Now that a new political year has started, it may be useful to ask what exactly are the most important parameters that should go into any energy policy mix. I have identified seven â which I have dubbed the Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven. The nice thing about my âenergy policy modelâ is that it may come in handy â even if you totally disagree with my ideas. Photo: Heaven visited me by Kevin Dooley … [Read more...]
The coming oil price clash – and what it will mean for our economies
Peak oil is dead, we all know that by now. Or is it? Oil prices are certainly not coming down despite years of recession and stagnant demand in OECD countries. According to Gail Tverberg, who runs the blog Our Finite World, prices are so high because oil exporters need ever more money to fund their expenditures. The problem is that oil importers increasingly cannot afford those prices anymore: they are disguising the effect of high oil prices by … [Read more...]
How solar and EVs will kill the fossil fuel dinosaurs
Stanford University energy expert Tony Seba predicts that by 2030, solar power will make the fossil fuel-based utilities redundant while electric vehicles will put the oil companies out of business. âUtilities as we know them are over. They are the land line telephone companies of 20, 30 years agoâ, he says in an interview with Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of the path-breaking Australian website RenewEconomy. Photo: dinosaur footprints by … [Read more...]
Germanyâs âEnergiewendeâ Shows Why We Need Nuclear
Germanyâs energy transition has been used by activists and governments as evidence that we can solve climate change with wind and solar, and that we donât need nuclear power. But according to Max Luke and Jessica Lovering of the Breakthrough Institute, if we take the fight against CO2 emissions seriously, it would be foolish â and very expensive â to limit the options to renewables alone and not to include nuclear power. Nuclear power plant … [Read more...]
Five lessons from Germany’s Energiewende
The German renewable energy transition is moving ahead at an impressive pace. What can other countries learn from what has been achieved so far? And what are the main challenges ahead? Sam Friggens of Abundance Generation, a UK crowdfunding initiative for renewable energy projects, sums up five lessons that can be drawn from the German experience. It can be done elsewehere, he says, but you need a new kind of energy market. Photo: WWF … [Read more...]
The Third Carbon Age
Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded the Age of Coal.  But according to Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, and the author, most recently, of The Race for Whatâs Left, this is an illusion. In reality, the energy industry is pouring its historic profits into new … [Read more...]
The new Dutch disease (and a cure)
The Dutch government has presented a National Energy Accord for Sustainable Growth that seemingly represents a new national consensus on energy and climate policy. However, the Accord, which was negotiated by a wide range of civil society groups, environmental organisations, business lobbies and trade unions, has not been signed yet, and is still quite vague. Perhaps more important for âsustainable growthâ prospects in the Netherlands is the news … [Read more...]
The new energy world according to the IEA
The International Energy Agency has given us a lot to think about recently. The IEA has produced one major report after the other â on renewables, gas, oil and climate change. How do these outlooks stack up and what do they impy for our energy future? Editor Karel Beckman provides a handy summary â so you wonât have to worry about this anymore over the summer. Or maybe you do⌠Photo: Audi A3 Sportback g-tron … [Read more...]
The surprising new Schwarzenegger movie âTotal Transitionâ
Energy Post editor Karel Beckman went to the première of Arnold Schwarzeneggerâs new movie âTotal Transitionâ which had its first showing in the European Parliament in Brussels. His verdict: not too much action, but definitely worth seeing if you have anything to do  with "transitions". Photo: Eva Rinaldi, Celebrity Photographer … [Read more...]
The future of energy? You are it
Editor Karel Beckman has had enough of gloomy conferences full of complaining people. He calls on the energy industry to throw away those spreadsheets and look at what is happening in the real world. The future is not in your Power Points - it's in your hands! Photo: Covenant of Mayors … [Read more...]
How to profit from rising energy prices in Russia
Russia offers great potential for European companies to invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy and electricity production, writes Alexander Gusev of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik). Rising prices in Russia stimulate energy-saving programs by companies and increase the populatiry of decentralized generation. But major problems, such as an incomplete legal basis and bureaucracy, … [Read more...]
Energy Post Reviews (I)
In this space we will regularly review new publications â to keep you abreast of what is going in energy markets â and hopefully save you some time. This first installment of our Review Service discusses four recent reports that deal with the manifold problems in the (European) electricity sector. They even offer some advice â but not much. Photo: azza bazoo … [Read more...]
Why solar power means the end of the world (for some of us)
After having deep-searched the internet for three months, our editor Karel Beckman has come to the conclusion that the solar power revolution is upon us â and will have devastatingly disruptive effects on established energy markets. The energy world is about to change radically. Photo: sun emits mid-level flare (NASA) … [Read more...]
Reflections on a ravaged EU energy sector (plus some boardroom tips)
The CEOâs of Europeâs major energy companies seem to be in an unenviable position. They complain that they are facing a âperfect stormâ and warn policymakers that policies need to be drastically reformed or European security of supply might go under. In his first post for Energy Post, our chief editor Karel Beckman wonders if things are really that bad â and has some tips to offer to our beleaguered energy executives how they might withstand the … [Read more...]
Nuclear terror in the Middle East: lethality beyond the pale
An Israeli nuclear attack on Iran would result in unimaginable disaster, according to a new study. Nick Turse, managing editor of TomDispatch.com, points out that the risk of a nuclear war is still the gravest danger the world is facing today. âItâs a freight train coming down the tracksâ. "In those first minutes, theyâll be stunned. Eyes fixed in a thousand-yard stare, nerve endings numbed. Theyâll just stand there. Soon, youâll notice that … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 14
- 15
- 16