Bans on subsidies (in some countries) and reduced costs have hit total investment in onshore wind. Meanwhile, market share continues to grow across the EU28. Wind energy now accounts for almost 20% of installed capacity for power generation which makes researcher Schalk Cloete's sobering analysis of risks for onshore wind well worth reading. Following up on his previous article, he examines current assumptions and argues that the discount rate … [Read more...]
Energy efficiency is more than saving energy: “We need to build a real marketplace”
Energy efficiency experts have come to the conclusion that “selling the business case of energy efficiency on the basis of cost savings is not enough.” If the potential of energy efficiency is to be realised, a real marketplace in projects needs to be built and the “non-energy benefits” of efficiency must be monetised writes Brussels-based journalist Clare Taylor. The European Commission has developed a number of instruments, including a unique … [Read more...]
The impact of electric vehicles on electricity demand
Many in the industry are relying on electric vehicles (EVs) to reverse the downward trend in global electricity consumption. But a new report from Redburn, a UK research and investment company, suggests the growing energy efficiency of EVs means that the industry and investors may have to look elsewhere for significant boosts in demand for electrical power, says energy expert Fereidoon Sioshansi of EEinformer. … [Read more...]
UK homes need ‘deep efficiency retrofit’ to meet climate goals
The British government’s policy of incrementally upgrading energy efficiency in UK homes is not enough to meet the country’s 2050 climate targets. Instead, virtually every UK house needs a one-off retrofit, says a new report. It calls for government and cities to commit to pilot schemes for retrofitting whole houses using models such as the Dutch “Energiesprong”, which achieves a near net-zero energy home, typically by adding external insulation … [Read more...]
Smart cities: not enough projects make the grade
Despite the hype about smart cities, and the availability of EU funding, there are very few projects out there that qualify for funding, according to Lada Strelnikova, lead fund manager at the European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). An exception: Belgian bank Belfius has, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB), provided €1 billion to smart city projects involving more than 100 municipalities in Belgium. According to Joost Declerck … [Read more...]
Replacing copper with negawatts—how the UK’s RIIO-2 could revolutionise network regulation
Ofgem’s recent framework decision on improving its performance-based regulation scheme, RIIO, indicates that it may be ready to take a much-needed step toward levelling the playing field between supply-side and customer-side resources. However, it is not yet clear what the details will look like. According to Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project, a global group of regulatory experts, Ofgem should put a network regulation scheme in … [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...]
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