Oil Wars or Clean Energy Peace? A Zoom Webinar
Today’s Moment of AI Zen
In West Virginia, Utility Bills are Crushing in “The Golden Age”
West (By God) Virginia sits on top of legendary coal reserves.
It’s a rock ribbed Red State – keeping that woke clean energy out of there.
So why is Beautiful Clean Coal driving utility bills through the roof?
West Virginia Office of Energy:
Coal-fired power plants account for nearly all of West Virginia’s electricity generation, and 9 of the 10 largest power plants in the state, by capacity, are coal-fired. Most of the rest of the state’s electricity generation is from hydroelectric, wind, and natural gas-fired facilities. West Virginia is one of only a half-dozen states east of the Mississippi River that does not have any nuclear power plants.
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Looking at EIA data, Residential electricity for West Virginia is not hugely expensive – 14.77 cents/Kwh.
Here’s a clue:
” more than two-fifths of West Virginia households use electricity as their primary source for home heating, “. Electric resistance heating is famously inefficient and inexpensive, but still very common in areas of Appalachia and the south, where buildings typically are not built adequate insulation.
Also, from Virginia Public Radio, this:
Continue reading “In West Virginia, Utility Bills are Crushing in “The Golden Age””Iran Messaging Cuts To the Quick of Trump Scams
I’ve always heard that Iran was home to some brilliant filmmakers.
Somebody on that end understands American culture in more depth than most Americans, and is wielding that understanding to communicate more effectively, and sadly, with more credibility, than much of the American media or, certainly, the administration.
Iran is emerging from this war an order of magnitude stronger, both economically and culturally.
President Trump’s bombing campaign against Iran is yielding a windfall for some of America’s top oil executives.
Continue reading “Iran Messaging Cuts To the Quick of Trump Scams”PBS NewsHour on Hormuz Shaky Future
William Brangham discusses the near term future in the Gulf of Hormuz’ shaky cease fire with Jason Bordoff, the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.
Oil/Gas prices not coming down any time soon.
As Hormuz Hangs in the Balance, A Changed World
As of right now, the Straits of Hormuz are again closed. No matter how this conflict turns out, it has already changed the world.
The very uncertainty of how this conflict is progressing is underlining, day by day, the urgency of a pivot for nations in Asia and the developing world.
President Lee Jae Myung said on the 30th, “Right now, there is chaos worldwide due to energy issues. Frankly, the situation is so serious that I cannot sleep,” and added, “South Korea must swiftly transition to renewable energy.” The president made these remarks during a town hall meeting held at Jeju Halla University that day, stating, “The current situation is concerning, but I fear it will become even more unstable in the future,” and emphasized, “The reality is worse than one might think.” He noted that the instability in energy supply due to the Middle East crisis is more severe than anticipated.
President Lee warned, “Relying on fossil energy is extremely dangerous for the future,” and explained, “We do not produce these resources ourselves, and chasing imports has led to the current crisis.” He continued, “All energy sources must be rapidly shifted to renewables,” and gave examples: “For instance, we should quickly transition to electric vehicles, switch heating to heat pumps, and accelerate the use of abundant wind energy.” Regarding the government’s policy to convert all new vehicles in Jeju to electric cars by 2035, he criticized, “This is too slow for an emergency,” and urged, “Rental vehicles should also be replaced more aggressively.”
There were few signs on Wednesday of a large-scale return of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran promised the “safe passage” of vessels in the crucial waterway as part of its cease-fire with the United States.
That could change, experts said, if shipping operators concluded that the terms of making the passage were clear and the risks of attacks were reduced. Global shipping traffic and energy flows could yet take months to return to prewar levels, they added.
Iran has blocked the strait, which carries a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and one-fifth of its gas, throughout the war by laying mines and launching sporadic attacks on ships.
Continue reading “As Hormuz Hangs in the Balance, A Changed World”Super El Niño Watch in Effect
El Niño is a phenomenon in the Pacific, but it affects everyone on every continent, and the last big ones ratcheted up global temperatures dramatically. “Super” El Niño on the way.
Maybe.
A rare “super El Niño” is more likely to develop by the fall of 2026, according to a leading European weather forecast model that points to a 75% chance that tropical waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean will become much warmer than normal by October.
The updated outlook from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecastsmarks a notable shift from earlier projections released in March, when forecasters were less certain whether El Niño would fully develop or how strong it would become.
Model guidance now suggests El Niño is likely to form — and could become unusually strong. The naturally occurring, cyclical event, marked by above-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, can shift weather patterns around the world.
Ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific could climb 4 to 5 degrees above average, approaching levels seen in the strongest events on record.
Continue reading “Super El Niño Watch in Effect”China Will Take Global Wind Leadership
Always worthwhile, this YouTuber, Inside China Business, today focusing on China’s emerging generational leadership in offshore wind, compliments of the Trump administration.
The Rise of the EVs Now Supercharged
China a huge winner.
The price of gasoline has spiked amid a U.S.-led war with Iran. It’s not uncommon for the fossil fuel economy to be disrupted by geopolitical conflicts, but now consumers have more options than ever to protect themselves from price hikes.
EVs are already putting a dent into oil consumption worldwide, and as gas prices climb higher, the simple efficiency of an EV could become all the more appealing. In all 50 states, the cost of home-charging an EV is considerably cheaper than fueling a car with gasoline.
The map above shows the cost of charging an EV at home. The price is expressed in “eGallons,” which is the cost of charging an EV by an amount equivalent to one gallon of gasoline.
I wrote about the math behind the eGallon and plotted a similar map of prices in early 2024, when gas was relatively cheap. And even then, EVs were much more economical to drive. But now, consumers have even more incentive to make the switch.
Continue reading “The Rise of the EVs Now Supercharged”