Hi friends,
Happy holidays! Hopefully all of you are taking some well-deserved time with your friends and family. But first, let’s get to this week’s most interesting energy news.
Data-Driven
500 Million - Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide that are the result of the extra electricity required to compensate for grid losses. (The Conversation)
TCS Analysis: Aging and inefficient grid infrastructure is an under-publicized issue. Even in well-developed regions like the US and Europe, line loss rates are still 5-10% of total generation and are much higher across the globe. At home, our grid isn’t yet equipped to take full advantage of more sustainable generation sources and doesn’t deliver power from current sources as effectively as it should.
$2.3 Billion - Royal Dutch Shell said on Friday it expected to write down up to $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter. (Reuters)
TCS Analysis: Shell is just another in a growing list of big oil and gas companies taking write downs due to depressed oil and gas prices. Publicly, the energy companies are chalking it up global trade concerns, but the economy worldwide is healthy. You don’t have to look too hard to find CEO’s in the sector mentioning lack of interest from capital and public concerns about climate change both of which are playing a big role in shifting the future of big oil.
Our Latest Post
Nothing of note this week, but new posts coming very soon.
As further proof the zeitgeist around climate change is, well, changing, the Dallas Morning News nominated climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe as a finalist for it’s Texan of the Year. (She’s also been named one of Canada’s Women of the Year)
I first discovered her work in a piece she wrote for Chatelaine, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with Prof. Hayhoe, she’s a well-known Christian who uses those values to help non-scientist, particularly people of faith, better understand climate change and its impacts.
How to Talk About Climate Change So People Will Listen - Prof. Katharine Hayhoe
For Making a Christian Case for Combating Climate Change, Texas Tech’s Katharine Hayhoe is a Finalist for Texas of the Year (Dallas Morning News)
Deep Dives
A Decade in Which Fracking Rocked the Oil World -(WSJ)
TCS Analysis: Just 10 years ago, the US was the third largest producer of oil and gas in the world, lagging well behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. Today, its the largest, and energy independence is no longer a concern. However, other factors like climate change and falling demand are threatening the industry in new ways. Recent data from the Dallas Fed, highlights slowing growth in lending, home sales, and home values in the Permian compared to the rest of the Texas economy which continues to expand.
Goldman Sachs to Spend $750B on Climate Transition Projects and Curb Fossil Fuel Lending - (CNBC)
TCS Analysis: Follow the money. This week, the CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources said “climate change and investors are the two biggest challenges” and Goldman’s new policy highlights both of those in one massive announcement.
Switched Off
This week’s non-energy related read.
Visual Capitalist’s 19 Most Popular Infographics of 2019 - Visual Capitalist posted over 300 infographics in 2019, these are the most popular 19. The topics are wide ranging across tech, business, and government.
This newsletter is our side-hustle. We hope it equips you with data and insights on the energy sector to inform your decision-making process in the best way possible. If you have feedback, let us know!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
The Charging Station
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