Robert Rapier

Latest articles from Robert

• Why Diesel Prices Are Set To Soar

  Published 01 September 2018 | viewed 62,875 times

  The world is ticking down to a deadline that promises to have major ramifications in the global fuel markets. On January 1, 2020, the International Maritime…

• Lower Gas Prices Are Right Around The Corner

  Published 25 August 2018 | viewed 46,554 times

  Fall arrives next month. Along with it comes relief from the heat, and usually at the gasoline pump as well.  It isn’t simply that demand for gasoline…

• Venezuela’s Key Refineries At Risk Of Seizure

  Published 18 August 2018 | viewed 24,652 times

  In 2007, following Venezuela’s expropriation of billions of dollars of assets from U.S. companies like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, I suggested a potential remedy. Since Venezuela’s state-owned oil…

• The Real Leader In Global Energy Production

  Published 13 August 2018 | viewed 11,157 times

  Last week President Trump spoke to business leaders at a dinner. Daniel Dale, the Washington correspondent for the Toronto Star, posted several tweets about the…

• Are Natural Gas Prices About To Break Out?

  Published 11 August 2018 | viewed 39,817 times

  In the previous article, The U.S. Is Still The Global Natural Gas King, I highlighted the rise of the United States as the world’s leading…

• The U.S. Remains The Natural Gas King

  Published 04 August 2018 | viewed 16,313 times

  Data from the 2018 BP Statistical Review of World Energy show that last year the U.S. maintained a healthy lead as the global natural gas powerhouse. In 2017, the U.S.…

• How U.S. Shale Flipped The Script In Global Oil Markets

  Published 28 July 2018 | viewed 28,827 times

  In the previous article, Asia’s Insatiable Oil Demand, I covered global and regional oil consumption numbers according to the recently-released 2018 BP Statistical Review of…

• Can Oil Demand Rise Much Further?

  Published 23 July 2018 | viewed 18,620 times

  Last month the 2018 BP Statistical Review of World Energy revealed that global oil production has now grown for eight straight years. Oil consumption rose…

• Is The U.S. Overly Dependent On Russian Oil?

  Published 17 July 2018 | viewed 17,538 times

  At this week’s NATO meeting in Brussels, President Trump criticized Germany’s reliance on Russian natural gas: “Germany is totally controlled by Russia. They will be…

• Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Set New Record

  Published 07 July 2018 | viewed 18,684 times

  In April of this year, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii recorded an average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide above 410 parts per million (ppm). This was…

• Why Oil Prices Are Surging

  Published 30 June 2018 | viewed 64,016 times

  Oil prices rose last week to the highest levels since 2014. What was behind this price surge? Ironically, it was an announcement by OPEC that…

• Global Energy Consumption Soars To New Heights

  Published 20 June 2018 | viewed 11,997 times

  This week the 2018 BP Statistical Review of World Energy was released, which covers energy data through 2017. It is the definitive source for global…

• Venezuela Won’t Have Enough Oil To Export By 2019

  Published 12 June 2018 | viewed 31,249 times

  On May 21st President Donald Trump signed a new executive order prohibiting certain oil-related transactions with Venezuela. GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, argues…

• China’s Surprising Move To Cut Solar Subsidies

  Published 11 June 2018 | viewed 20,417 times

  Chinese solar companies sold off sharply on Monday following an announcement by the Chinese government that it would take measures that may curb the astronomical…

• The Real Reason For Higher Gas Prices

  Published 09 June 2018 | viewed 50,539 times

  You probably have noticed that gasoline prices are again on the rise. Predictably, I have already seen stories arguing about President Trump’s culpability in this current price…

• Why Aren’t Permian Oil Producers Profitable?

  Published 31 May 2018 | viewed 27,544 times

  The Wall Street Journal recently reported that only five of the Top 20 U.S. oil companies focused mostly on hydraulic fracking generated more cash than…

• This Battery Breakthrough Could Change The World

  Published 26 May 2018 | viewed 26,147 times

  Last week I happened to catch an intriguing documentary on NOVA called Search for the Super Battery. The topic is of intense interest to me, as the development…

• Is The U.S. Ethanol Industry Under Siege?

  Published 19 May 2018 | viewed 24,369 times

  Following the 2016 presidential election, I explained Why The Ethanol Industry Should Fear President Trump. Since that time, the ethanol industry has indeed been on…

• U.S. Renewable Capacity Soars

  Published 12 May 2018 | viewed 12,349 times

  The history of power production through the early part of the 21st century was very much a tale of nonrenewable energy resources. Power was produced…

• How Russian Trolls Are Disrupting Energy Markets

  Published 08 May 2018 | viewed 9,248 times

  It is well-established that Russian trolls attempted to sow discord during the latest U.S. presidential election. But a recent report from the House Science, Space…