![]() 07/12/2017 at 09:14 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
The change, she’s a comin’... “ Investments in electricity surpassed those in oil and gas for the first time ever in 2016 on a spending splurge on renewable energy and power grids as the fall in crude prices led to deep cuts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.
Total energy investment fell for the second straight year by 12 percent to $1.7 trillion compared with 2015, the IEA said. Oil and gas investments plunged 26 percent to $650 billion, down by over a quarter in 2016, and electricity generation slipped 5 percent.”
Oil & gas will most likely take the lead again when prices are more favorable, but it probably won’t take many more years for the balance to shift for the long term.
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![]() 07/12/2017 at 09:22 |
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Make perfect sense — oil and gas just exited a major crisis and spending there is very tight. However, spending on renewables and general infrastructure has definitely ramped up. The US produces ~10% less electricity than it needs right now, and that deficit will only grow as we tax the grid more.
However, as a banking insider I can say that lending to renewables is still a very, very scary proposition best left to venture capital and hedge funds. It’s unfortunate, but lots of subsidies and unproven, long-term technology isn’t exactly attractive to lenders. They get burned a few times and they back away.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 09:51 |
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Yep, renewables are still in the sink or swim faze. We should see growth in home solar power systems as prices continue to fall and they become more “normal” over time. Whether or not companies can make $$$ is another question entirely.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 09:56 |
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Now my zero emissions subsidized EV can run on cleaner coal-generated juice.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 10:02 |
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Yeah, in some parts of the country, running that EV definitely isn’t as clean as others. Natural gas is so cheap and plentiful (and clean in relation to coal), it seems like it’s taking over in many places. Wind and solar work where they can, or where people want to pay a premium for it.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 12:18 |
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Shower thought: An EV is precisely the problem with this world. I didn’t make the emissions directly so it’s not my problem.
It’s always about dumping your own shit on others whenever possible.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 12:33 |
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That’s what it is really about, exporting pollution. Nobody wants a coal-fired power plant (nor a rare earths mine) in their backyard.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 12:35 |
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I mean it in a more general context actually, not just cars.
“It’s not happening to me so I don’t care” kind of deal.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 14:26 |
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Just like the “I got mine, to hell with you” economic view.
I find the exporting of pollution a little more crass when coming from greenies.
![]() 07/12/2017 at 20:44 |
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Even driving an EV on the dirtiest coal fueled electricity still ends up being not that bad: https://electrek.co/2017/06/05/electric-cars-cleaner-than-gas-powered/
![]() 07/12/2017 at 21:19 |
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Not bad, but not good, not worthy of the smug (and in the case of Tesla, undeserved subsidies for consumers).