Markham on Energy

Pipeline protesters chase and injure RCMP officer, who gets his man anyway

Pipeline protesters chase and injure RCMP officer, who gets his man anyway

A still image from video posted to Facebook by user Uni Urchin and confirmed by RCMP shows an officer starting to chase after a demonstrator in Burnaby, B.C. on Sunday, March 25, 2018. Source: BC CTV. RCMP should press charges against demonstrators who obstructed officer’s arrest of man for mischief It was inevitable. Now that […]

Podcast: Don’t believe Elon Musk’s hype about autonomous driving EVs

Podcast: Don’t believe Elon Musk’s hype about autonomous driving EVs

Mobility as a Service won’t really arrive until 2030 and become a mature business model until 2050 The hype around autonomous electric vehicles (AEV) is out of control, much of it led by Elon Musk, the visionary CEO of Tesla Motors, who has claimed that existing EVs will become fully autonomous with just a software […]

California vs. Texas carbon pricing strategies: Notley, Kenney asking Alberta to pick one or the other

California vs. Texas carbon pricing strategies: Notley, Kenney asking Alberta to pick one or the other

NDP policy lines up Albert with emerging Asian markets, UCP approach with existing customers in Texas, Midwest Yesterday morning I wrote about the carbon tax debate in Alberta, pointing out that Jason Kenney and the UCP were kicking the political stuffing out of Rachel Notley and the NDP on this issue. An afternoon interview with […]

Notley govt not selling carbon tax as well as Kenney is opposing it

Notley govt not selling carbon tax as well as Kenney is opposing it

New Alberta government carbon tax message: Asia is the future, China and India price carbon, the customer is always right Alberta’s carbon tax rose from $20 to $30 a tonne Jan. 1, setting off another political clash between the ruling NDP and Jason Kenney, one that will dominate political discourse until the provincial election in […]

Kevin Taft’s claim for Big Oil-controlled Canadian ‘deep state’ ignores Climate Leadership Plan

Kevin Taft’s claim for Big Oil-controlled Canadian ‘deep state’ ignores Climate Leadership Plan

Belief in Big Oil “deep state” treads dangerously close to conspiracy theory Has Big Oil subverted democracy and installed a polite version of the “deep state” – a state within a state intended to further industry’s interests at the expense of pubic interests – in Canada? Are public institutions in Alberta “captured” by the Petroleum […]

By December 27, 2017 2 Comments Read More →
Time for oilfield services assoc. to choose progressive CEO as Salkeld retires

Time for oilfield services assoc. to choose progressive CEO as Salkeld retires

Salkeld provided effective leadership as Canadian industry begins grappling with technology-driven changes to its business model Mark Salkeld is preparing to leave his job in mid-March as head of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada. Who will the PSAC board choose as his successor? Will it be a conservative with instructions to push back hard against […]

By December 22, 2017 1 Comments Read More →
Canada needs new pipelines, as widening crude oil price differentials demonstrate

Canada needs new pipelines, as widening crude oil price differentials demonstrate

Pipeline opponents claim no new pipelines required, but market punishes Canadian producers with lower prices due to constrained shipping capacity Will the recent widening of the differential between Western Canadian Select and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate prices, which stood at over $34CDN Wednesday, finally put to rest the patently false narrative that the Alberta-based […]

By December 21, 2017 0 Comments Read More →
Podcast: Forget steam, it’s time to microwave that oil sands bitumen!

Podcast: Forget steam, it’s time to microwave that oil sands bitumen!

RF LX downhole heater promises to replace steam for SAGD, lower or eliminate GHG emissions, reduce costs Of all the types of energy news I report, innovation and new technology stories are the most interesting. There’s something about smart people using science and engineering to solve real world problems that gives me hope for humanity. […]

By December 20, 2017 0 Comments Read More →
Why the poor value proposition of electric cars should deep six Canada’s zero-emission vehicle policy

Why the poor value proposition of electric cars should deep six Canada’s zero-emission vehicle policy

Electric cars are expensive, have limited range, and generally provide low value compared to gasoline-powered vehicles This spring the Canadian government announced that a zero-emission vehicles policy would soon be forthcoming, but is this a good use of the limited resources Canada has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? Absolutely not. Electric cars still provide very […]

By December 18, 2017 7 Comments Read More →
Podcast: EV battery technology…is solid-state emerging as the next big thing?

Podcast: EV battery technology…is solid-state emerging as the next big thing?

Lithium-ion batteries likely to drop 50% in cost, rise 50% in range – Dr. Yi Cui of Stanford University Back in mid-Nov., General Motors fired a shot across the bow of Tesla that didn’t generate as much excitement as it deserved: in 2021 the all-electric Chevy Bolt will get better batteries that crack the $100 […]

By December 15, 2017 0 Comments Read More →