NEC Corporation has acquired the A123 Energy Solutions business unit of A123 Systems. Â According to NEC, this acquisition, for approximately USD $100 million, "strengthens the energy storage capability of NEC's smart energy business, a core segment of its Mid-term Management Plan's commitment to social infrastructure." NEC reports that "A123 Energy Solutions will be integrated into the NEC Group of companies and operated globally as a key … [Read more...]
EU climate policy “in line” with 2050 goal – but what does that mean?
EU leaders agreed last week that the EU’s emissions reduction target for 2030 will be “fully in line with the agreed ambitious EU objective for 2050”. Sounds impressive, but the problem is that there are different views on the meaning of earlier European Council agreements. Therefore it’s still not clear what the EU’s 2030 climate target will look like, write Oliver Geden and Severin Fischer of the influential German Institute for International … [Read more...]
Pursuit of phony energy “security” leads to world of diminishing returns
Policymakers in the US, UK and elsewhere are increasingly receptive to the idea that they should be pursuing unconventional oil and gas and nuclear power in the name of "energy security". But according to John Mathews and Erik Reinert, such a strategy misses an essential point of economic history: relying on commodities retrieved by drilling and mining leads only to stagnation, rising costs and environmental damage. The way to growth, innovation … [Read more...]
Energy innovation is key to EU 2030 goals
A narrative centred on the opportunities of low-carbon innovation rather than the costs of tackling climate change could yet unite stakeholders in the debate over a 2030 EU climate and energy policy. Technological and non-technological innovation are needed for Europe to create a competitive, secure, low-carbon future. At its first event in Brussels, held in partnership with Shell, Energy Post explored what kind of a 2030 package would do most … [Read more...]
EU leaders fail to connect Ukraine crisis to climate and energy policy
Decisions on a new European climate and energy policy for 2030 are relegated to autumn as heads of state are caught up in the Ukraine crisis. At their spring summit in Brussels, EU leaders gave centre stage to energy dependence. First climate change, then competitiveness, now security of supply: the shifting priorities of member states show that a holistic vision and policy for climate and energy is there on paper but not in practice. Sonja van … [Read more...]
Why there’s nothing wrong with being “dependent” on Russia
In response to the Ukraine crisis, the European Union is rushing ahead with sanctions against Russia and will take extra measures to reduce its energy dependence on Russia. According to Energy Post editor Karel Beckman these policies are misguided and based on spurious arguments. He argues that Europe should see Russia as a rival, not as an enemy. “Putin only did what any western leader – certainly any US president – would have done in his … [Read more...]
Interview Dominique Ristori, EU Commission: “EU’s governance on renewables won’t be punitive”
The new Director General for energy at the European Commission, Dominique Ristori, faces the difficult task of “selling” EU leaders his proposals on a climate and energy strategy for 2030. Initially foreseen at the European Council on 20 and 21 March, a decision has been postponed to October. In this interview with Energy Post Brussels correspondent Hughes Belin, Ristori outlines member states' first reactions to the Commission's 2030 proposals, … [Read more...]
Interview Arthur Berman: “Shale is not a revolution, it’s a retirement party”
How much faith can we put in our ability to decipher all the numbers out there telling us the US will soon be cornering the global oil market? There's another side to the story of the relentless US shale boom, one that says that some of the numbers are misunderstood, while others are simply preposterous. According to energy expert Arthur Berman, a geological consultant with thirty-four years of experience in petroleum exploration and production, … [Read more...]
American Wind Energy Assocation: Wind turbine technology played key role in wind energy’s record-breaking growth and cost decline
American wind energy generation has outpaced the growth in new wind power capacity thanks to innovative technological advancements, reports the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Over the past five years, U.S. wind energy capacity grew from 25,000 megawatts (MW) to over 61,000 MW, a 140 percent growth rate, yet electricity generated from these wind turbines grew at a rate of 200 percent, exceeding capacity growth and making wind energy … [Read more...]
“Egypt lost $10 billion in corrupt gas contracts”
Egypt lost $10 billion in gas revenues from 2005-2011, according to a report by EIPR (Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights) and Platform London. Contracts signed during the Mubarak years allowed the export of billions of cubic metres of underpriced gas to Jordan, Spain and Israeli-occupied Palestine, according to the report. EIPR and Platform London summarize the report, which is only available in Arabic, as follows: Some of the individuals … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Brussels Briefing on Energy – All you need to know for March 2014
Hughes Belin, leading energy journalist at viEUws.eu, provides an overview of the European Union’s most pressing energy issues: - EU Summit: EU-Russia energy relations in light of the recent developments inUkraine. “Economic ties could in this political crisis be the deterrent for escalation, that nuclear was during the Cold War”, says journalist Nicolas Gros-Verheyde from Bruxelles2 (March 20 and 21) - Discussions on energy and climate … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Energy Post in partnership with Shell – Putting innovation at the heart of 2030
PUTTING INNOVATION AT THE HEART OF 2030 Can the new EU 2030 climate and energy proposals drive European innovation and competitive edge? And what can be done to ensure this opportunity becomes Europe’s reality? New independent energy publication Energy Post, in partnership with Shell, is pleased to welcome the European Commission’s new Director-General for Energy, Dominique Ristori , to join us for debate about “Putting innovation at the … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Interview Dominique Ristori, new Director General Energy: 2030 deal by autumn
Hughes Belin, leading energyjournalist at viEUws.eu, is joined by Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy at the European Commission for an exclusive interview on the further steps to reach a deal on the 2030 climate and energy package. EU leaders will debate the 2030 climate and energy goals at the European Council meeting on March 20 and 21. Ristori expects that during this meeting, member states will form a strong basis for an … [Read more...]
The EU 2030 climate package: crucial questions go unanswered
Although most observers have reacted positively to the Commission’s January 2014 package of proposals on 2030 climate targets, from a business perspective, there are too many areas where delays are threatening, writes Jesse Scott, Head of the Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Unit of Eurelectric, the European association of electricity producers. ”Many crucial questions have not yet been answered”, notes Scott – most of all when it … [Read more...]
Explosive report from France: shale revolution overblown
In an explosive new report, researchers from the influential French think thank IDDRI take apart many of the myths that in their view have developed around the unconventional gas and oil “revolution” in the US. Shale has not led to an industrial renaissance in the US, they write, nor will it make the US “energy independent”. Shale gas has not even contributed significantly to lower CO2 emissions in the US. For Europe, says lead author Thomas … [Read more...]
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