Energy Supply and Demand Likely to Be a Big Topic This Winter 

That’s because of sanctions against Russia for the war on Ukraine, the unwillingness of OPEC to increase production, and the politically driven campaign to move too quickly away from fossil fuels towards green energy.

Some facts:

* NYC natural gas prices for January are 60% higher than they were last January.

* Consolidated Edison expects power bills to climb 22%.

* In France, the scarcity of oil and gas has spurred the government into reactivating nuclear power plants that had been scheduled to be retired – and even pressured them to increase production.

England faces an especially cold winter as the reduction of oil and gas from continental sources is compounded by an historic dip in wind activity. The reduction so far is equivalent to 16 gigawatts, or the amount of power that would be generated by 16 nuclear power plants.

Mark Rossano, an energy expert, made these points in a recent episode of “The Wiggin Sessions” podcast:

* Dispatchable power is dwindling, and it can drop off quickly due to the intermittent nature of renewables.

* The variability creates broad issues that only get amplified in the winter months as solar efficacy drops off considerably.

* Wind flows can adjust abruptly, and the remaining capacity (mainly fossil fuels) is stressed further.

* The harder you run these assets, the more wear and tear and maintenance that will be required to ensure their continuous use.

* The shift between baseload and peaking capacity is only getting worse as more coal is slated to come offline over the next six to 12 months.