Satellite imagery reveals that many coal-fired power projects that were halted by the Chinese government have quietly restarted, writes Feng Hao of China Dialogue. The reason is probably that China’s power demand is rebounding. However, according to Hao, many coal power plants are running at a loss and there is still substantial overcapacity. Courtesy Climate Home. … [Read more...]
Ukraine has made great progress in reforming the gas sector – but its fate still hangs in the balance
Natural gas still plays an outsized role in Ukraine’s energy mix – and it will continue to do so for many decades to come, writes Jakub Kucera, economic analyst at RSJ, a Prague-based investment company. Kucera explains the many formidable challenges Ukraine is facing in the gas sector and their profound impact on the European energy market. He concludes that Ukraine has made admirable progress in cleaning up the gas sector. Unfortunately, … [Read more...]
Energiewende enters a new phase – how is it performing?
The Energiewende is proceeding ahead of schedule with high grid reliability, writes researcher Schalk Cloete. However, costs are much higher than originally planned, while CO2emissions are stagnating. According to Cloete, wind/solar market shares have now reached the point where large grid expansion projects become critical. One problem is that the net value of new wind/solar is approaching zero as market value declines and integration costs … [Read more...]
No plans to phase out coal in Romania, despite diverse energy mix
Coal accounts for about a quarter of energy produced in Romania, which is a net electricity exporter. Compared to countries like Poland where coal dependency is much higher, discussions about a coal phaseout could be more advanced. Why aren’t they? asks Claudia Ciobanu. Article courtesy of Just Transition. … [Read more...]
Energy Community sets stage for clean energy transition in South-East Europe
While the European Union has been busy with the new Clean Energy Package and discussing full decarbonisation by 2050, some important developments are also taking place in its closest neighborhood - in South-East Europe, where the Energy Community Treaty operates. Journalist and energy expert Oleg Savitsky attended the Energy Community Sustainability Forum in June and explains how policymakers are trying to transform the energy markets of the … [Read more...]
Frack Germany? Greens sound the alarm as the frackers strike back
Though many environmentalists cheered two summers ago when Germany’s Bundestag seemingly banned fracking, natural gas production across the country has not stopped. L. Michael Buchsbaum explains how companies are pushing for shale gas fracking, despite its impacts on people’s health and the environment. Courtesy Energy Transition. … [Read more...]
How rapidly can we transition to 100% renewable electricity?
Science tells us that, to avoid devastating climate change, we must rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero. How fast is possible, asks Mark Diesendorf of the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia. He believes the sceptics may be wrong. … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s power sector is set for a major transition
As the pillars of Ukraine’s power sector – coal and nuclear – are shaking, the country is on the point of a major energy transformation, writes Oleg Savitsky, climate and energy policy expert and journalist. But some crucial steps still need to be taken to make it possible. … [Read more...]
Poland’s largest utility, PGE, faced with growing risks from transition
The financial stability of PGE, Poland’s largest utility, could be undermined if it sticks with its current fossil fuel-heavy generation profile, writes Gerard Wynn. In a new report for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Wynn concludes that the company could be hit hard by increasing carbon prices and tougher air pollution rules if it does not shift away from coal. … [Read more...]
How gas and oil companies are starting to look like the Yellow Pages (remember those?)
The parallels between what happened to the Yellow Pages business and what’s happening to the fossil fuel industry today are striking, writes Kathy Hipple, financial analyst at IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis). The oil and gas industry may not collapse as rapidly as the Yellow Pages did, it will go the way of the shrinking coal industry unless it learns from the failure of the Yellow Pages to adapt. Courtesy: IEEFA … [Read more...]
Uneconomic coal could be squeezed out of European Union power markets by 2030
Coal’s time is running out in Europe: deteriorating economics and stronger climate policies will soon make coal uneconomic, writes Silvio Marcacci of think tank Energy Innovation. Many European countries have already set an end date for coal power, utilities and investors are shifting away from it. The question is not if coal will lose, but when, and how well-managed its exit will be. … [Read more...]
Decarbonising heavy industry can’t be done without large-scale CCS effort
The decarbonisation will require a profound transformation, writes David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell. Shell’s Sky climate scenario shows it can't be done without large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS). A new initiative should boost progress on CCS. … [Read more...]
A common goal for all sustainability advocates
Nothing is better for fossil fuel interests than current government policies supporting wind, solar and electric cars, writes independent researcher Schalk Cloete. These green technologies won't reduce fossil fuel consumption sufficiently for a long time to come, so the fossil fuel sector will be able to survive that much longer. In the third and last part of a series on green technology-forcing, Cloete calls on all sustainability advocates to … [Read more...]
Planned Kosovo lignite power plant fails to commit to cleaner technologies
London-listed, global energy investor ContourGlobal portrays its plans for a new coal power plant in Kosovo as a step towards cleaner air, but its legal agreement with the government shows that it fails to commit to best-in-class environmental performance, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. Courtesy Energy and Carbon blog. … [Read more...]
Big Oil pivots to electricity, Total leads the way
Most big oil companies are considering how they can change their focus from oil to gas and renewables. Leading the way is French oil major Total, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, publisher of newsletter EEnergy Informer. … [Read more...]
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