The experience of the German Energiewende shows that increasing amounts of renewable energy on the power system, while at the same time reducing inflexible baseload generation, does not harm reliability write Michael Hogan, Camille Kadoch, Carl Linvill and Megan O’Reilly of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). American policymakers who are still skeptical can look across the Atlantic, to Germany, for a concrete example of a successful … [Read more...]
What’s behind Gazprom’s decision to cut off supply to Ukraine
Gazprom’s announcement that it would terminate gas supply to Ukraine has been a shock to many observers, but it is not as radical nor as surprising as it may seem, writes Anna Mikulska of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. It will only become effective in 2019 and is consistent with the company’s earlier announcements and long-term plans. Nevertheless, Mikulska adds, there is reason for the EU to … [Read more...]
A grand bargain with Gazprom?
Can Europe, including the Eastern part, continue to profit from cheap Russian gas without succumbing to Russian energy dominance? According to a new paper from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), the EU should not shy away from “countervailing measures”. But these should preferably take the form of a “grand bargain” with Russia rather than a confrontation. … [Read more...]
‘Pro-nuclear environmentalists’ in denial about power/weapons connections
Claims by self-styled 'pro-nuclear environmentalists' that "nuclear energy prevents the spread of nuclear weapons" and "peace is furthered when a nation embraces nuclear power" do not withstand scrutiny, writes Jim Green, editor of the Nuclear Monitor newsletter. Green looks at the conclusions of some studies which, he says, downplay the troubling connections between nuclear power and weapons. Courtesy Nuclear Monitor. … [Read more...]
Katowice: A European coal capital goes green
This year the UN Climate Conference, COP24, will be held in Katowice, the heart of Polish coal mining. Critics wonder how negotiating an end to fossil fuels could be done successfully in an environment like this, but according to freelance reporter Richard Fuchs change is in the air in Katowice. Courtesy Energy Transition/Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
California shows auction reserve prices could be good idea for the EU Emission Trading System
In California, the reserve price in auctions of emission allowances has proved successful in maintaining a minimum carbon price. This should encourage others, especially the EU, to introduce similar arrangements, writes climate change economist Adam Whitmore. The Californian experience does show the importance of political commitment and stability, Whitmore adds. … [Read more...]
Why the next oil boom will be fueled by blockchain
In a globally connected economy, the impact of transitioning to blockchain technology will be profound and will likely turn any industry on its head, writes Meredith Taylor of Oilprice.com. Companies in the oil and gas industry, such as Shell, BP or Petroteq, are planning to utilize blockchain to transform energy trade and revolutionize supply chain management. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
U.S. energy dominance: markets trump policy in 2017
The 2017 growth in U.S. oil and gas industry is tied to market forces and already existing liberal trade policies; energy-specific policies introduced by the current administration were not a significant driver, write Anna Mikulska and Michael Maher of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies. The authors expect that federal energy policies will continue to play a supporting but subordinate role to markets and state-level policies, and see … [Read more...]
Industry 2030: how the EU plans to industrialise clean tech [Energy Post Weekly]
New and old industries in Europe are fighting for political - and financial - favour as Brussels sits down to work out a new industrial policy strategy for 2030. At the EU’s annual “Industry Days” last week, three CEOs from the world of clean tech set out their ambitious plans for battery “gigafactories”, renewables representatives called for an EU industrial policy for their sector, and Brussels hinted at trade measures to protect Europe’s … [Read more...]
UK’s capacity market: billions of pounds wasted
Britain has chosen to secure electricity supplies through a scheme which pays power plants to be available several years in advance, but falling prices suggest this capacity market is overkill and poor value for money, with ample alternative approaches, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. Courtesy Energy and Carbon blog. … [Read more...]
Meet the new ‘renewable superpowers’: nations that boss the materials used for wind and solar
Countries that create green energy infrastructure now, before political and economic control shifts to a new group of “renewable superpowers”, will be less susceptible to outside influence in the future, writes Andrew Barron, a professor of Swansea University. Article courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Is India’s coal power sector set to crash?
King Coal’s reign in India is about to come crashing down, writes Silvio Marcacci, Communications Director at think tank Energy Innovation. Coal supplied 80% of India’s total power mix in 2016-2017, but economics have flipped the country’s energy equation – new renewable energy is now cheaper to build than running most existing coal-fired power plants. … [Read more...]
Paris Agreement: it’s all in the numbers
The Paris Climate Agreement is based on voluntary pledges (Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC), which will have to be translated into verifiable emission reduction efforts. Countries aim to agree the details of such a “Rulebook” at the upcoming climate change conference, COP24, in Poland at the end of the year. David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor, discusses what kind of quantifications we may demand from countries. He argues that unless … [Read more...]
The militarization of U.S. energy policy: Donald Trump enlists fossil fuels in the struggle for global dominance
As the recently published National Security Strategy shows, Donald Trump has turned the expansion of the U.S. fossil fuel industry and its exports into a major component of American foreign and security policy, writes energy expert and author Michael T. Klare. In the view of the Trump administration, anyone that stands in the way of American exploitation of oil, gas and coal resources is viewed as an obstructer of the national interest, notes … [Read more...]
Corbyn avoids real choices with call for nationalisation of energy
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the nationalisation of the UK energy industry in order to deliver the transition to a low-carbon economy. That may sound radical and ambitious, writes Karel Beckman, editor-in-chief of Energy Post, but it is not a solution at all. According to Beckman, the Labour Leader is shirking the responsibility to come up with realistic and effective climate change policies. … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- …
- 78
- Next Page »