Robert Rapier

Latest articles from Robert

• California's Lawsuit Against Oil Giants: Righteous Or Ridiculous?

  Published 21 September 2023 | viewed 2,673 times

  “The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower The state of California is suing five major oil…

• A New Energy Era: Wind And Solar Outpace Hydropower

  Published 18 September 2023 | viewed 1,901 times

  The is the final article in a series on the recently released 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy. Previous topics covered were: Global carbon dioxide emissions…

• Can China's Nuclear Ambitions Offset Its Coal Addiction?

  Published 15 September 2023 | viewed 2,458 times

  The is the sixth article in a series on the recently released 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy. Previous articles discussed the trends in global carbon dioxide…

• Coal Use In Europe Rises In Shocking Reversal

  Published 11 September 2023 | viewed 4,315 times

  The is the fifth article in a series on the recently released 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy. Previous articles discussed the trends in global carbon dioxide…

• Fracking Fuels U.S. Natural Gas Production Explosion

  Published 03 September 2023 | viewed 11,173 times

  This is the fourth article in a series on the recently released 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy. Previous articles discussed the trends in global carbon dioxide…

• Global Oil Consumption Nears All-Time Highs

  Published 22 August 2023 | viewed 5,586 times

  In June, the Energy Institute released the 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy. As explained in previous articles, this was formerly the BP Statistical Review, but…

• U.S. Energy Production: Separating Fact From Pence’s Fiction

  Published 15 August 2023 | viewed 3,884 times

  I have a lot more to cover on the recently released Statistical Review of World Energy. But today I need to make a digression, albeit…

• Fossil Fuels Still Account For 82% Of Primary Global Energy Consumption

  Published 10 August 2023 | viewed 3,872 times

  As I indicated in the previous article, BP has turned over publication of the annual Statistical Review of World Energy to the Energy Institute (EI). The…

• Global Carbon Emissions Hit New Record Despite Green Energy Push

  Published 07 August 2023 | viewed 6,556 times

  For the past 70 years, BP has annually published the Statistical Review of World Energy. Having been a trusted resource for the wider energy sector…

• Explaining The Heat Wave: Separating Weather From Climate Change

  Published 31 July 2023 | viewed 3,659 times

  I intended for this column to be a discussion about global carbon dioxide emissions. However, I received quite a bit of feedback on my previous…

• Why The World Just Can’t Kick Coal

  Published 27 July 2023 | viewed 4,470 times

  In the U.S., coal demand has been on a downward trend for about 15 years. There have been three significant drivers behind this decline. One…

• How Phoenix's Heatwave Is Challenging Energy Systems

  Published 25 July 2023 | viewed 2,560 times

  For the past decade, I have lived in Phoenix, Arizona. People sometimes ask what it’s like to live here. I tell them that it’s great…

• The Politics Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: A Comprehensive Review

  Published 11 July 2023 | viewed 4,163 times

  The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was established in December 1975 in the wake of the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. The law establishing the SPR…

• Energy Stocks: Q2 Winners And Losers

  Published 10 July 2023 | viewed 2,683 times

  On June 30th the second quarter and first half of 2023 came to a close. The S&P 500 returned 8.3% for the quarter, but that…

• The Man Behind The Success Of Modern Lithium Ion Batteries

  Published 01 July 2023 | viewed 2,342 times

  I am sure many of us have entertained fantasies of making some remarkable discovery that changes the world for the better. For one reason or…

• Fuel From Thin Air: A Technological Feat Or Economic Folly?

  Published 27 June 2023 | viewed 1,754 times

  Every few years, a company announces that it is attempting to commercialize the production of fuel from air and water. To be clear, there are…

• The Permian Basin Is Out-Producing Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field

  Published 19 June 2023 | viewed 23,759 times

  One of my 2023 energy predictions was that the U.S. would set a new annual oil production record this year. As we approach the midpoint of the…

• How Nuclear Power Can Dethrone King Coal

  Published 17 June 2023 | viewed 3,886 times

  Over the past 15 years, the United States has undergone a significant transition away from coal-fired power plants. This transition is being driven by several…

• Is This The Supermajor Of The Century?

  Published 29 May 2023 | viewed 4,272 times

  On May 22, 2023, Chevron announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with PDC Energy, Inc. Chevron will acquire all of the outstanding…

• Two Charts That Explain U.S. Energy Independence

  Published 15 May 2023 | viewed 4,227 times

  Every time I address the topic of energy independence, it spurs a lot of interest. But people also get confused about the subject. In the…