25 January 2018

Crude oil prices(Brent) have surpassed 71$/b and retracted. Weak dollar and stocks. US crude growth is not in super-ultra lights, actually their sahre is decreasing. Saudis think IEA overhyped shale. IEA’s Birol reminded US will be biggest oil producer but not exporter. Big capital is getting into microgrid business as energy-as-a-service. Geoengineering may cool earth but when you stop warming effect of GHG may showup rapidly. Germany’s onshore wind increased record breaking 5300 MWs. Citigroup sees 80$/b closer. Bored scientists calculated the emissions caused by sandwiches. Energy poverty ebook..

Summary of the Day

US crude growth is in the center of oil discussions. Is this growth dominated by super-ultra light grades? This article says no, quality issues remain. In short condensate is the smaller hydrocarbons in oil. +50 API oil production decreased

Al Gore defended US President’s decision to impose tariffs on solar panels.

The bored scientists from the University of Manchester calculated the carbon footprint of sandwiches. It generates 1.4 kg of CO2 equivalent, close to emissions of a 19 km driving. Packaging 8.5%, transporting and refrigerating 4%. 11.5 billion sandwiches consumed in UK

Carlyle Group, private equity behemoth form US, set up a business unit Dynamic Energy Networks to use Carlyle capital to create microgrids and operate them as energy-as-a-service model. They set aside 500 million $. It may worth 3-5 billion $ in the next 3-5 years.

The developments in the petro-sphere, America’s rise to oil superpower may complicate things for geopolitics, refineries and climate issues. Prices may do lots of W (up-down-up-down)

Saudi Aramco’s trading unit is using spare refining capacities in Mediterranean, selling crude and getting fuel in retun aka swapping. Then selling producsts to Europe, North Africa.

[FT$]Saudi Arabian energy minister says, IEA overhyped US shale boom. Meanwhile IEA’s Birol reminded that US will be the biggest oil producer but not exporter.

Is organic agriculture better or worse for emissions, land use, energy use, acidification? Worse

Is the next big think in energy Small Modular Reactors(Nuclear)? Asks this report. For decarbonizing the whole system, including hydrogen generation, SMRs could be a solution. Mini GenIII PWRs. Recommendation: “Scrap renewable specific energy targets”

Geoengineering may mask earth’s warming but when it stops temperatures would rise very rapidly a new study claims. It should be done via UN, not on large scale, reducing GHG should continue.

Germany’s onshore wind growth grew record breaking 1700 turbines and 5300 MW. Total onshore capacity is 50,770MW. Digitalisation of energy transition and autonomous driving pushed German company sales 4% to record 190 billion€.

Renewable investments in Europe can get faster with low cost credit. This report proposes a system that EU as an institution guarantees the tariff for renewable projects so that the risk premium decreases.

Citigroup claims, with the OPEC oil cuts in place, supply disruptions may push prices to 80$/b.

Energy poverty occurs when a household is unable to secure a level and quality of domestic energy services sufficient for its social and material needs. “How spatial patterns of energy poverty map onto existing inequalities” and rising importance of energy poverty issues in EU

Canadian oil producers should thank Venezuella. Canadian oil is heavy and have a steep discount to WTI. This is due to transportation bottlenecks. Discount is around 20$/barrel

Physicists create Star Wars style 3D projections. Although they are small, in real life they are not flickering as in the video. Mechanism is simple, trap particle and move with laser.

Amazon Go doesn’t have a checkout but check in, you scan a smartphone code, you shop. Will it kill jobs. There are 3.5 million cahiers in US. Airline kiosks for baggage tagging didn’t cut workforce but cut check in costs by a factor of 25. So replaced 25 new jobs maybe:)

Graphs of the Day

US Crude production split between lighter (>50) and relatively heavier crude blends(Zeits)

Cost structure of power generating technologies (Agora Energiewende)