Articles by Sean Casten
Sean Casten is president & CEO of Recycled Energy Development, LLC, a company devoted to profitably reducing greenhouse emissions.
All Articles
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Year-end economic musings
Last July, I wrote about trends in U.S. retail electric sales as an indicator of economic activity, and how this recession compares to prior on that metric. We’ve kept tracking that data, and it gets more interesting with each passing month. Here then, a quick update. First off, a lament. I wish EIA would update […]
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On David Owen and William Jevons
David Owen's latest piece in The New Yorker has attracted much attention and rekindled interest in William Jevons and his paradox, and much ink has been spilled in support of and opposition to the article. Amidst the discussion, I'm struck that two rather obvious points haven't been made: Jevons' arguments wouldn't pass muster in any discipline other than economics, and Owen's arguments fail basic principles of logic.
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Shale gas doesn't change everything
The new natural gas conventional wisdom says that "shale changes everything." Access to these large volumes of relatively low-cost gas will raise U.S. natural gas prices and decrease price volatility. That's why prices are low now, and why they'll stay there in the future. Trouble is, the narrative really doesn't hold water. Maybe gas prices will stay low in the future, maybe they won't. But whichever the case, it won't be because of shale.
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District energy 101
District energy is a big deal, and like most of our energy system, it's subject to a host of inconsistent and/or mutually contradictory regulations. Good policy would fix those inconsistencies. Problem is, lawmakers just don't understand it. So let's break it down.
