Instead of tit-for-tat retaliation to US tariffs, trade partners should link their response to climate goals and kill two birds with one stone, write four researchers. Courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
The Trump and Juncker Agreement: there may be more to it than meets the eye
The agreement between Trump and Juncker to have Europe buy more U.S. LNG has been criticized because it contains few details and because âthey canât make it happen anywayâ. However, according to Anna Mikulska of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, the two leaders could promote investment in infrastructure â and that could have a big impact on the market. Courtesy Kleinman Center for … [Read more...]
Reducing U.K. home energy use by 25% is not âtoo difficultâ
Some energy specialists believe that âall the easy stuff on energy efficiency has been doneâ, but Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) disagrees. New research shows that one-quarter of the energy currently used in U.K. households could be âcost-effectivelyâ saved by 2035, he writes. But it canât be done without policy support: the government will have to recognise the broader social benefits of energy efficiency investments, … [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 arenât they? asks Claudia Ciobanu. Article courtesy of Just Transition. … [Read more...]
The carbon floor price â a hammer in need of a toolbox
Carbon pricing is often regarded as the Holy Grail of climate policy. But according to Richard Cowart, Principal at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), carbon prices cannot be a stand-alone solution. They have limited reach and â especially in electricity -- can be expensive for consumers. Nor are high carbon floor prices a magical solution: they donât reduce the surplus of allowances and may not even reduce emissions. According to Cowart, … [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 Germanyâs 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 peopleâs health and the environment. Courtesy Energy Transition. … [Read more...]
The irony of Italyâs election for energy
Should the Italian government decide to halt the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the last leg of the Southern Gas Corridor - meant to reduce the EU's dependence on Russia - may be in jeopardy, writes John Roberts, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Ironically, the Russians may want to save the project, according to Roberts. Courtesy: the EnergySource blog of the Atlantic Council. … [Read more...]
Ukraineâs power sector is set for a major transition
As the pillars of Ukraineâs power sector â coal and nuclear â 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...]
Polandâs largest utility, PGE, faced with growing risks from transition
The financial stability of PGE, Polandâs 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...]
Uneconomic coal could be squeezed out of European Union power markets by 2030
Coalâs 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...]
Europe needs a fresh approach to climate strategy
The EU needs a new approach to long-term climate strategy to ensure that EU climate policy is brought in line with the goals of Paris and takes into account recent technological and political changes, write Andrei Marcu of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and Georg Zachmann of think tank Bruegel. According to Marcu and Zachmann, climate policy can only succeed if it does not come out of a bureaucratic âblack … [Read more...]
Europe aims to have 300 smart cities by end of next year
With the help of the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (EIP SCC), 78 cities in Europe have undertaken smart city development. The EIP-SCC aims at a critical mass of 300 smart cities by the end of 2019, according to Andreea Strachinescu of the European Commission. The most difficult part, she says, is not the renovation of individual buildings, but the systems integration. The next step: positive energy districts. … [Read more...]
Has the European Commission tamed the Russian gas bear?
The European Commissionâs decision on 24 May to impose âbinding obligations on Gazprom to enable free flow of gas at competitive pricesâ â but no fine â is seen by some observers as a victory for Gazprom. Others take a more positive view. Meanwhile, a new report from IHS Markit claims Europe is on the point of becoming fully integrated into the global gas market, making worries about dependence on Russian gas â and Nord Stream 2 â unnecessary. … [Read more...]
Commissionâs gas market proposal is an attempt to gain more control of energy policy
The European Commissionâs proposed amendment to the Gas Directive is viewed by many as an attempt to block Nord Stream 2. But according to Danila Bochkarev, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute, the Commission is thinking further ahead: it is using the proposal to try to increase its power over the EU energy market. … [Read more...]
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