Things Green

Clean energy’s next trillion-dollar business

Solar panels and Wind turbines, rely on sunshine and a steady breeze to generate power. We also need Grid-scale storage solutions to this intermittency problem. This Sept 1, 2024 Economist article describes the latest technologies for solving this problem .

Why Big Oil is wading into Lithium

As pioneering companies struggle to scale up Green energy solutions, this June 27, 2024 Economist article describes how Big Oil is using their special expertise to scale up the extraction of Lithium, which is viewed as a “high-return” opportunity.

Australia wants to become a renewable energy superpower. Can it?

In this BBC Article of June 4, 2024, there is this grim declaration: “The government knows that if it doesn’t pivot beyond its exports of coal, gas and iron ore soon, Australia risks becoming the Kodak economy of the future: a big deal one day and completely irrelevant the next.” All part of the government’s Future Made in Australia plan to turn the country into a “renewable energy superpower” by investing in homegrown green industries.

Why firms are racing to produce Green Ammonia

Bird droppings made a fantastic fertiliser rich in ammonia (NH3), which is nothing more than Nitrogen and Hydrogen, both highly abundant elements. Earth's atmosphere is mostly Nitrogen, and water is full of Hydrogen. This BBC Technology of Business Article by Chris Baraniuk, Feb 27, 2024 describes the various methods being developed to produce "Green Ammonia".

Deep-sea mining for Nickel

As the world absorbs the dangers of deep sea exploration following the Titan Submersible Implosion, this July 2, 2023 Economist article describes how Deep-sea mining may soon provide an environmentally better way to ease the world’s battery-metal shortage of Nickel.

Lefty Europeans want to deliberately Shrink the Economy

In this May 18, 2023 article, the Economist minces no words in condemning the leftist thinking of the younger generation of Europeans. There is justifiable concern about the impact that can be wrought by a cast of minor academics, trade unionists, green lobbyists and fellow-travellers.

ExxonMobil plans for the world's largest low-Carbon Hydrogen production facility

While the world seeks breakthrough solutions to combat Climate Change, ExxonMobil, on Jan. 30, 2023, announced an alternative and ambitious approach to use fossil fuels to produce (Blue) Hydrogen and Ammonia, in such a way that a relatively small amount of CO2 is generated allowing it to be properly captured and stored.

Investments in Green Hydrogen is rising again

This Nov 14th 2022 Economist article says that environmentalists love that “green” hydrogen can be made with renewable energy in electrolysers - devices that use electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. This has sparked a global rush to manufacture them, with around 600 proposed projects, about half of them in Europe.

There is a better way to help poor countries fight climate change

This Nov 17th 2022 Economist article accepts that poor countries lack the $$ required to help with climate change. The new solution is based on the use of public money to “derisk” projects funded largely by private capital. No serious discussion on how to help poor countries transition to a state of healthy development.

Africa will remain poor unless it uses more energy

This Nov 3rd 2022 Economist article applies to all developing countries. It says that low energy use is a consequence of poverty; but it is also a cause of it. Also that greenhouse-gas emissions south of the Sahara are tiny. There could be many similarities with Guyana energy-based development.

Australian Startup’s Hydrogen Breakthrough May Give New Life to Coal Plants

As reported (August 18th 2022), a small Australian research lab (Star Scientific Ltd.) has developed a patented technology using a catalyst that can turn hydrogen and oxygen into superheated steam capable of driving a power-station turbine. If the technology can scale up, it could ultimately allow power plant operators that burn coal to retrofit generators to run on green hydrogen without having to construct a completely new plant.

Could the Electric Vehicle (EV) Boom soon run out of Juice?

This Economist, August 14, 2022 article describes today's EV challenges. These include: a) Western car companies are desperate to reduce their dependence on China’s world-leading battery industry which handles close to 80% of the world’s current cell-manufacturing capacity. b) It would take several years for newcomers to produce at capacity. c) Manufacturers’ unique technologies and specifications mean that cells from one factory are usually not interchangeable with those from another.

ESG should be boiled down to one simple measure: Emissions

This July 21, 2022 Economist article is highly critical of the growing movement defined as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing. It claims that although ESG is often well-meaning it is deeply flawed and has morphed into shorthand for hype and controversy.
It is better to focus simply on the E because by far the most significant danger to the planet is from emissions, particularly those generated by carbon-belching industries.

Electrifying everything does not solve the Climate Crisis

This June 22, 2022 article from The Economist makes the case for transitioning to greater electrification. However, there are trade-offs between energy security and climate security which are complicated further by one of the fundamental issues plaguing the race to decarbonise the economy. Is the technology needed already available? Or does it still need to be developed?

Overview of Greenhouse Gases

This May 16, 2022 EPA article describes the primary sources of greenhous gases - Carbon Dioxide (79%), Methane (11%), Nitrous Oxide (7%) and Fluorinated Gases (3%) - USA contributions. For each greenhouse gas, a Global Warming Potential (GWP) was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases.

A thought-provoking article on the Complexities of Energy Transition

This snippet from the Nov. 27 article in The Atlantic shows how complex Energy Transitions will be to achieve Net Zero. The 19th century is known as the “century of coal,” but it took until the beginning of the 20th century before coal actually overtook wood as the world’s No. 1 energy source.

Proposal for an Upstream Carbon Tax on Oil, to compensate for its Climate Change Impact

This bold proposal for a Carbon Tax on the Extraction of Oil does provide revenue at the source, often a 3rd World country, rather than at the destination where it is consumed, often a rich country.
An Extraction Tax vs a Consumption Tax.

The 2021 Green Economy Workshop, October 18 - 20

The University of Guyana Green Institute conducted a Workshop to address the many challenges and paradoxes of resource abundance. The presentations have been collected in the March 2022 issue of the UGGI Quarterly Dialog.

The Green Institute in Guyana is addressing the Resource Curse

A Green Institute has been set up at the University of Guyana with the vision of being a National Centre of Excellence for rigorous discourse and public awareness on how learning-led development can lead to a Green Economy.

ExxonMobil is betting the farm on Carbon Capture and Storage

In this April 2021 Article, ExxonMobil shows how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will play a critical role if the United States is to meet the emissions-reduction goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. This process does not require breakthrough technology.

ExxonMobil Supports an Explicit Price on Carbon

This March 2021 Article by the CEO of Exxon Mobil shows support for moving away from the current hidden and high price on Carbon with an Explicit price to incentivise behavior to reduce emissions.he best Medicine

The Biggest Energy Challenges Facing Humanity

This BBC "Future" Article by By Richard Gray (13 March 2017), is a must-read for all Guyanese involved in the transition to an energy-driven economy..h

Can Oil Rescue Guyana from the Brink of Calamity?

A thought-provoking article dated February 7, 2017 on the prospects and pitfalls facing Guyana as it transitions to an energy-driven economy.