the research consultancy for energy technologies
Our written research into the energy transition profiles different opportunities, “how they work”, their costs, technical challenges, and leading companies; in PDF research reports that are available to TSE subscription clients.
Our philosophy is that research into the energy transition should help decision-makers by breaking down this enormous topic into concise research notes, each of which tackles a single specific question. Then tackles that question as concisely as possible. In no more than 10-20 pages. (Our job is not to write ‘War and Peace’. It is to save you time and get you the right information quickly, simply).
All of the underlying data behind our research into the energy transition is published transparently on our website. If there are any specific questions that you would like to be addressed with a TSE research note, then please do email us, and we are happy to add your questions onto our research list.
All of our written research into the energy transition is summarized on this page, in chronological order, for clients with our ‘written insights subscription’.
The average major economy produces 70% of its own energy and imports the other 30%. This 12-page note explores energy self-sufficiency by country. We draw three key conclusions: into US isolationism; Europe’s survival; and the pace of EV adoption, both in China and in LNG-importing nations.
This 17-page note outlines how capacity markets work, in order to stabilize global power grids. We argue reserve margins in the US grid are not as healthy as they look. Data centers are like wolves at the door. Capacity prices must rise. This boosts gas plants, grid-scale batteries and non-regulated utilities?
Energy transition is the largest construction project in history, with capex costs ultimately ramping up to $9trn per year. Overall, 40% of capex costs accrue to construction firms. Hence this 10-page note evaluates world-scale construction companies, their EBIT margin drivers, and who benefits from expanding power grids?
This 12-page note studies the output from 10 of the largest gas power plants in Australia, at 5-minute intervals, comparing 2024 versus 2014. Ramping renewables to c30% of Australia’s electricity mix has not only entrenched gas-fired back-up generation, but actually increased the need for peakers?
This 13-page note summarizes the key conclusions across all of our research from 1H24, concisely, for busy decision-makers. We highlight 101 companies, which have come up in our recent work, to enable the rise of AI, and debottleneck its electricity supplies, out of 1,500 companies that have now crossed our screens overall.
Solar ramps from 6% of global electricity in 2023, to 35% in 2050. But could any regions become Solar Superpowers and reach 50% solar in their grids? And which regions will deploy most solar? This 15-page note proposes ten criteria and ranks 30 countries. The biggest surprises will be due to capital costs, grid bottlenecks and pragmatic backups.
Could renewables increase hydrocarbon realizations? Or possibly even double the value in flexible LNG portfolios? Our reasoning in this 14-page report includes rising regional arbitrages, and growing volatility amidst lognormal price distributions (i.e., prices deviate more to the upside than the downside). What implications and who benefits?
High-temperature superconductors (HTSs) carry 20,000x more current than copper, with almost no electrical resistance. They must be cooled to -200ºC. So costs have been high at 35 past projects. Yet, this 16-page report explores whether HTS cables will now accelerate to defray power grid bottlenecks?
Energy transition is entering a new era of power grid bottlenecks linked to the rise of AI, rising volatility, and materials high-grading. These themes are kingmakers for gas, midstream, marketing, efficiency, metals and advanced materials. What matters most for AI is rapidly-available, scalable baseload, which could be decarbonized in the future, at low cost. Hence data-centers gravitate to shale basins ?! This 17-page PDF presentation covers our latest views on AI and power grid bottlenecks.
Please do contact us if you would like to explore a presentation, to discuss these ideas and implications in more detail.
This 16-page report appraises 30 different options for low-carbon, round-the-clock power generation. Their costs range from 6-60 c/kWh. We also consider true CO2 intensity, time-to-market, land use, scalability and power quality. Seven insights follow for powering new grid loads, especially AI data-centers.