




Blog
Opinions expressed in these blog posts are of the authors and do not necessarily represent New Energy Risk
May 11, 2023
A Guide to Gasification – How Gasification Is Paving the Way for Sustainability
One of the technology platforms which NER frequently review is gasification. This important process contributes to the production of low-carbon fuels and the development of a more circular economy. In this post, Brad Price explores the history and uses of gasification and how it can support a more sustainable economy.
April 4, 2023
The Evolving Advanced Recycling Supply Chain – The Importance of an Industry Feed Specification
A key challenge for advanced plastics recycling project is securing a reliable, standardized feedstock from a supply chain geared towards mechanical recycling. This post explores the needs of advanced recycling plants and the plastics supply chain.
March 30, 2023
Interview: Vinita Jajware-Beatty, Enkompass
Sherry Huang speaks with Vinita Jajware-Beatty, COO of Enkompass, about leadership, success and aligning work with values.
August 22, 2022
Interview: Denise Olson, Zurich
Sherry Huang speaks with Denise Olson, Zurich's head of Programs, about her career trajectory, ambitions, and passions (insurance included!).
August 9, 2022
Opponents Of Joe Manchin’s Permitting Reform Demonstrate Why We Need Permitting Reform
Senator Manchin's IRA support is conditioned on environmental permitting reform to benefit clean and fossil technologies alike.
July 20, 2022
A Primer on Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is one example of the innovative technologies that we evaluate and support. This primer is Part 1 in our series that takes a closer look at some of these innovations.
May 10, 2022
Interview: Kathleen Carey, Paragon
Following NER's acquisition by Paragon Insurance Holdings, Sherry Huang spoke with Paragon's vice president of underwriting operations, Kathleen Carey, about her career and company growth.
April 19, 2022
Build Back Better Isn’t Enough: Enact Regulatory Reform to Unlock Climate Investment
Government needs to fix policy that stimulates pro-climate grants and tax incentives without addressing structural supply limitations.
January 26, 2022
Volcanic Eruptions Can Cool the Climate, But Hunga-Tonga Won’t
Early data from last weekend’s eruption indicated it was much too small to have any meaningful impact on climate change.
November 22, 2021
Interview: Sanchali Pal, Joro
Curious about Joro’s mission to help consumers with their 'carbon intuition,' Sherry Huang spoke with CEO Sanchali Pal about her company's vision.
November 15, 2021
The New Infrastructure Bill Looks to Solve a Clean Energy ‘Valley of Death’
Established under the DOE, a new office includes almost $21.5 billion to advance new climate technologies in the coming years.
October 8, 2021
The Shortest Path to Circular Plastics Is Through the Chemical Companies
Successfully dealing with plastic’s environmental impact requires enabling circularity for the plastics that will continue to be used in our modern economy.
August 3, 2021
Interview: Katie Mehnert and Shanta Eaden, ALLY Energy
Inspired by ALLY’s mission to create an equitable energy transition, Sherry Huang spoke with Katie Mehnert and Shanta Eaden about their vision for ALLY Energy.
July 20, 2021
The Supreme Court Deals Ethanol a Blow by Undermining the Renewable Fuel Standard
The win for the refiners at the Supreme Court undercuts the RFS, opening it to further political meddling.
July 12, 2021
Preview: Project Finance Playbook
Announcing the Project Finance Playbook, a whitepaper demonstrating how project finance is superior for financing first commercial-scale infrastructure facility.
May 18, 2021
Interview: Dr. Jessica Morris, Expert Engineer in Atmospheric Dispersion, Exponent
Dr. Morris is an advocate for women and children entering STEM career paths and is an expert engineer in fluid dynamics & safety in the field of atmospheric dispersion.
May 18, 2021
Building a Better Backstop
Understand how government loan guarantees and private-sector solutions work in a downside scenario, which has significant impacts on project owners, equity investors, workers, and other stakeholders.
May 12, 2021
Oil and Ethanol Fight at the Supreme Court Over the Word “Extension”
Both the corn and oil industries will be watching for a final opinion: Is the EPA’s authority broad or limited when it comes to RFS waivers?
May 4, 2021
Meeting Biden’s Climate Goals Requires Giving Exxon a Seat at the Table
Earth Day 2021 saw the release of major climate announcements from players seemingly on opposite sides of the greenhouse gas and carbon capture debate.
February 23, 2021
Blackouts in Texas and California Teach a Hard Lesson
Some blame wind and renewables for the issues plaguing Texas. But supposedly resilient fossil-fired assets are actually having the greatest impact.
February 23, 2021
Carbon Capture: 11 Highlights From the Finalized 45Q Rules
The final IRS guidance on carbon capture's 45Q is here; we've summarized its 187 pages into 11 key highlights that investors need now.
February 8, 2021
Interview: Kara Owens, Global Executive Underwriting Officer – Cyber & ESG
Kara Owens of Markel shares the story of her career journey, loads of advice for those rising in the insurance industry, and updates on her latest ESG initiatives.
January 31, 2021
$100 Million from Elon Musk Won’t Enable Carbon Capture
Musk’s donation will surely lead to technological advances. However, a Silicon Valley mindset is the wrong fit for this important industry.
November 10, 2020
Interview: Audrey Lee, PhD, Clean Energy Senior Executive
Audrey has an impressive background with a wealth of diverse experiences; she now works for a special purpose acquisition company with a focus on sustainability and clean energy.
November 6, 2020
One Small Step for Torrefaction, One Giant Leap for the Bioeconomy
Commissioning of the US’s first commercial torrefaction facility is a milestone in its own right, and a potential game-changer for the bioeconomy’s inroads against fossil fuels.
September 21, 2020
Trump Embraces Corn Ethanol As The Election Draws Near
The Trump administration has typically sided with the oil lobby, but with support for Trump dipping across the Midwest, it has turned to farmers.
August 11, 2020
Interview: Connie Joe, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Bank of the West
Connie Joe, CSR officer with Bank of the West talks with NER's Sherry Huang about her career enabling new ventures in banking.
July 22, 2020
A Unanimous FERC Decision Saves Net Metering
Yet the future of the popular program remains uncertain. For those considering a solar purchase, the time may be now.
July 17, 2020
A Renewable Future Is on the Horizon
Dominion Energy, not generally known as a leader in clean or renewable technologies, has begun restructuring its generation portfolio to cleaner sources. Public policy works.
July 13, 2020
Sunrun’s Vivint Acquisition Creates the Leader in an Evolving Residential Solar Market
Residential solar power is a cutthroat business that favors those with more efficient customer acquisition strategies and access to cheap capital. Sunrun has acquired Vivint creating an undisputed king.
July 6, 2020
California’s Electric Truck Mandate Looks to Address Social and Environmental Injustice
The Golden State is once again setting the standard for others to follow, with justice for all.
June 16, 2020
Congress Is Mulling Renewable Energy Stimulus: They Should Think Bigger
What’s important now is to match the scale of the solution to the scale of the problem.
June 3, 2020
IRS Rules for 45Q Tax Credit Clear Path for US Carbon Capture Projects
On May 28, 2020, the IRS issued new guidance, which finally answers all of the major remaining questions on the 45Q tax credit. This clears the way for critical US carbon capture projects.
June 2, 2020
Renewable Natural Gas Can’t Deliver The Carbon Neutral Future We Need
RNG is demonstrably better than fossil gas, but the production of RNG at scales that rival our natural gas demand will also be more carbon-intensive than alternative solutions to decarbonize the gas grid.
May 26, 2020
Corona-Lockdowns Shutter Vital Research
The gatherings that are the lifeblood of modern research have stopped as COVID-19 has shuttered labs and facilities worldwide. Despite this unprecedented setback, there is some hope on the horizon.
April 27, 2020
$40 Oil Will Return: This Isn’t the End of Fossil Fuels
This moment represents a stunning new chapter in the ongoing oil crisis and the last few weeks have demonstrated in hyperdrive how the oil endgame will play out.
April 27, 2020
Advanced Biofuels Cushioned Against Oil’s Crash
Oil prices are cratering, but there is a silver lining for advanced biofuels.
April 21, 2020
Getting the Kinks Out
It’s important for us to monitor old and new regulations, and to consider case studies that teach us how the businesses we work with might need to adapt, both commercially and technologically.
April 13, 2020
Coronavirus Won’t Change Minds on Climate Change
In the absence of forceful government action, activists must stay on the front lines.
April 1, 2020
Troubles in the Fracking Industry Are Nothing to Celebrate
For those fighting climate change, the damage that American frackers are experiencing should be sobering.
March 26, 2020
Renewables Poised to Clean Up from Oil’s Price Spill
The oil market has changed dramatically in the last three weeks but renewables are financial safe bets.
February 1, 2020
Farm or Fossil: The Battle for the RFS Rages On
For those of us following biofuels, there was an interesting bit of news last week that barely registered in the press outside of Houston and Des Moines, but that will impact everything from the price of corn to the price you pay for gas at the pump.
January 21, 2020
Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Ready for Takeoff
Major airlines are committing to sustainable aviation fuels, but could be doing much more, and offsets are not the answer.
November 8, 2019
Dark Thoughts: Solar is Useless for Ice Cream Lovers
Working in the insurance industry where I think often about risk makes me wonder if the northern California power shut offs are really helping reduce fire risk, or just reducing PG&E’s exposure.
October 8, 2019
Fattening Your Loan Life Coverage Ratio
Debt is to project finance as fat is to bears. Hear me out.
October 3, 2019
Interview: Jay Schabel, President of Brightmark Energy Plastics Division
NER worked closely with RES Polyflow to ensure the cost-effective capitalization of its plastics waste-to-value facility in Ashland, IN, USA; Sherry interviews its CEO, Jay Schabel, now with Brightmark Energy.
October 1, 2019
A Plan B for Air Quality
The great irony for the Trump administration, and all those fighting against California’s clean-air waiver, is that if they “succeed” and auto fuel-economy stagnates, the resulting increased demand for liquid fuels will further enhance the value of the LCFS credit.
May 20, 2019
No, we’re not running out of Helium
We do have periodic helium shortages (there have been 3 in the last 15 years). But this is fundamentally a supply/demand issue (and public policy issue, too).
March 13, 2019
Bioproducts are Seeing Major Tailwinds in Renewable Tech
Has Silicon Valley forgotten about cleantech after failures in solar, wind and batteries? Not quite! Several new and exciting renewable technologies are coming to market.
March 13, 2019
How to Avoid Looking like Theranos when Building Breakthrough Technology
To bring breakthrough innovations to market you need to demonstrate that the technology isn’t magic.
January 20, 2019
Advice for Innovators: Keep it Real
Stop trying to control things and let go of the handlebars.