Top Trends for 2026: Energy capital bets on AI-led power demand, positions for cyclical oil surplus (Ep. 230)

Top Trends for 2026: Energy capital bets on AI-led power demand and positions for a cyclical oil surplus. AI will continue to be a dominant driver of energy capital flows in 2026 as growth investment pauses in amply supplied global oil and natural gas markets. These expectations and five more will direct the attention of energy investors over the coming year, according to S&P Global Energy's recently released report, "Top 2026 themes: AI's power crunch, LNG price pressure and the scramble for critical minerals." S&P Global Energy Expert Justin Jacobs joins hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the top trends that will direct energy capital allocation in 2026. Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en

Talking long-duration energy storage with the CEO of Inlyte Energy Inlyte Energy is a U.S.-based manufacturer of iron-sodium battery energy storage systems. The five-year-old company completed a successful test of its first field-ready battery late in 2025 and is preparing for a pilot installation in 2026 through a partnership with Southern Co.  Inlyte Energy CEO Antonio Baclig joins hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the company's choice to focus on iron-sodium chemistry in its bid to commercialize long-duration energy storage (LDES) and how its use of abundant raw materials could help Inlyte to rebrand LDES as 'low-dollar energy storage'.  Learn more about Inlyte Energy at: https://inlyteenergy.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en  

The global upstream sector will navigate increased cost pressures this year as it faces a well-supplied oil market. This expectation and four other key trends will direct the attention of E&P executives over the next 12 months, according to S&P Global Energy's recently released report, "Charting the Future: Top 5 trends shaping Upstream in 2026." S&P Global Energy Expert Nick Sharma joins hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss his team's top five trends to watch in global upstream in 2026. Access the full report here: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/special-reports/upstream/upstream-themes-2026#lore… Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en

Africa is often discussed as a single entity, but the energy profiles differ widely between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa as well as within the 54 countries that define those regions. Much of North Africa, for example, enjoys universal access to electricity while 50% of the Sub-Saharan African population outside of South Africa does not. S&P Global Energy Experts Silvia Macri and Anastasia Pantazopoulou join hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the challenges and opportunities for a resource abundant continent to address energy poverty in many of its less developed countries. Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en

Global solar installations slow after a record-setting 2025 as growth in the rest of the world fails to cover an expected 33% decline in annual additions by China. This expectation and nine other trends will help shape energy markets in 2026, according to the recently published S&P Global Energy Horizons Top Trends 2026 report. S&P Global Energy Expert Francesco d'Avack joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to highlight some of the key trends identified in the Top 10 report and offer his personal opinion on an 11th trend, which didn't make the list. Access the S&P Global Energy Horizons Top Trends 2026 report here:https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/special-reports/energy-transition/horizons-top-cle… Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en

We welcome back S&P Global Energy experts Reed Olmstead and David Vaucher for our annual year-in-review and resolutions episode. Hosts Sam Humphreys and Hill Vaden check in to consider some of the past year's biggest trends and offer market predictions and personal resolutions for 2026. Access prior year-end conversations with Reed and David here: 2024: Defying gravity: Energy soars in 2024 and will be Popular in 2025 2023: Holiday Special: Annual year-in-review and resolutions with Reed and David 2022: A year-in-review: Energy markets, Taylor Swift, and ESG 2021: Review and resolution: Shale sector activity in 2021 and 2022 2020: Mirror, mirror on the wall: Reflections on 2020 and predictions for 2021 2019: Would you rather: 2020 upstream predictions Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en  

Adaptation vs mitigation. The conversation continues to permeate global climate goal discussions as the world attempts to reach net zero. But with adaptation becoming more and more preferable, challenges on how to finance this remain. Peter Zaman, Partner at HFW, joins hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss where we stand on adaptation financing and the gap between the public and private sectors. Learn more about HFW at: https://www.hfw.com  Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en 

GreenFront Energy Partners, an investment bank based in Richmond, Va., is on a self-imposed mission to bring together the financial, intellectual, entrepreneurial, and natural resources to meaningfully decarbonize the global economy. The six-year-old firm caters to clients active in the energy-transition and offers services that include M&A advisory, capital raising, and corporate advisory. GreenFront Energy Partners co-founders Robert Birdsey, Adam Hahn, and Whit Wall join Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how the energy-transition-focused investment bank advised clients during a year of policy volatility and highlight some of the low-carbon themes that have the firm most excited for 2026. Learn more about GreenFront Energy Partners at: https://greenfrontenergy.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

After a period of tightening natural gas supply since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we are entering a time of oversupply, as more LNG hits the market.  S&P Global Energy Global Gas expert Laurent Ruseckas, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the interesting dynamic between falling prices and the impact this has, as natural gas is being considered crucial to the energy expansion.  Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en

The opportunity for carbon capture technology is expanding as the role of natural gas in power generation grows in an emissions-constrained world. Ion Clean Energy, which includes Chevron, ExxonMobil, Williams, and Carbon Direct as investors, is working to address this opportunity with its proprietary absorbent technology. Tim Vail, CEO of Ion Clean Energy, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the company's innovations in carbon capture technology and how the market opportunity continues to grow as power markets seek clean, firm, dispatchable generation. Learn more about Ion Clean Energy here: https://www.ioncleanenergy.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Energy at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en