ARC ENERGY IDEAS

This week our guests are Mayor Alanna Hnatiw of Sturgeon County (the home of Alberta's Industrial Heartland) and Mayor Don Iveson from the City of Edmonton. Both Mayors are leaders on the Alberta Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force. The group just released a report on the market potential for hydrogen in the region, titled: “Building a Transition Pathway To A Vibrant Hydrogen Economy In The Alberta Industrial Heartland.”Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked the Mayors: Why is the development of hydrogen an important initiative for your communities? What are the Heartland region’s strengths for producing hydrogen? How can municipalities help to kick start demand? Do you think having a large scale zero-emissions hydrogen production hub in the Edmonton area will attract new investments?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

The US election has been a 'nail-biter' to say the least, with the votes still being counted three days after the election. While still not certain, the odds are now (at time of writing) skewed towards a Biden presidential win with the Republicans keeping control of the Senate.This week our guest is Robert Johnston. RJ leads the energy and natural resources practice at Eurasia Group, a firm with a pulse on geopolitical risks. Assuming a Biden win, we asked RJ:  What Is the path to inauguration from here, considering that Donald Trump is contesting the election results? What happens to the KXL pipeline? Does the US shortage of heavy oil factor in?  Would the US rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, a deal that could increase oil supply? What happens to Biden's clean energy plan, including a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035?  What about the Paris Climate Agreement?Learn more about Eurasia Group and connect with RJ at: https://www.eurasiagroup.net/people/RJohnstonPlease review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

Canada’s largest solar farm is coming to Alberta! This week our guest is Dan Balaban, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Greengate Power. Under Dan’s leadership, Greengate has developed $1 billion or 450 MW of producing renewable energy projects in Alberta. His company is currently developing the large Travers Solar Energy project in southern Alberta.Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked him: How cheap are electrons from solar now? Can costs go even lower? Do renewable projects still require government subsidies or investment? When will battery storage take-off? Are there any other power generation technologies that we should be watching for?See Peter’s Vignette from Machu Picchu “Sustainable Energy on Top of the World.”Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

As we woke up Sunday morning, the news was about Cenovus and Husky’s plan to merge and create a new “resilient intergraded energy leader.”  The consolidation wave has been gaining momentum in Canada’s oil patch for some time, but this is the biggest announcement yet. On this week’s episode, Peter and Jackie analyze the drivers for industry consolidation by reviewing ARC’s Fiscal Pulse of the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry for 2020. Low prices have slowed the fiscal pulse. This, along with pressure to return money to shareholders and liquidity issues, are catalysts for industry consolidation.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

This week’s guest is Daniel Yergin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and authority on everything energy. We discuss Dan’s new book “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.”Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked him: How has the US shale revolution changed the global energy order? Is the geopolitics of oil a non-issue now? What is the growing conflict between the United States and China? If Joe Biden were to win the US election, how could this change relations with Iran and the oil supply? Will Saudi Arabia diversify its economy by 2030? How fast will the energy transition occur?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ ‘

On this week’s episode we discuss Alberta’s recently released “Natural Gas Vision and Strategy” that outlines petrochemicals, LNG, hydrogen, and plastic recycling as priorities for the government. We also talk about the province’s announcement around developing geothermal regulation.Next up, we consider the implications to lending and investing now that some banks are targeting net-zero emissions across their customers by 2050. Finally, we debate why companies should consider making net-zero 2050 targets.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

When it comes to energy, Alberta is most known for its large oil and gas industry. However, the province also has emerging new energy potential, including blue hydrogen, geothermal, minerals and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Alberta’s Energy Minister, the Honourable Sonya Savage, joined the podcast this week. Here are some of the questions we asked her: How are companies coping with the oil market crisis? What is your take on the federal government’s throne speech and plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050? Is Joe Biden a risk to the province’s investment in the Keystone XL pipeline? What are the emerging energy technologies to watch for in Alberta?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

We start this week’s podcast talking about the Energyphile Vignette “Decarbonization Lessons from Edison.” Thomas Edison’s strategy for electrification provides learnings for today’s energy transition. We also cover recent energy headlines: BP’s prediction that oil demand will peak soon. California’s summer power blackouts and the state's pledge to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2035. Canada also has big targets for the adoption of electric cars, but could Canada also become a leader in producing EVs?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/  

This week our guest is Duncan Van Bergen, Vice President of Nature Based Solutions for Royal Dutch Shell. What exactly are nature-based solutions?  Duncan explains how Shell is harnessing nature to help achieve Shell’s ambitious GHG emission reduction targets. We learned that nature is a powerful weapon in the flight against climate change. Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked Duncan: What are some examples of nature carbon storage projects? Do the economics and scale compare with other carbon storage options? How do you respond to the greenwashing criticism?  Will consumers pay more to offset their emissions with nature? What is the opportunity in Canada for these solutions?Yale 360 Feb 2019 blog reported that "Planting 1.2 Trillion Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions, Scientists Find."Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

A recently published Transition Accelerator report suggests that hydrogen could represent a $C 100 billion per year economic opportunity for Canada. This week our guests are Dan Wicklum, President and CEO of the Transition Accelerator and David Layzell, Research Director at the Transition Accelerator, Professor and Director, Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR), University of Calgary. Dan Wicklum and David Layzell explain why Canada has a cost advantage for producing blue and green hydrogen. However, successfully building a new hydrogen economy in Canada is complex. It requires the simultaneous build out of new production and consumption systems, and government policy will be critically important.Download the Transition Accelerator report “Towards Net-Zero Energy Systems in Canada: A Key Role for Hydrogen.”See Peter’s latest Energyphile Vinette “Hijacking Infrastructure.” Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/