ARC ENERGY IDEAS

This week our guest is Andrew Weaver. He is a climate scientist, professor at the University of Victoria, and former leader of the British Columbia Green Party. Here are some of the questions we asked Andrew: Why did you decide to become a politician? Is climate change contributing to BC’s extreme weather this year? How obtainable is the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC? You have publicly...

This week Larry Burns joins our podcast. Larry is a Business Advisor on Mobility, Logistics, Manufacturing, Energy and Innovation—in short, he is a guru in the area of self-driving vehicles and mobility. Here are some of the questions we asked Larry:  What level of autonomous driving has been achieved? Do people want fully autonomous vehicles? How would self-driving work for long distance heavy ha...

We start this week’s podcast sharing thoughts on the first week of the COP26 climate conference currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland. Highlights include the major goals of the conference and the announcement of a major initiative to mobilize private finance led by Mark Carney. We also cover the recent price inflation for oil and gas, including OPEC+, US shale oil and the importance of winter we...

This week, Dr. Arthur Turrell, author of the recently published book “The Star Builders – Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet” joins the podcast. Arthur has a PhD in plasma physics and writes about fusion energy in a way that makes sense for the average person. Here are some of the questions Peter and Jackie asked Arthur: What are the advantages of fusion energy? How does it differ fro...

On this week’s episode we interview Barbara Zvan, inaugural President and CEO of the University Pension Plan in Ontario. Barb is recognized as a leading voice on sustainable investing and was appointed to  the Canadian Government’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance that released recommendations for increasing the amount of sustainable investment in Canada in 2019. Barbara tell us about a new ini...

This week, Matthew J. Sagers, Vice President at IHS Markit and head of the Russian and Caspian Energy Advisory service joins the podcast. Here are some of the questions we asked Matt Sagers: Why is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline so controversial? Why isn’t Russia ramping-up its natural gas exports to help Europe? Will the high prices for energy now accelerate the energy transition or slow it down? How...

In this week’s podcast, Peter and Jackie talk about why the lack of charging infrastructure in North America is holding back the adoption of electric vehicles (EV). The charging problem is amplified because Canada and the United States do not mandate a standard electrical plug-in. Read Jackie’s commentary “Canada EV Mass Adoption: Are We There Yet?” Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arc...

Europe is heading into winter with historically low inventories of natural gas. The scarcity has driven up the global prices of every type of energy, including natural gas, coal and oil. Despite the rising commodity prices, energy supply has not been growing. On this week’s podcast, Jackie and Peter discuss the European energy crisis and the lessons it provides for energy security and energy trans...

On this week’s Podcast, Jackie and Peter discuss how inflation and affordability have come into the spotlight. How is inflation measured and how much has it increased? What is the connection between oil price and inflation? And, if a more sustained period of inflation were to occur, what are the implications? See Peter’s recent commentary “A New Episode of the Oil Cycle: Inflation.” Please review...

As you got out of bed this morning and flicked on the lights and coffee maker, how many of you thought about where the electricity came from? Scott Thon, the CEO of AltaLink and President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada is our guest this week. Scott helps explain what is going on with the grids and wires we rely on, today and in the future. Here are some of the questions we asked Scott...

Few in Canada know the pioneering work of Geoffrey Ballard and his Vancouver based fuel cell company called Ballard Power. Founded in 1979, it’s now recognized as one of the pre-eminent manufacturers of fuel cells in the world today. This week, the President & CEO of Ballard Power, Randy MacEwen joins our podcast. Here are some of the questions we asked Randy MacEwen: What is Ballard’s fuel ce...

The ARC podcast is back! This week we cover some of the big news over the summer break, including Canada’s upcoming federal election, the extreme weather experienced this past summer and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sixth climate report. Canadians head to the polls on September 20th in the federal election. What are the big election issues? What is expected for climate an...

In this episode we showcase Peter’s new Energyphile story “Reinventing the Wheel”. What can companies facing radical disruption today learn from history? The McLaughlin Carriage Company was a leader in high-end carriages. Yet at the peak of its game, it started manufacturing automobiles. It’s a rare company that would, or could, make such a pivot — and so successfully. McLaughlin went on to become...

Responding to a very large number of carbon sequestration inquiries, the Alberta Government issued an Information Letter that proposes a centralized hub model for storing carbon in the province. This week, Tristan Goodman, the President of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (EPAC) joins the podcast to offer his perspective on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) policy. In...

As the world embarks on re-piping and re-wiring energy systems in the pursuit of decarbonization, the plan should be to make the future energy infrastructure more secure than the past. This week on the podcast, Jackie and Peter review several energy security learnings from history. In the pursuit of the best economics, often energy security is ignored.  These vulnerabilities create problems later...

Canadian oil sands companies are typically rivals, but now they have announced a collective project for achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050. Producers that account for 90% of oil sands production - Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor Energy - have announced the “Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero” initiative. This week, our guests –  Rhona DelFrari, Chief S...

Solar is starting to shine in Canada. Five utility scale solar projects have been announced in Alberta so far this year. Residential solar should benefit from newly announced federal government incentives. This week Nicholas Gall, the Director of Distributed Energy Resources at the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) joins the podcast. Here are some of the questions Peter and Jackie ask...

This past week, Shell, Exxon and Chevron were all in the headlines as these three supermajors are being pushed, in the boardroom and courtroom, to transition more quickly towards a low carbon future. Adding to the pressure, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released their much-anticipated Net Zero 2050 Scenario, stating that no new oil and gas fields beyond those committed in 2021 are needed....

Canada is a global leader in Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), with four large-scale operating  projects. However, compared to the United States, new investment in Canada is not keeping pace. This week our guest is Beth (Hardy) Valiaho, Vice President, Strategy & Stakeholder Relations at the International CCS Knowledge Centre. Beth tells us about the state of CCUS in Canada and ou...

The Canadian Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) will come into force next year with the objective of lowering the carbon intensity of fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. This week David Schick, Western Canadian Vice President from the Canadian Fuels Association joins the podcast to talk about the future, including learnings from British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that has been in place for...

Housing prices in Canada are heating up again, and so are carbon taxes. In a price war, home energy efficiency may not be top-of-mind for buyers, but with rising carbon taxes maybe it should be. This week Jackie and Peter talk energy efficiency, including: How important is energy efficiency for achieving a low carbon future? What are the government incentives for energy efficiency?  Will higher ca...

In the past week, Canada and the United States committed to more ambitious GHG emission reduction targets, the Canadian government announced a historic budget, and the Bank of Canada provided an economic outlook. This week, John Stackhouse, Senior Vice President, Office of the RBC CEO, joined the podcast to discuss the recent announcements. Here are some of the questions Peter and Jackie asked Joh...

President Biden’s climate plans are starting to come into focus. The Whitehouse released “The American Jobs Plan” a few weeks ago, which included about $1 trillion of spending for clean energy and climate initiatives. The Whitehouse is also hosting a virtual Climate Summit this week with dozens of world leaders, and the United States is expected to announce an ambitious emissions reduction target...

This week Jackie and Peter take on listener EV questions and comments. Here are some of the questions they tackled: Are EVs impacting oil demand and markets? Is degrading battery life a risk of EV ownership? How much range is lost due to cold weather? How do the economics of leasing vs buying compare? What about people without the luxury of a garage with adequate electrical capacity? And, if the e...

LNG Canada’s $40 billion megaproject is taking shape. The project is the largest private sector investment ever made in Canada, and marks the birth of a new export industry. This week, the CEO of LNG Canada, Peter Zebedee joins the podcast to provide an update on the construction underway in Kitimat, British Columbia. Here are some of the questions we asked Peter Zebedee: What is the current long-...