New business models are emerging to aggregate and manage behind-the-meter investments, writes energy expert Fereidoon Sioshansi. One example: storage-as-a-service. In Vermont in the U.S. Green Mountain Power offers its customers a Tesla Powerwall battery for $15 a month. Courtesy EEinformer. … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2018
How to make the smart city a reality: forget technology, focus on the people
European public funding has kicked off the first generation of ‘smart city’ projects, a recent concept in sustainable urban development aimed at integrated planning for energy, mobility and ICT. But successful smart city development does not come easily: above all, it requires engagement from citizens, say several experts Energy Post spoke with. “Forget technology. The smart city is about identifying solutions that are part of everyday life”. … [Read more...]
Tipping point: new wind and solar competitive with existing coal and gas
€20/ton carbon prices in combination with high coal and gas prices have created a new tipping point in Europe, writes Dave Jones of UK-based think tank Sandbag. For the first time, new onshore wind and solar can compete with existing coal and gas plants. … [Read more...]
Is coal power “dispatchable”?
As the clash over climate and energy policy in Australia reaches fever pitch – with the new ultra-conservative Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, appointing a fierce anti-renewable campaigner, Angus Taylor, as new energy minister – researcher Mark Diesendorf zooms in one point of contention: do coal power stations provide the reliability that its supporters claim they do? Article courtesy of Reneweconomy.com. … [Read more...]
Stop worrying about how much energy bitcoin uses
Bitcoin mining is criticized because it uses a lot of energy. But according to Katrina Kelly-Pitou of the University of Pittsburgh, this should be put in context. Many new technologies use large amounts of energy. The important point is how carbon-intensive its energy use is. That depends on where the mining takes place. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Trump’s grand strategy: a tripolar world order
Most commentators seem to believe that President Trump lacks a coherent vision on foreign policy, but energy expert and author Michael Klare disagrees. According to Klare, an examination of his speeches and actions shows that he is out to establish a tripolar world order, in which Russia, China and the U.S. control their respective spheres of influence. Article Courtesy Tom Dispatch. (Editor’s note: this article deals with broader geopolitical … [Read more...]
Why are German coal workers so powerful, when there are so few?
With Germany slipping from its position as a climate leader, an industry with just 20,000 jobs is dictating policy to the federal government. How is this possible, asks Felix Heilmann. Courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
Economic slowdown poses higher risk to oil price than decarbonization and EVs
Most people seem to believe that oil prices will go down in the long run because of climate policies and the growth of electric cars. Friedbert Pflüger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), argues that this view is far too simplistic. The only constant in energy markets, he writes, is that they are cyclical – and we seem to be poised for a sharp downturn right now. … [Read more...]
How power companies can increase revenues by building FTTx networks
PROMOTED CONTENT Utility companies can use their power networks to facilitate the construction of FTTx optical fiber networks. In this way they can gain additional revenue. Chen Guan-Hong of Huawei Technologies explains the various options that are available. … [Read more...]
US nuclear power is on the verge of collapse – and there are no solutions on the horizon
Nuclear power appears on the verge of collapse in the US. This has profound environmental implications, writes Ahmed Abdulla of the University of California, San Diego. Yet, he adds, there are no simple solutions – and no signs that the trend can be reversed. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Li-ion’s end of life is not the dead end you think
Considerably more batteries are being recycled than most studies show, reveals a new report. Not in the EU or US, however, but in Asia – China in particular. What is more, the market for lithium-ion recycling is likely to grow rapidly. This wil change the face of the entire battery industry and even the energy industry. Jason Deign of Energy Storage Report has the story. Article courtesy of Energy Storage Report. … [Read more...]
The US natural gas industry is leaking way more methane than previously thought
How big is the methane problem? A five-year research effort shows it’s much bigger than has been assumed so far, write Anthony J Marchese and Dan Zimmerle of Colorado State Universtiy. They add that if the problem is not tackled, the climate benefits of gas will largely evaporate. Technology is not the bottleneck, though – the government will have to adopt the right regulations. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Why US shale will crash and UK will fail: a history of shale oil & gas production in pictures & charts
With fracking about to recommence in the UK after 8 years, social entrepreneur and writer Jeremy Leggett reviews the short but troubled history of fracking in the U.S. In a devastating slide presentation, he pictures the shale gas industry as a dirty, multi-hundred-billion-dollar doomed-to-burst debt bubble. And he predicts a similar fiasco in the UK. Courtesy Future Today. … [Read more...]
Subsidy-free solar: how a solar farm in southeast England could bring a new dawn for renewable energy
The largest solar power plant ever proposed in the UK will be reviewed by the secretary of state within the next six months. The plan is for Cleve Hill to generate the lowest cost electricity on the UK network without needing subsidies to stay afloat. If it succeeds, it would usher in a new dawn for renewable energy in the UK, writes Alastair Buckley of the University of Sheffield. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The celebrity couple: intermittent renewables and electric cars
Even though storing intermittent wind and solar power in electric car batteries sounds attractive, this will be impractical and expensive in practice, writes Schalk Cloete. Electric cars have much clearer synergies with baseload power plants, while excess wind and solar power is better suited to H2/synfuel production. … [Read more...]