solar power

Iraq, which is second only to Russia in terms of gas flaring, is nearing an agreement with Total to implement dual-energy megaprojects to capture that gas and wean the country away from sanctioned Iranian gas and electricity imports. Solar power will play a major role.

Total’s acquisition of 20% of Adani Green Energy adds to the supermajor’s global solar portfolio and advances its objective of reaching 35 GW of gross production capacity from renewable sources by 2025.

The 10,000 mirrors arrayed around the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy plant are striking and seem to suggest the concept is on a path to efficient and reliable renewable energy. But, recently, the plant’s operator threw in the towel and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. So, what went wrong?

Nearly 168 million people in India lack access to electricity. And, for millions more connected to the grid, the reliability and affordability of electricity remains patchy. Now, Shell has secured a nearly 20% stake in the Bangalore-based solar firm Orb Energy.

E&B Natural Resources Management, an independent oil and gas company based in California, is investing in solar electricity to help run its oil production activities in two counties. E&B’s solar initiative will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from the two projects.

Oil and gas professionals may not consider solar power to be a serious threat, but it is poised to make serious inroads into the heating and cooling market.

Statoil selected the name “Empire Wind” for its offshore wind site located off the southern coast of Long Island, New York. The company also recently stepped into solar power in Brazil.

Shell invested in a Singapore solar company and signed an agreement to purchase a Texas company with solar and other renewable assets. Along with its minority stake in a company that uses solar to generate steam for EOR in the Middle East, Shell catches some rays in the Asia Pacific, US, and Oman.

Renewable energy is often framed as being at odds with the oil and gas industry, but new price developments in the wind and solar sectors may be changing this paradigm, according to one US energy expert.

Compared to oil in the ground, the sun looks like a limitless energy source. Making comparisons of the two by calculating the equivalent of barrels of reserves for a solar project seems like an odd notion, but experts say it can and should be done.