Energy markets

Plug-in Hybrid Autos Could Put Off-peak Power Generators to Good Use

1 Comment / Economics, Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Michael Giberson If all the cars and light trucks in the nation switched from oil to electrons, idle capacity in the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. A new study for the Department of Energy finds that “off-peak” electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel …

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Landfill Gas and Bovine Flatulence: New Energy Supplies

Economics, Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Lynne Kiesling Landfills, mines, and livestock give off methane, a form of natural gas that could be used as fuel if it were captured and recycled in some useful way. Methane is also a potent greenhouse gas, and some research shows that controlling methane may actually lead to larger effects than controlling carbon dioxide emissions. …

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“Trade Deficit”, Oil Prices, and Other Items of Interest

Economics, Energy markets / By

Lynne Kiesling When I read today that October’s US trade deficit dropped to a 14-month low, I had my usual reaction to news items about the trade deficit: so what? Why should (exports-imports) be an indicator of anything of substance in a world of relatively free trade with flexible exchange rates? Sure, there are complex …

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Gasoline Price Manipulation for Political Gains?

2 Comments / Energy markets, Politics / By

Michael Giberson Falling gasoline prices in the few months before the recent U.S. election led some observers to conclude that the oil industry (or possibly the Bush administration) was cutting prices in an effort to manipulate election results. I’m skeptical, but now a pair of economists have done some related analysis and found some support …

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A Better NYT Article on Electricity Restructuring, But Still Not A Good One

11 Comments / Economics, Electricity, Energy markets / By

Lynne Kiesling While I hate to disagree with my esteemed colleague’s assessment of David Cay Johnston’s electricity restructuring article from the New York Times, I do disagree. Yes, it’s better than the first one, but the first one was a confused muddle of too many angles on a very complicated set of issues. This one …

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Ken Maize’s Energy Blog

Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson KP readers who come here for our bits of energy policy commentary may also like Ken Maize’s Energy Blog. To get you started, try “Texas sings restructuring blues” or “Across the pond: Lights out in Europe.”

Solar Power Without Silicon

5 Comments / Economics, Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Lynne Kiesling Did you know that there is excess demand for silicon? No, I bet you didn’t. Actually, there probably isn’t excess demand, because prices have been rising to signal the scarcity and people are looking for substitutes. All sorts of technologies use silicon, and supplies are scarce and prices high. One technology that uses …

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Some Interesting Oil Market Articles

3 Comments / Economics, Energy markets / By

Lynne Kiesling On Friday Saudi Arabia signaled its desire to control world oil prices through OPEC’s decision to reduce production by 1.2 million barrels per day. Lots of observers have noticed that 5 years ago OPEC’s unstated trigger/target price was $30/barrel, but now it seems that they are targeting a price of $60-70/barrel. Clearly, political …

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