In our energy system we treat electricity as a commodity, which is sold by the unit, writes Walt Patterson, Associate Fellow at Chatham House. This provides an incentive to suppliers to maximise consumption – which is why our user-technology is so wasteful. But according to Patterson, electricity is not a commodity, it’s a process in infrastructure. What matters is not the functioning of some ‘electricity market’ but long-term investment in this … [Read more...]
2015: an energy year in which everything gets connected?
It is often said that there are major trade-offs between energy security, equity and sustainability. But what if this is a misconception? Energy Post editor Karel Beckman argues that by creating a new sustainable energy system we can at the same time advance energy security and reduce energy poverty. … [Read more...]
Season’s Greetings – we’re taking a break!
Energy Post would like to thank all of our readers, relations and contributors and wish you happy holidays and a prosperous 2015. We are very grateful for all the support we have had throughout the year. As well as for all the attention: 270,450 unique visitors since the start of 2014 until Christmas eve! … [Read more...]
The new China-Europe connection: how China’s new Silk Road strategy will change the face of the world
China’s “New Silk Road” strategy is intended to connect the Chinese industrial powerhouse first with Eurasia and then Europe. This will be done through a gigantic, intricate network of road and rail transport lines and energy pipelines, which will cut overland travel time from China to Europe to just two days. It is the greatest trade story in the world, writes reporter Pepe Escobar, even though we hear little about it in the West. Europe, notes … [Read more...]
New German legislation will shake up EU biofuels market – but how?
New German legislation, which will become effective in 2015, has resulted in a drastic improvement of the climate performance of biodiesel produced in Germany. But the effects the new rules will have on the German and wider EU biofuels market are still highly uncertain, says Elmar Baumann, Managing Director of the VDB, the Association of the German Biofuel Industry, in an interview with Energy Post. “All we know is that they will be profound.” … [Read more...]
Why Chile’s mines run on renewables – and Australia’s don’t
Unbelievable but true: the Chilean mining industry is increasingly run on renewable energy, which will soon be bigger than conventional power sector in Chile, and cost-competitive. The Chileans ought to thank the Chinese for this, writes Australian professor John Mathews, whose new book, The Greening of Capitalism, has just been published by Stanford University Press. Mathews adds that Australian miners should take a cue from their Chilean … [Read more...]
Emission trading now a major new source of low-carbon finance in the EU – but will it stay that way?
Last year for the first time many of the CO2 allowances in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) were auctioned rather than handed out for free. Surprisingly perhaps, the EU member states used much more of the ETS revenues for low-carbon development than EU law suggests they should. This suggests that the ETS could become a major source of low-carbon finance in the future, writes Emil Dimantchev, senior analyst at Thomson Reuters. But Dimantchev … [Read more...]
EU issues work plan for 2015 – with pared down priorities
The number one priority for Team Juncker is a €315-billion investment plan for Europe. Second, is “better regulation”. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans presented the European Commission’s 2015 work programme to MEPs in Strasbourg on 16 December. Energy Post looks at the new initiatives, scrapped initiatives and those that hang in the balance for energy and climate policy. … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s coal power plants need a planned phase out, not CCS
There are discussions in Ukraine about equipping coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) to make them conform to EU climate rules. But according to Oleg Savitsky, climate and energy campaigner at the National Ecological Center of Ukraine, this is not a good idea. Ukraine has a vast overcapacity of obsolete coal power plants that should be closed down, not kept alive. That would also help the country get rid of the massive … [Read more...]
Energy security: Brussels, stop dreaming about the market and confront Russia and China geopolitically
European leaders are under the delusion that they can solve Europe’s security of energy supply problem by creating a strong internal market, which they believe the rest of the world will be eager to serve. In reality, reducing dependence on Russia will require long-term political commitment, real power play and engagement with countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), write Cyril Widdershoven of energy research institute TNO and … [Read more...]
How the oil price collapse is hastening the demise of Norway’s oil industry
The drop in global oil prices is hastening the decline of Norway’s already slowly declining oil industry as new oil projects are being scrapped and workers are laid off. Norway may need to begin building a post-oil economy sooner than it thought, writes Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Maria van der Hoeven, IEA: Use cheap oil to put a price on carbon
With the drop in oil prices "delivering a shot of economic stimulus to consumers around the world", policymakers have a "once-in-a-generation" chance to take actions to cut our reliance on fossil fuels, writes Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). She urges policymakers in developed countries to use the drop in oil prices to put a price on carbon. … [Read more...]
What came out of Lima
Hundreds of country negotiating teams have been meeting in Lima, Peru over the past two weeks for the latest round of international climate negotiations. Mat Hope of The Carbon Brief gives an excellent overview of the results and discusses next steps. Overall conclusion: international climate negotiations have taken a step forward, but only a very small step. … [Read more...]
EXCLUSIVE – new Vattenfall CEO Magnus Hall: “What is true for Eon, is pretty much true for us”
Vattenfall’s CEO Magnus Hall likens the selling of its lignite operations in Germany to Eon’s recent split in two. “The problem we needed to solve was the CO2 issue,” says Hall in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. The new chief of the Swedish state-owned company has abandoned the idea of splitting up the company geographically. Its future lies in sustainability, says Hall, e.g. in offshore wind. He notes the European market is distorted by … [Read more...]
Putin’s gas gambit: what’s next after South Stream
The Russian cancellation of South Stream is not an end, but a beginning: a new start of Russian gas games in Europe and beyond, writes Agata Łoskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland. She discusses three likely scenarios for what will happen after South Stream and notes that this is a chance for Russia and Europe to look afresh at their bilateral gas relations and new pipeline options. But, she adds, it also makes it … [Read more...]
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