An unprecedented diversity of energy sources and players will come to market this year, reflecting the underlying, long-term trend of the world’s shift away from fossil fuels. A hundred years ago, coal was dominant. Since then, it’s been oil. But this year, energy markets will be marked by innovations that improve the value of traditional fuels even as those fuels are supplanted by improved renewable and new alternative-energy technologies.
The dramatic drop in oil pricing, due as much to low demand as to new fuel options, is helping shape an interesting, diverse playing field for energy.
From hydrogen-powered cars to clean coal technology, this is the year that our thinking about energy turns the corner. We have not been able to visualize a global geopolitical landscape absent the western world’s dependency on Middle East oil. By the end of 2015, following a year of new energy products and services across the globe, the geopolitical implications will begin to take shape.