Over the last decade or so, energy companies, including the likes of Shell and ExxonMobil, have invested large amounts of money in algal biofuels, only to find that the economics didn’t make sense, writes Christian Ridley, Research Associate in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. However, according to Ridley, there still is a way forward for the industry, if the production of biodiesel from algae can be combined with production of … [Read more...]
Why EU renewable energy figures are misleading: Europe requires 150% renewable energy to become fossil-free
The EU is confident it will reach its target of 20% renewable energy by 2020. But according to Martien Visser, professor at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen (The Netherlands), this 20% is in reality more like 14%. This is because a large part of our energy consumption is simply ignored in the calculations for renewable energy. “Even with 100% renewables, we would still need a lot of fossil fuels”, Visser notes. … [Read more...]
Wind top new power capacity source in Europe
In 2015 12,800 MW of new wind power capacity was installed in the EU, an increase of 6.3% over 2014, and more than any other form of power generation, according to recent new figures from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Wind power accounted for over 44% of total power capacity installations in the EU last year. … [Read more...]
How realistic is the UK government’s promise to phase out coal?
The conservative UK government boosted its climate credentials last year with its promise that all coal plants will be shut down by 2025. However, notes Mike Parr of consultancy PWR, this ignores certain inconvenient facts that will make delivery of this promise unlikely. … [Read more...]
EU turns up the heat: finally, a policy push for heating and cooling (half our energy use) Â
Heating and cooling accounts for almost half of primary energy consumption in Europe, yet it has been largely ignored in the EU’s climate and energy policies. This is now starting to change. At the end of this year, member states in the EU must submit an assessment of the low-carbon potential provided by co-generation and district heating systems. Clare Taylor looks at some of the EU-funded district heating and co-generation projects that are … [Read more...]
The battle for biofuels flares up again – the stakes: survival of the European biodiesel industry
If the European Parliament get its way, higher sustainability standards will be applied to biofuels, which, industry representatives say, will spell the end of the European biodiesel industry. Several EU Member States are preparing to defend their biodiesel sectors. Meanwhile, biofuels are threatening to lose out against electro-mobility in the EU’s post-2020 plans to decarbonise the transport sector, reports Sonja van Renssen from Brussels. … [Read more...]
European demand for renewable energy surges in 2014
The European market for renewable energy, documented with Guarantees of Origin, increased by 26.5 % in 2014 compared to 2013. For the first time, the demand surpassed 300 TWh, according to statistics from the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB). This is nearly one tenth of all electricity demand in Europe (ca. 3,300 TWh) and one third of all electricity from renewable sources in Europe (ca. 900 TWh). … [Read more...]
Vindication for Allan Hoffman: the US has turned the corner on renewables
It has been 37 years since Dr Allan Hoffman gave President Jimmy Carter the plan that could have started America’s renewable revolution. The idea was shelved after Reagan was elected. Hoffman waited, as administration after administration ignored the potential, until Barack Obama was elected. The retired senior Department of Energy executive views the growth of US renewables during 2014 as a vindication of what he and his colleagues saw decades … [Read more...]
MIT study investigates role of bio-energy in low-carbon future
According to a new report from MIT, released in January, bioenergy production could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than half, but with a caveat. “To achieve the cut”, notes MIT in a press release, “the carbon price must cover emissions from changing land use. Without this safeguard, deforestation becomes a major concern as forests are cleared to make way for farmland.” … [Read more...]
Can we use gas as a ‘bridging fuel’ to a low carbon world?
Gas can be a bridge fuel, displacing coal and reducing carbon emissions, concludes a new report from the UK Energy Research Centre. But only for the next twenty years, and only if the world sorts out carbon capture and storage (CCS) and sees a dramatic cut in coal use. Christian Hunt of the Carbon Brief has the story. … [Read more...]
SkyNRG, Boeing and South African Airways aim to turn tobacco into sustainable jet fuelÂ
SkyNRG announces its first major feedstock project in South Africa based on the Solaris technology. Solaris is a nicotine-free energy tobacco crop that has been developed by the Italian company Sunchem. SkyNRG and Sunchem SA have teamed up to roll out Solaris in Southern Africa at large scale to help power local sustainable jet fuel production. Both South African Airways (SAA) and Boeing will provide active support in securing further project … [Read more...]
New study: Debate on biofuels distracts from root causes of agricultural commodity price volatility
The German Bioethanol Industry Association (Bundesverband der deutschen Bioethanolwirtschaft - BDBe) commissioned a scholarly study to investigate claims that biofuels have been the main culprit behind rising agricultural prices and land-use conflicts. The public debate of the pros and cons of biofuels is dominated by issues related to the impact of biofuel production on the prices of agricultural commodities, food security and natural … [Read more...]
Interview Shell strategist Jeremy Bentham: “Future organisations will have to cross boundaries”
What will Shell’s role be in an increasingly carbon-constrained, and increasingly electrified world? Clearly the company sees its natural gas business as becoming central to its operations, gradually overtaking its oil business. But beyond that, the future is uncertain. Jeremy Bentham, Vice-President of Global Business Environment and head of the Shell Scenarios team, sees Shell evolving into a company that provides flexibility and resilience and … [Read more...]
More than a fifth of global power production now comes from renewables
Global renewable electricity energy capacity rose to a new record level last year — more than 1,560 gigawatts (GW), up 8% from 2012. More than 22 % of the world’s power production now comes from renewable sources. Renewables currently meet almost one-fifth of world final energy consumption. That is one of the conclusion of the new Renewables Global Status Report published by REN21, "the global renewable energy policy multi-stakeholder … [Read more...]
Biomass: the hidden face of the Energiewende
When people think about the “energy transition” in Germany and elsewhere, they tend to think of the success of solar and wind power. However, of all forms of renewable energy it is biomass that has seen the largest absolute growth and supplies by far the most renewable energy, writes Robert Wilson. In Germany biomass has grown three times as much as wind and solar combined. 17% of the country’s arable land (6% of total land) is now devoted to … [Read more...]
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