Voices of Influence: Original and Guest Blog Posts from the Energy Sector

These blogs provide insight into the latest issues, challenges, advances and debate around Energy use, exploration, policy and innovation. Original and guest blog posts highlight differing perspectives and context.

Energy Blogs

Water: Conflict or Cooperation?

World Water Day this year highlights the role of cooperation in managing the many competing needs for the resource, a topic near and dear to Future 500's heart. Demand for water is surging as global population booms and developing economies continue their steady hum.

When It Comes To Information Always Take Shortcuts But Never Cut Corners

By Stephen Heiser

Never confuse short-cuts (which maximize efficiency) with cutting corners (which is laziness that jeopardizes information integrity and increases risk).

When working with information systems, and just about everything else, there is a natural human desire to get more done with less effort. Some call this working smarter not harder. Others call it maximizing efficiency. I call it going to work every day in the real world.

Non-Thermal Concentrated Solar Power

By DAVIS SWAN

In a previous blog I discussed three very different types of solar energy electricity generation;  Photo-voltaic (PV), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Solar Updraft chimneys.  This blog will deal with a branch of CSP that hasn’t received much attention and hasn’t yet been commercially deployed on a large scale.  This could be referred to as non-thermal CSP.

Checking Doctors

By DR. SCOTT M. SHEMWELL

Volume 2 Number 3

Pilots use them and now doctors do as well.  Mission critical is by definition an activity that must not fail.  Partial success in such an environment may not be good enough and often has management visibility and even legal consequences.

After placing at the top of his or her pre-med Bachelor level degree and four years of medical school, a period of on-the-job training ensues.  After another four or more years as an Intern then Resident, a physician certainly can be deemed to an expert is his or her field.

What Could Shale Mean for UK Economy and Employment?

By JAMIE FERGUSON, Vice President US and Latin America, Maxwell Drummond

Last week, December 13th, the UK Government announced that it will permit shale gas exploration, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, effectively making shale gas development economically viable. 

2012 - The Year Renewables Became a Problem

By DAVIS SWAN

Looking back on the energy news from 2012 there are a couple of over-riding trends.  On a positive note, with significant taxpayer and/or ratepayer financial support through direct subsidies and Feed-In-Tariffs (FITs) renewable electrical generation is starting to have a major impact in several jurisdictions. 

The U.S. Election and Energy Policy

BY MAXWELL DRUMMOND INTERNATIONAL 

A little over a month ago, Americans elected President Obama for his second term.  Faced with four more years, the American oil and gas industry has been analysing and predicting how the President’s energy policy will affect them. 

Spain Shuts Down Oldest Nuclear Reactor

The Garona nuclear power plant is shutting down in order to avoid new taxes that would render the plant unprofitable.  Spain is introducing higher taxes on electricity generation as a measure to address an over 24 billion euro ($31 billion) energy tariff deficit after years of selling power below costs.

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