Energy Post

The best thinkers on energy

Veracity of corporate net-zero pledges and advertising is being challenged in court

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Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) is putting the spotlight on corporate climate pledges, the advertising they use to win customers, and their claims of reducing their emissions. Here, Isabel Sutton at CLEW summarises the major landmark legal cases in multiple countries being brought against corporates by activists and other claimants. Companies under scrutiny include TotalEnergies, KLM, Drax, Shell, BP, Beiersdorf (personal care products), and more. … [Read more...]

Evaporation and Radiation cooling: no power required (but the aerogel must get cheaper)

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It is well known that evaporation and radiation are two ways of keeping something cool. David Chandler at MIT explains how researchers there have created an experimental 3-layered cell that combines evaporation and radiation with an insulator to deliver cooling that needs no power. It can provide around 9°C of cooling from the ambient temperature, enough to permit safe food storage for about 40% longer under very humid conditions, and could … [Read more...]

New U.S. ‘Buy Clean’ plan earmarks billions for low-carbon cement, steel and other building materials

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New guidance from the U.S. federal government, combined with historic Inflation Reduction Act investments, could turbocharge markets for low-carbon cement, steel, and other building materials. Victor Olgyay, Anish Tilak and Connor Usry at Rocky Mountain Institute explain how the new “Buy Clean” recommendations will mean the procurement of green building materials for federal building and transportation projects. That will lead to a boost in … [Read more...]

EU Solar has avoided 20bcm of gas imports and saved €29bn

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Solar generation in the EU has avoided the import of 20bcm of gas that would have cost €29bn, explains PaweƂ CzyĆŒak at Ember, writing for Carbon Brief. The new solar power added since 2021 alone avoided €6bn of gas imports. Record EU solar generation increased by 28% in the summer of 2022, compared with the same period a year earlier. And it’s growing very quickly, with a consistent 15% year-on-year increases in installed solar capacity – from … [Read more...]

$78tn net gain for compensated global Coal phase-out, when social benefits are added

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Is replacing coal with renewables too expensive? No, it’s the opposite, explain Tobias Adrian at the International Monetary Fund, Patrick Bolton at Imperial College London and Alissa Kleinnijenhuis at the Oxford Martin School who summarise their paper. When the social benefits are added, the net gain globally is around $78tn under a conservative estimate. That’s equal to 1.2% of current world GDP every year until 2100 – these are real economic … [Read more...]

IEA: The Energy Sector is failing Women in employment, pay, career progression and gender equality

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A comprehensive report by the IEA is warning that gender wage gaps are greater in the energy sector than in the non-energy sector. Furthermore, the energy sector has a relatively low percentage of female workers compared to other parts of the corporate sector. There is also a lack of career mobility and advancement for women compared to other sectors, which will affect both their attraction and retention. As a consequence, there will be fewer … [Read more...]

Buildings Renovation: city-wide comprehensive data management tools to transform each building

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In the U.S. the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a free-to-use and (and develop) online data management tool – called SEED - that allows whole cities to collect details on thousands of buildings and use them to assess energy wastage at the single building level. Molly Rettig at NREL explains that hundreds of data points can be collected for each building. The tools, along with … [Read more...]

INTERVIEW: ANDREA STEGHER Vice President International Gas Union “We need every instrument at our disposal to fight climate change”

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Energy Post's Matthew James talks to Andrea Stegher, Vice-President of the IGU about price caps, security of supply, CCUS, Markets and Renewable Gases ahead of our conference "The Future of Gas" tomorrow and Thursday online from 09:00 to 12:15 both days. You can REGISTER NOW. In the interview, Andrea talks about the importance of cooperation, innovation and above all a need to invest in all the instruments available to fight global warming - … [Read more...]

Is a Carbon Tax the best way to decarbonise the Grid?

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Severin Borenstein at the Energy Institute at Haas and Ryan Kellogg at the University of Chicago question whether carbon pricing is the best way to decarbonise the electricity grid. The authors did an empirical analysis of all of the fossil plants in the US. It shows that a CES (clean electricity standard) or zero-emissions subsidies would close down fossil plants in almost the same order as a carbon tax. So using alternative policy tools can … [Read more...]

Carbon Capture is a risky decarbonisation pathway: 13 flagship projects reviewed

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The debate around the effectiveness of carbon capture (you can register now for our CCUS session on Wednesday at 10.45 - Editor) has led to polarising views. Although the first implementations began 50 years ago, serious efforts to capture large volumes cost-effectively are in their infancy and unproven at scale. Is it, given time and support, a solution to excess emissions worldwide? Or is it a distraction that will allow fossils to be used yet … [Read more...]

Event Summary: Building GW-scale Offshore Wind in the Baltic Sea

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Here we provide a written summary of the panel discussion “Wind of Change or Change of Wind? The future of Baltic Sea offshore investments” held on 12th September 2022 in Brussels. It’s a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights. The Baltic Sea has the potential to develop over 90 GW of offshore wind capacity. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has delivered … [Read more...]

Fossil fuel producers can decarbonise by exporting Electricity, Hydrogen, and Steel

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The compelling reason why fossil fuel producers will be needed even beyond 2050 is that they currently provide over 80% of global energy, and 90% of the world’s population still needs the wealth creation that energy delivers, says Schalk Cloete. Given that, he summarises his co-authored paper that takes a close look at how a fossil exporter, Norway, can trade with an importer, Germany, while decarbonising. The modelling focusses on electricity … [Read more...]

Reactor shutdowns in Nuclear-dependent France expose the need for a diversified mix of Renewables

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Events are showing that a nation’s heavy reliance on a single source of energy is unwise. It’s not just gas. The heatwave is causing problems for France’s nuclear fleet, where the use of water for cooling has had to be restricted. All compounded by routine and unexpected maintenance shutdowns. As nuclear typically delivers well over 60% of its power, and also made it Europe’s biggest power exporter (until now), France is feeling the consequences. … [Read more...]

As spot market electricity prices break all records, what is the prediction for winter?

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Spot market prices for electricity have been breaking all records, as European leaders and their ministers intensify their discussions on how to deal with the crisis. Simon Göss at cr.hub, writing for Energy Brainpool, starts by explaining how the markets work, noting that price rises are indeed being driven by fossil prices and not CO2 certificates. Göss looks at how prices have climbed in Germany, France, the Baltics and Spain, and how the … [Read more...]

Electricity market re-design should focus on the root cause of the crisis, Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels

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Amidst the perfect storm of the pandemic, war in Ukraine, and extreme weather events, Bruce Douglas at Eurelectric urges us all not to lose focus on our decarbonisation targets. Energy savings, electrification and renewables are more important than ever to help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Douglas explains that Europe’s electricity sector remains totally committed to the drive towards clean energy, citing examples. He summarises the … [Read more...]