Research, analysis and opinion on the ongoing energy transition. Writing about it at: https://powering-the-planet.ghost.iohttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mx4xiu5dqk22Across the world, from India to Ireland, fossil fuels are heavily subsidized. And getting very expensive compared to clean energy. Good incentive for governments to accelerate the transition and end the costly subsidies. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Oct 2026 12:53 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx4xiu5dqk22https://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mx4wr7nr622y"Gasoline-only cars fell below 50% of global new vehicle sales for the first time, as the Hormuz crisis and record fuel prices accelerated the shift toward EVs." https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Fuel-Price-Shock-Pushes-Global-Gas-Car-Sales-Below-50-for-First-Time.html05 Oct 2026 12:40 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx4wr7nr622yhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mx4wmlnask22For more years than I'd like to count, I've been noting that the transition to clean energy is being driven by favorable economics. It's simple math and Fed Ex did it. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Oct 2026 12:37 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx4wmlnask22https://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mx4vdkl6ok2mBack in 2024 Bloomberg's oil columnist wrote a column with the title "Nevermind Those EVs" Today he wrote a column saying he bought an EV and noted how EVs are causing oil demand destruction. 😀 [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Oct 2026 12:14 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx4vdkl6ok2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwyqqzczc22xBig News!! Trump announces new steel mill in Iowa. Trump piped up to say, "They've already started building." And yet... "Company officials say they don't have details about its plans, and no permits have been filed." https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/local-iowa-report-provides-scathing-184552150.html03 Oct 2026 20:41 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyqqzczc22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwyqqzczc22xBig News!! Trump announces new steel mill in Iowa. Trump piped up to say, "They've already started building." And yet... "Company officials say they don't have details about its plans, and no permits have been filed." https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/local-iowa-report-provides-scathing-184552150.html03 Oct 2026 20:41 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyqqzczc22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvrl6mxnc2aWe may want to remember this one for referring back to in the future. "It stopped for the ducks," Baron said [about his Tesla autopilot] If you are a duck, perhaps you should invest. Otherwise, maybe not. https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/ron-baron-elon-musk-unbelievable-104500028.html02 Oct 2026 16:18 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvrl6mxnc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvl7eejs22p"To justify staggering investment sums, Americans will have to spend as much of their income on this one technology [AI] as they do on food" I'm pretty sure that ain't happening.02 Oct 2026 14:24 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvl7eejs22phttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvfkogwf22zThis is how we fund real journalism these days. Throw Mike some money if you can. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Oct 2026 12:43 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvfkogwf22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvfb4nni22z"The 2027 BMW 3 Series comes in both gas and electric versions, and the EV is $4,400 cheaper." But I have range anxiety.... https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/30/bmw-built-the-same-car-for-gas-and-electric-the-ev-is-4400-cheaper/02 Oct 2026 12:38 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvfb4nni22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvdvhohjk2fDid not expect to find these words in the NYT. "Changes of a few percentage points in [oil] supply and demand may not seem like much. But it is in the margins where you find the seeds of collapse." Seeds of collapse. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/opinion/gas-prices-oil-crash.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FVE.ekAJ.ZuARLWs_lLZ3&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare02 Oct 2026 12:13 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvdvhohjk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvd762tc22lMaas Goote gets it. "Maas Goote, the European Union’s former lead climate negotiator and an independent policy advisor, said there is no evidence that the methane regulations, if left in place, would cause price spikes or reduce supply." https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30092026/european-commission-plans-to-delay-methane-rules/02 Oct 2026 12:01 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvd762tc22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwvcjlv26c2uIn the Trump era so many people have to find new ways to say he is lying but in a nice way. “what was reported today went beyond what had been agreed” S. Korea will only invest in Alaska LNG if it is proven to be commercially viable. It isn't and it won't ever be. So there is that. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-01/korea-disputes-trump-s-claim-it-agreed-to-invest-in-alaska-lng02 Oct 2026 11:49 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvcjlv26c2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwtmnrafds2uAs the EU continues to rely even more heavily on importing US LNG and is kicking the can on methane regulations to make this happen, perhaps they should ponder the risks of handing this sort of energy dependence to a country that elected Trump. Because it gives him leverage...like with diesel. https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-threatens-diesel-export-ban-130547244.html01 Oct 2026 19:45 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwtmnrafds2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwteyh3kns2bNew interview of Andreas Schroeder by @nickcunningham.bsky.social "Definitely for Europe, yes. It’s the market I know best because I know the policy talk and I’m following it day-to-day. For Europe, I can say there is a move away from gas." Andreas Schroeder https://gasoutlook.substack.com/p/gas-outlook-monthly-september-202601 Oct 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwteyh3kns2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwtd3vx6q22x“We will no longer be consumers of imported energy. We will be solar power producers,” he told parliament earlier this month. Guess which country? Not an easy guess since so many will choose this path. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-09-30/the-lng-boom-is-losing-its-biggest-bet-in-emerging-asia01 Oct 2026 16:54 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwtd3vx6q22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwt5bfs74s2qLast year I wrote, "The global LNG industry has an economics problem." It seems a lot more people are starting to realize this. "Despite expanding access to LNG imports, gas is losing market share to cheaper coal." "The shift in Bangladesh's power mix is primarily driven by costs." https://www.reuters.com/commentary/reuters-open-interest/bangladeshs-coal-turn-is-fresh-bad-sign-lng-exporters-2026-10-01/01 Oct 2026 15:09 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwt5bfs74s2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsywhnyb22xThe oil industry and the US are working hard to ramp up fracking and oil and gas production in Latin America. And having success. Meanwhile these countries have the opportunity to get off fossil fuels and onto cheap and secure renewables. https://amazonwatch.org/news/2026/0930-as-ecuador-courts-oil-investors-indigenous-nations-warn-amazon-expansion-is-not-viable01 Oct 2026 13:52 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsywhnyb22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsxdduxak2jDoes anyone know what this might be? They have been moving these the past few weeks in upstate NY. Big oversized trucks with several lead cars and cops and several more behind.01 Oct 2026 13:23 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsxdduxak2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwswu62sok2eNice headline to go with this photo. Turns out this announcement is just like the "I'll give everyone $5000" bit.01 Oct 2026 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwswu62sok2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsweksnes2eJust straight up lying. But that is nothing new. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/01/trump-south-korea-investment-alaska-lng-nuclear-power.html01 Oct 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsweksnes2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsvzjyddk25Trump says South Korea will put up $54 billion for Alaska LNG project. South Korea says, "Say what?" "the South Korean government has only said that it is considering the Alaska project and has not confirmed that it approved funding" Desperate midterm lies. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/30/trump-south-korea-investment-alaska-lng-0110002401 Oct 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsvzjyddk25https://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsvk5ko7u2vThis article is great but it misses one thing. "The revival of power plants burning imported coal is expected to be temporary, with batteries and natural gas better suited to a role complementing a rising share of intermittent solar and wind." Natural gas awaits the same fate as coal. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Oct 2026 12:51 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsvk5ko7u2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsukhyhou2vAfter reading this article, it would be good to read @jlappen1.bsky.social, @gruberte.bsky.social and @jmijin.bsky.social 's work. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DJ88ZKFISHTHH8AKERYT/full?target=10.1080/08941920.2026.2738540 [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Oct 2026 12:33 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsukhyhou2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinmikulka.bsky.social/post/3mwsuctw7xc2vChina's solar domination even surprised its coal bankers. "The scale of that clean energy influx has brought huge benefits for consumers. Solar has provided not only a cheaper source of power, it’s also added electricity access in some underserved regions." Electricity to the underserved! gift https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-09-30/pakistan-s-solar-boom-pits-china-s-clean-energy-exports-against-coal-investments?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc5MDg1NzQ0NCwiZXhwIjoxNzkxNDYyMjQ0LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTTc5ODdLSVAzSjkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJGMThDQ0VDNEUzODg0REQxODI4Nzk5N0UxNTVFQ0E5NCJ9.Eboe0TJDd4P6x9sQ6VpbUxEjYodsLBIdj2dIaNYKv6k01 Oct 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:6ml4nxrk45cy23jay5hc2npp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsuctw7xc2v