Research at NREL, in collaboration with GE, has led to a demonstration of common wind turbines in “grid-forming mode”. They managed to set the grid voltage and frequency, operating without power from the wider electric grid. It opens the door to reducing reliance on conventional sources of stability like coal or gas generators. The well-known weakness of wind is its variability and therefore its need to be supported by traditional baseload … [Read more...]
How to incentivise “differentiated” low-methane-emissions Gas
Cutting methane emissions from gas production is a major part of the world’s strategy to limit temperature rises. The IEA says we need a 77% drop in methane emissions by 2030. The question is how to target and enact globally the required incentives and regulations that favour “differentiated” low-methane-emissions gas. Regulating international trade sounds like a great starting point, as an importer like the EU can twist the arm of anyone who … [Read more...]
The 10 big problems with simply replacing fossil cars with electric
The planned rapid transition to electric vehicles has major challenges. Schalk Cloete complies them into a list of ten, including: preserving our car-centric cities preserves its inefficiencies and societal costs; it works against much of the personal “behaviour change” we need; though BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are better in cities, when infrastructure costs are included they are less efficient than hybrids and modern ICEs for many driving … [Read more...]
Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings: how to start saving from day one
Edie Taylor, Rebecca Esau and John Matson at Rocky Mountain Institute explain how their report “Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings Made Easy” identifies simple, low-cost steps that produce immediate cost, energy, and carbon savings. As utilities evolve their pricing structures to encourage users to avoid peak times, building managers must ready themselves with the controls that will allow them to buy electricity when it is cheapest. Demand … [Read more...]
Europe’s power market: acceptable energy costs and long term security of supply needs today’s rules reshaped
In the last few months the electricity and gas markets in Europe experienced unusual turbulence, particularly the price spike for electricity, gas and coal. This was due to a combination of several factors. We can argue about the causes but none of them gets us closer to the point: Europe's current exposure and vulnerability to such risks should be blamed mainly on the electricity market design, which does not support energy security nearly … [Read more...]
COP26 accepted the science like never before. It should make a difference
Leading scientists, writing for Carbon Brief, explain how COP26 gave far greater recognition to science than any of the previous COPs. The scientific evidence from the latest IPCC reports was explicitly acknowledged in the Glasgow Climate Pact. That is a significant advance, say the authors. Decision-making guided by science can focus quantitively on carbon budgets, temperatures, climate change, the causes, and therefore the emissions-reductions … [Read more...]
Paris Agreement “Global Stocktake” should focus on individual nations too
It’s time for national governments to focus on the short-term domestic actions needed to meet their 1.5°C goals, argue Anna PĂ©rez CatalĂ , Henri Waisman, Marta Torres Gunfaus and Ariadna Anisimov at IDDRI. Analyses of emissions gaps at a collective and global level won’t be enough, the current purpose of the Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement. The first GST runs from 2021 to 2023 and the process will be repeated every 5 years. The … [Read more...]
Hydrogen at COP26: committing to scale-up and creating demand
At COP26 the voice of hydrogen staked its claim to meeting its targets and its contribution to making the 1.5°C scenario a realistic ambition. Cato Koole and Thomas Koch Blank at Rocky Mountain Institute explain that hydrogen supply should not be the problem. The combination of deployed and announced projects already places the world close to the green hydrogen production capacity needed as outlined in the IEA’s "Net Zero by 2050" roadmap. The … [Read more...]
COP26 and the Glasgow Pact: a summary of achievements, and shortfalls
Experts from around the world summarise their reaction to the outcomes of this year’s UN climate summit, COP26, including the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed by all 197 countries attending the talks. Each expert covers their area of interest: overall targets, greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel finance, nature conservation, transportation, cities and buildings, energy sector transitions, science and innovation, and gender equality. The overall … [Read more...]
Vehicle charge zones: too high, and driver detours can increase emissions
Vehicle congestion charge zones are a way of taxing drivers for the emissions they create. They have great potential to steer polluters towards shorter and/or fewer journeys, and towards cleaner fuels. But these schemes have received too little attention among analysts. “Cordon zones” are found in big cities like London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore and the rules are kept very simple. Journey length is rarely, if ever, taken into account. … [Read more...]
Industry’s large on-site batteries can profitably help stabilise the grid
Energy-intensive industries that invest in their own large on-site batteries will provide multiple benefits to themselves as well as to grid stability, says a new study by the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy (JISEA) in partnership with NREL and others. It matters because future power systems will need to be highly flexible due to the variability of wind and solar. The study assessed two established energy-intensive industries (chlor-alkali … [Read more...]
Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Grids: an opportunity or a distraction?
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are poorly understood by the utilities, explain Doyob Kim and Alyssa Fischer at the IEA. Part of the problem is that new innovations and solutions are coming fast, and policy-makers aren’t creating the incentives and frameworks to make them an imperative. But, done right, the successful integration of DERs into the grid will accelerate electrification, address grid stability, and reduce spending on expensive … [Read more...]
Avoiding renewables bottlenecks needs long term planning of electricity transmission infrastructure
As more renewables are rapidly added to grids, network operators must plan new transmission lines to integrate them immediately, avoiding wasteful bottlenecks. It’s a puzzle that’s getting bigger and more complex as the energy transition gains pace, which means transmission policy and planning must improve, and fast. Rather than making lots of small incremental steps, planning ahead will prove less costly and capture efficiencies and economies of … [Read more...]
Electricity Market Reform: ACER must empower consumers, not just network operators
ACER, the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, has delivered to the EC its preliminary assessment of Europe's high energy prices and the current wholesale electricity market design. Simon Skillings and Lisa Fischer at E3G interpret ACER’s assessment as showing it wants to maintain the status quo. However, long-term changes in market design are inevitable. The authors want ACER to accept this reality and ensure the changes are … [Read more...]
Politicians need net-zero scenarios that include socio-economic obstacles and solutions
Standard net-zero scenario modelling carefully analyses the possible impacts of technological solutions and their obstacles. What they’re missing is the detailed analysis of the socio-economic impacts of these scenarios on the lives of citizens. That means jobs, incomes, energy bills, air quality, and regional economic performance. In other words, the politics on the ground. Misunderstood, and perfectly sensible pathways will come up against … [Read more...]
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