The Top Public Companies for an Energy Transition

This data-file compiles all of our insights into publicly listed companies and their edge in the energy transition: commercialising economic technologies that advance the world towards ‘net zero’ CO2 by 2050.

Each insight is a differentiated conclusion, derived from a specific piece of research, data-analysis or modelling on the TSE web portal; summarized alongside links to our work. Next, the data-file ranks each insight according to its economic implications, technical readiness, its ability to accelerate the energy transition and the edge it confers on the company in question.

Each company can then be assessed by adding up the number of differentiated insights that feature in our work, and the average ‘score’ of each insight. The file is intended as a summary of our differentiated views on each company.

The screen is updated monthly. At the latest update, in February-2021, it contains 200 differentiated views on 100 public companies.

The Top 40 Private Companies for an Energy Transition

This data-file presents the ‘top 40’ private companies out of several hundred that have crossed our screens since the inception of Thunder Said Energy, looking back across all of our research.

For each company, we have used apples-to-apples criteria to score  economics, technical readiness, technical edge, decarbonization credentials and our own depth of analysis.

The data-file also contains a short, two-line description follows for each company, plus links to our wider research, which will outline each opportunity in detail.

Methanol: leading companies?

This data-file tabulates the details of companies in the methanol value chain. For incumbents, we have quantified market shares. For technology providers, we have simply tabulated the numbers of patents filed into methanol production since the year 2000. For new, lower-carbon methanol producers, we have compiled a screen, noting each company’s size, patent library and a short description (chart above).

Biotech companies to enhance agricultural yields or CO2 uptake?

Why compile a screen of biotech and agritech companies? Our research targets 1.2bn hectares of reforestation, as part of a low-cost pathway to net zero (note here). The demands are lessened if agriculture and forestry can be re-designed to sequester more CO2 per acre, or if yields can be improved to free up more land (note here).

Hence this screen tracks companies that achieve these objectives. Profiled are early-stage research firms, aiming to bio-engineer novel plants; large-cap seed companies which have helped improve yields at 1% per annum in a c$40bn market; indoor farms that achieve 350-400x higher yields per acre; and other niche growth-stage companies.

Details are provided on each company, including a description, their geography, growth stage, technical readiness and potential enhancement in yields and carbon uptake,

Smart Energy: technology leaders?

Smart meters and smart devices are capable of transmitting and receiving real-time data and instructions. They open up new ways of optimizing energy efficiency, peak demand, appliances and costs. Over 100M smart meters and thermostats had been installed in the United States (including at c90M residences) and 250M have been installed in Europe by 2020.

The purpose of this data-file is to profile c30 companies commercializing opportunities in smart energy monitoring, smart metering and smart thermostats. The majority of the companies are privately owned, at the venture or growth stage. We also tabulate their patent filings.

We find most of the offerings will lower end demand, assist with smoothing grid-volatility, provide appliance-by-appliance demand disaggregations and encourage consumers to upgrade inefficient or potentially even defective appliances. Numbers are tabulated in the data-file to quantify each of these effects.

Hydrogen reformers: technology leaders

The aim of this data-file is to assess who has the leading technology for producing industrial hydrogen: but especially blue hydrogen from auto-thermal reformers, which was highlighted as an opportunity in our recent research note.

Our screen assesses the leading companies making reformers to produce industrial hydrogen, based on public disclosures, 750 patents, and classifying these patents into their consituent patent families.

Profiled companies include Air Liquide, Air Products, Casale, Haldor Topsoe, Johnson Matthey, KBR, Linde, Thyssenkrupp and over a dozen large, diversified energy companies.

Gas turbines and CHP: technology leaders?

The aim of this data-file is to profile ten leading companies in gas turbines, based on their disclosures and patent filings. In each case, we describe the company, its size, its patent filings, its typical turbine size and efficiency.

Covered companies include mega-caps such as GE, Siemens and Mitsubishi, down to small-caps and private companies with exciting novel technologies.

Case studies from one such company, commercializing small, combined heat and power turbines, are presented in a backup tab, showing operational disclosures on cost savings, energy savings, CO2 reductions, payback periods and motivations for adopting the sytem.

Ventures for an Energy Transition?

This database tabulates almost 300 venture investments made by 9 of the leading Oil Majors, as the energy industry advances and transitions.

The largest portion of activity is now aimed at incubating New Energy technologies (c50% of the investments), as might be expected. Conversely, when we first created the data-file, in early-2019, the lion’s share of historical investments were in upstream technologies (c40% of the total). The investments are also highly digital (c40% of the total).

Four Oil Majors are incubating capabilities in new energies, as the energy system evolves. We are impressed by the opportunities they have accessed. Venturing is likely the right model to create most value in this fast-evolving space.

The full database shows which topic areas are most actively targeted by the Majors’ venturing, broken down across 25 sub-categories, including by company. We also chart which companies have gained stakes in the most interesting start-ups.

Super-capacitors: technology leaders?

This data-file screens for the ‘top twenty’ technology leaders in super-capacitors, by assessing c2,000 Western patents filed since 2013.

Each company’s recent progress is summarized, while the full patent database is provided for further details.

Subsequent tabs in the data-file contain all our notes from technical papers into the topic, examples of SCs electric parameters, examples of their deployment and our economic calculations.

Additive manufacturing: technology leaders?

This data-file tabulates 5,500 patents into additive manufacturing (AM, a.k.a., 3D printing), in order to identify technology leaders.  Patent filings over time show a sharp acceleration, making AM one of the fastest growth areas for the energy transition.

14 companies with concentrated exposure to the theme are profiled, including their size, revenues, share of revenues from AM and 3-6 lines of notes on each company.

The full screen also shows growing AM activity from Cap Goods, aerospace, automotive and oil services companies.

Use of thermoplastic materials is also seen by narrowing in upon 130 patents from leading chemicals companies (e.g., Covestro, Solvay, SABIC, Arkema).

Examples from the patents show how AM can reduce costs by 25-90% and lead times by 10-90%.