Category: News

May 29 2017

Europe’s Biggest Utilities Join Blockchain Energy Trading Trial

Some of Europe’s biggest utilities joined a project to test blockchain-based trades in wholesale power and natural gas markets. Utilities from Enel SpA to RWE AG will start live trading based on blockchain in the fourth quarter, after tests that start in August, said Michael Merz, managing director at Ponton GmbH, the developer of the […]

May 29 2017

Russia Starts Largest Renewable Energy Auction in Bid for Jobs

Russia is pressing ahead with its biggest-ever auction for renewable energy, seeking to award contracts to purchase 1.9 gigawatts of clean electricity as well as attracting foreign investment to support jobs at home. The government tender starting Monday has attracted the interest of Fortum Oyj, Finland’s largest energy company, which is prequalified to participate in […]

May 29 2017

BHP CEO Tells Investors Options for U.S. Shale Under Review

BHP Billiton Ltd. is assuring shareholders that it’s exploring numerous options for its contentious U.S. shale unit amid pressure from activist investor Elliott Management Corp. to carry out a wider review of petroleum operations. In a series of meetings in Australia last week, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mackenzie stressed to shareholders that the biggest mining […]

May 29 2017

Fidelity, Aberdeen Drawn to Gas Retailers as India Cleans Up

Fidelity Investments and Morgan Stanley Investment Management have increased exposure to Indian city-gas retailers, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on clean fuels burnishes the outlook for the industry. The demand from investors has been so strong that Indraprastha Gas Ltd., which supplies to homes and vehicles in New Delhi, raised the cap on foreign ownership […]

May 26 2017

Shell Will Test Energy-Generating Kites This Summer

Power-generating kites backed by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Schlumberger Ltd. and EON SE will start tests in the U.K. this summer, with the aim of developing a technology that could eventually replace offshore wind turbines. Kite Power Systems, known as KPS, is working on a 17-meter device that flies on air currents high above the […]

May 26 2017

U.K. Breaks Solar Power Record on Hottest Day of the Year

Britain’s fleet of solar panels generated a record amount of electricity on Friday, as the nation basked in sunshine during the hottest day of the year. U.K. solar power output rose to a record 8.75 gigawatts at 1 p.m. London time, according to data compiled by National Grid Plc and Sheffield University. That satisfied 24 […]

May 26 2017

A Little Bit of Sunshine Sends European Gas Prices Tumbling

There’s beautiful weather across most of Europe, which won’t please natural gas sellers. Mean temperatures in northwest Europe are set to be more than 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) this weekend, 5 degrees above the 10-year average. Same-day gas in the U.K., a European benchmark market, has fallen for eight sessions, its longest declining streak in […]

May 26 2017

Bosch Tied to Diesel-Cheating Claims Against Fourth Carmaker

Robert Bosch GmbH, the world’s largest auto-parts supplier, was linked to emissions-cheating allegations against a fourth automaker on Thursday, raising questions about the German company’s role in the scandal gripping the car industry. Bosch and General Motors Co. are co-defendants in a lawsuit filed Thursday by owners of diesel-powered pickups who accused the automaker of using […]

May 26 2017

Billionaire Ex-Oilman Plans 1st Nonstop World Solar Flight

After building up a $15 billion fortune pumping oil, Viktor Vekselberg is turning to solar for his attempt to win a place in history. The Russian tycoon and his Renova Group plan a record-breaking effort to send a plane around the world nonstop using only the power of the sun. If all goes well, a […]

May 26 2017

Pretty Soon Electric Cars Will Cost Less Than Gasoline

Battery powered cars will soon be cheaper to buy than conventional gasoline ones, offering immediate savings to drivers, new research shows. Automakersfrom Renault SA to Tesla Inc. have long touted the cheaper fuel and running costs of electric cars that helps to displace the higher upfront prices that drivers pay when they buy the zero-emission […]