Prepare for a long term fall in energy prices

A thought provoking blog from Nick Butler in today’s Pink ‘Un sets out a grim future for holders of shares in the oil majors.    He is also one of the first to credit renewable energy with some of the credit/blame (delete as appropriate)  for the decline in oil demand.  Germany has been the first major,  developed economy where localised renewable generation has proved structurally disruptive to the centralised generators and grid operators.  There will be others,  notably in the western US states.

It may still be too early to call the end of oil-age but the advantages of on-site renewable generation become ever more obvious.  Generation from PV is passive;  once the initial installation is complete there is very little else for the generator to do other than consume that energy.  No fuel purchases,  no complex delivery infrastructure and no dependence of external factors for ongoing electricity production.  The global energy mix is changing fast and anyone making long term investments based on hydrocarbon fuelled generation might end up on the wrong side of rapid structural changes.



http://blogs.ft.com/nick-butler/2014/11/30/prepare-for-a-long-term-fall-in-energy-prices/