As the world moves towards a more sustainable energy future, ethanol and methanol could play a key role in powering not just vehicles but also airplanes. With mandates in place in the U.S. and EU for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and initiatives by organizations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) […]
Back to the pavilion: Steady growth of investments in offshore oil and gas and LNG
Recent decisions by governments and energy companies highlight a growing focus on energy security over energy transition. South Korea, a leading importer of fossil fuels and home to some of the largest chemical companies in Asia Pacific, recently commissioned geophysical exploration that showed likelihood of 14 billion barrels of oil and gas off the coast […]
Creating a reliable and efficient grid with AI
Recent developments in AI are changing how the electric utilities sector approaches energy transition. The processing power of AI will be essential in managing the grid as renewables account for a larger share of energy supply and access to reliable power becomes even more important with growing demand from electrification. Specifically, AI is helping electric […]
Clean energy bonanza: the struggle to connect to the grid
The clean energy revolution is upon us, and the U.S. grid is feeling the growing pains. A staggering 2,600 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects, primarily solar and wind, are lined up waiting to connect to the grid . This clean energy tsunami is more than double the existing generating capacity in the U.S., signifying […]
From exploration to refining: how AI is transforming oil and gas
As discussed in a previous blog, AI is expected to drive growth in the global economy and the oil and gas industry is no exception. AI is being implemented across the oil and gas value chain and finding uses in everything from exploration to refining. In exploration, AI and machine learning (ML) tools are being […]
Navigating the seas with green methanol: A low-carbon marine fuel
Methanol is a versatile chemical traditionally used to produce a wide range of other commodity chemicals like formaldehyde, acetic acid, and MTBE. Formaldehyde, acetic acid, and MTBE are the three primary chemicals that make up around 85% of methanol’s use in chemical applications. Formaldehyde is used to make urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins, which are widely […]
How large can the AI market grow?
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cloud computing, and other technologies are leading to rapid implementation in various industries around the world. These developments have only been possible due to recent increases in computing power and availability of vast datasets needed to train AI programs. This along with improved algorithms for training […]
2024 Energy Transition and Climate Tech Outlook: Measured, Steady Growth
While the broader sentiment around energy transition turned more pessimistic in 2023, investments in clean energy and related technologies still increased by more than 20%. This included renewables, biofuels, and a wide range of low-carbon solutions. Despite this growth, we anticipate a more measured pace of progress in 2024, as reflected in the following themes: Publicly Traded Cleantech Companies: Public cleantech companies took […]
2024 Chemicals Outlook: Flat expectations
The global chemical industry struggled in 2023. The year was marked by rising inflation rates and low demand from major markets. With China still in recovery, the growth the industry was hoping for never came to fruition. In 2024 we expect things to stay the course and see no drastic changes up or down in […]
2024 LNG Outlook: Growing stability yet uncertainty in the global LNG market
The ripples in the global LNG markets induced by geopolitical conflict seemed to have died down and greater import and export capacity coupled with continued growth in the share of renewable energy will result in a relatively stable yet uncertain LNG market in 2024. Key trends to look out for include the following: Global LNG […]