Energy start-ups seem to be focusing on solar power, storage, material sciences, and on the interface between automation and energy, such as big data, mobile internet and e-commerce applications. Thatâs the picture that emerges from the successful submissions of startups to the New Energy Challenge 2017, which is preparing for a grand finale on 28 September in Amsterdam. Geert van de Wouw, Managing Director of Shell Technology Ventures, one of … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2017
A dangerous energy policy: Ukraine, despite war, is making itself dependent on Russian oil
When it comes to Ukrainian dependence on Russian energy, the spotlight is usually on natural gas. Here Ukraine has made unprecedented progress, writes Wojciech KonoĹczuk, analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. But what few observers notice, KonoĹczuk adds, is that as a result of corruption and neglect Ukraine has let its domestic oil refining industry decay and has become critically dependent on Russian diesel and LPG … [Read more...]
For Total, the Age of Oil is not over yet
The decision of the Maersk group to sell its oil and gas division is partly due to specific circumstances, but it is also a vote of no confidence in the future of the oil industry now that peak oil demand and US shale oil imply systematically lower profitability, writes geophysicist Jilles van den Beukel. But Total clearly feels there is still a future for low-cost conventional oil, particularly in politically stable countries like Denmark and … [Read more...]
Biofuel breakthroughs bring ânegative emissionsâ a step closer
Recent breakthroughs in biofuel research have brought the prospect of ânegative emissionsâ a step closer, writes Andrew Hopkins, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Australian National University. With the help of pyrolysis, biomass in the form of algae can be converted into char, which can be used as soil additive, returning carbon to the soil. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
DNV GLâs Energy Transition Outlook: for the first time in history, energy demand will peak
Global energy demand will plateau from 2030, oil demand will flatten from 2020 to 2028 and go to a significant decline thereafter, the shift to renewable energy will be quicker and more massive than most people realize, yet the energy transition will not be difficult to finance. These are some of the momentous conclusions of a set of major new reports from independent energy consultancy DNV GL, under the name Energy Transition Outlook (ETO). They … [Read more...]
The growing potential of green hydrogen
The idea of a hydrogen-based economy has been around since the oil crises of the 1970s, but it has not materialised up to this point. Yet according to Jan Cihlar of Ecofys, a Navigant company, hydrogen could still become a key enabler of the low carbon transition, if it is produced with renewable electricity. The potential of further cost reductions make this a possibility in some applications in transport and industry. … [Read more...]
Why solar keeps being underestimated
There are competing ideas on the best technologies to rapidly decarbonise the energy system. Some scenarios emphasise the role of carbon capture and storage to render coal- and gas-fired power plants more climate-friendly. Others point to nuclear energy and a third group is more optimistic on renewable sources. But itâs plausible that even these more optimistic outlooks have greatly underestimated the potential of solar power, writes Dr Felix … [Read more...]