GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS

BP predicts faster oil and gas decline as clean energy spending hits $1.1T in 2022

Oil and gas production will fall faster than previously expected, renewable energy will grow more rapidly, and global carbon dioxide emissions will drop as a result, according to a new analysis released Jan. 30 by energy giant BP. BP’s Energy Outlook 2023 follows a flurry of reports and analyses that show global cleantech investment exceeding US$1 trillion per year for the first time, renewable electricity overtaking fossil energy, and a green jobs boom on the near horizon.

Report shows restricting American oil and natural gas production leads to negative environmental outcomes

The Institute for Energy Research has released a new report comparing the environmental quality of the major oil-producing countries. It shows that halting oil and gas production in places like North America and Europe results in oil and natural gas production moving from countries with the highest environmental standards to countries with lower, or even functionally zero, environmental standards. This paper seeks to quantify that environmental gap by creating an environmental quality score, weighted by production, for oil and gas production in countries around the world. You can download the full report here.

Energy Intelligence’s Low-Carbon Investment Tracker shows nuanced course correction

The oil and gas industry’s spending on renewable power generation continues to leap higher despite rising investor questions around returns, according to Energy Intelligence’s Low-Carbon Investment Tracker. Wider energy transition spending is diversifying as more players join the fold and earlier-stage ventures such as hydrogen and carbon capture take off. But the analysts see European players broadly sticking with their renewable electricity ambitions, committing billions to future investments even as strategic approaches continue evolving.

Fuelmakers’ biofuels investments dwarf hydrogen, study finds

Efforts to reduce fossil fuel use in transport overly concentrate on ramping up second-generation biofuels, neglecting synthetic fuels made with green electricity, according to a new study commissioned by green group Transport & Environment (T&E). The study shows that three-quarters of green investments in refineries go towards biofuels, eight times what is spent on the production of hydrogen and e-fuels.

Cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis: Batteries’ new foes are supposedly e-fuels

The Argonne National Laboratory last year updated a 2016 cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis on the U.S. light-duty vehicle-fuel pathways. While batteries are clearly the best performers in slashing GHG emissions, e-fuels show interesting estimates and seem to give a big chance to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars in the future – bigger than hydrogen or renewable diesel. Alternative ICE fuels are crucial for the transition to zero-emissions transportation because the ICE cars will still account for a large part of the national vehicles fleet for close to half of this century.