Official investigations into the Fukushima nuclear disaster conclude that upholding international safety standards alone guarantees nuclear safety, But the plant managerâs account of the catastrophe sheds  new light on the story, writes Franck Guarnieri of MINES ParisTech university. Courtesy: The Conversation.  … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2018
Reducing the costs of nuclear energy in three steps
New nuclear plants shouldnât have to be expensive, writes David Hess of  the World Nuclear Association. To reduce nuclear costs - and project times - three things need to happen: access to cheap financing should be facilitated, regulatory barriers should be lowered, and industry should improve its performance. … [Read more...]
German electricity market in 2017: records for battery storage and redispatch
Renewable energy generation is still on the rise in Germany, though at a much lower pace than in the years around 2010, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University in a detailed overview of the German electricity market in 2017. Costs of the feed-in tariff are stagnating, notes Buchmann, but redispatch costs which grid operators incur to keep the system stable, reached a new record far above âŹ1 billion. Courtesy of Buchmannâs blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
EVs alone wonât solve our transport problem
Electric cars are a quick fix that helps tackle climate change and improve air quality to a point, but they won't get us to a sustainable mobility system, warns Martin Brueckner of Murdoch University. We need a new transport paradigm. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The rush for cobalt and what it means for EVs
There are no short-term alternatives to using cobalt in electric vehicle batteries today, writes financial energy specialist Gerard Reid. Even if the cobalt price continues to go up, it will be a long while before production is able to match growing demand, Reid argues. … [Read more...]
The secret of the great American fracking bubble
While politicians and the mainstream media trumpet fracking as a great American energy revolution, it has in fact been a financial disaster, writes Justin Mikulka of DeSmog blog. The American shale oil and gas boom, he writes, may be "one of the largest money-losing endeavors in the nation's history". Courtesy DeSmog blog. … [Read more...]
Boosting green investment: EU wants ecolabel for financial products
The European Commissionâs recently adopted Sustainable Finance Action Plan aims to boost investment in green projects, mainly by providing more reliable information for investors, writes David Thorpe, consultant and author of books on energy efficiency. An EU "ecolabel" for financial products is in the works. … [Read more...]
$100 Oil is back on the table
Only a week ago, news surfaced that Saudi officials were quietly hoping to push oil prices up to $80 per barrel, which would help boost the valuation of Saudi Aramco IPO. But why not $100 per barrel, asks Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com? … [Read more...]
How Volkswagen’s Dieselgate billions are helping to jump-start EV charging
Interstate high-speed charging corridors have emerged as popular options for spending the Volkswagen settlement fund in American states affected by the automakerâs emission scandal, writes Mike OâBoyle of think tank Energy Innovation. Coupled with public education and interstate planning, these corridors are a good use of these funds to decarbonize transportation, the author argues. … [Read more...]
UK will legislate net-zero carbon emissions target, says minister
The UK will draft new laws that will cut emissions to net-zero, climate minister Claire Perry announced on Tuesday. Under the UK's 2008 Climate Change Act, the country has committed to 80% emission cuts, but this may prove inadequate to meet the Paris limit in 2050, writes Megan Darby, deputy editor of Climate Home News.  Article courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
In the new era of inexpensive renewables, policy should remove systemic obstacles
As the cost of renewables goes down, the old approach of subsidizing generation no longer makes sense, writes Johannes Urpelainen of The Center on Global Energy Policy. We need a revolution in energy policy. Article courtesy The Center on Global Energy Policy. … [Read more...]
Fracking may have political support, it still needs a âsocial licenceâ
The UK government may be convinced that shale gas production is important to the country, it will need to convince the public too. Experience in Eastern Europe has shown that without a âsocial licenceâ, fracking will not get off the ground, writes Andreas Goldthau, Director of the Centre of International Public Policy in London and author of a new book on the politics of shale gas. … [Read more...]
How Shellâs new Sky scenario achieves net zero emissions
In Shell's recently published Sky climate scenario, the energy system reaches net zero emissions by 2070 using several technologies that are at an early stage. David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell, explains how this would work and why Shell regards this scenario as plausible. Courtesy David Honeâs Shell Climate Change blog … [Read more...]
Shipping to halve carbon footprint by 2050 under first sector-wide climate strategy
Global shipping must at least halve its emissions by 2050, according to an international deal adopted on Friday. Reaching an agreement on how to achieve this goal will be difficult as countries already challenge many proposed measures, writes Sara Stefanini of Climate Home News. Article courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
India slashes plans for new nuclear reactors by two-thirds
India has decided to cut its planned nuclear power plant construction by two-thirds. This will further expand the countryâs use of coal for electrical power generation, writes Dan Yurman, nuclear energy specialist and author of the Neutron Bytes blog. … [Read more...]