most of you. Think I missed something? Happy to hear your perspective or comments. Feedback is a true gift!
If you have questions about the Energy Futures Lab, feel free to reach out. There are a number of cool initiatives we’re pursuing and who knows, maybe you can help.
Podcast: Growth and the Energy Transition with Vaclav Smil | Harvard Business Review
Comment: Like I said in my opening remarks, Vaclav has a very firm grasp on the current energy system and quotes facts about the transition many would be surprised to learn. Go ahead, see what he has to say in this 30 min interview.
One-day deliveries are breaking our cities | Fast Company
Excerpt: Shoppers, too, might want to be a little more mindful about ordering online. Maybe don’t order five sizes to try on at home and send a couple—or all—back. We’re not only consumers, we’re also citizens. And right now this so-called healthy competition is taking too much of a toll on the health of the city.
Other headlines of interest…
Energy Storage
- 5 Tangible Advances for Long-Duration Energy Storage in 2019 | Greentech Media
- The 5 biggest battery innovations of 2019 | Tech Republic
- Lockheed Martin Testing Innovative Flow Battery Technology | CleanTechnica
- Energy Storage Enjoys Another Record Year | Forbes
Solar (& Battery)
- China’s Biggest Subsidy-Free Solar Farm Powers Up in Liaoning | Caixin Global
- Trump administration says it will approve largest U.S. solar farm | Los Angeles Times
- Transparent solar cells could be used to glaze office blocks | The Economist
- Evergen joins forces with Solar Service Group to boost battery uptake | One Step Off The Grid
Wind (& Battery)
- Denmark sources record 47% of power from wind in 2019 | Reuters
Transport
- Electric-Truck Maker Rivian Raises $1.3 Billion in New Funding | Bloomberg
- France to Impose $22,240 Pollution Tax on SUVs and Trucks | Industry Week
- BMW i4 Will Likely Have 330+ Miles Of EPA Range | CleanTechnica
- Here is every electric bicycle we reviewed in 2019 | Electrek
- Barcelona’s car-free smart city experiment | BBC News
Transition
- Liebreich: Peak Emissions Are Closer Than You Think – and Here’s Why | BloombergNEF
- Liebreich: Climate Wars Episode IV – a New Hope for the 2020s? | BloombergNEF
- Our pathetically slow shift to clean energy, in five charts | MIT Technology Review
- Booming oil and lower emissions: The decade that blew up energy predictions | Axios
- Montana coal power plant closing two units built in 1970s | The Spokesman-Review
Hydrogen
- The (Green) Hydrogen Economy is About to Take Off | The Energy Transition Magazine
Circular Economy