How will China integrate its growing Variable Renewable Energy generation and create a nationwide energy system that avoids the risks of curtailment, stranded assets and blackouts? A good place to start is to learn from Europe. Helen Farrell at ECECP summarises their report that uses the European experience to model scenarios for China. Chinaâs key challenges is that its power market lacks an effective auxiliary service market, a capacity market, … [Read more...]
How much protection from carbon-intensive imports will CBAM give to EU industries?
The EUâs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is not a business-as-usual instrument that allows sectors to delay decarbonisation. It applies a levy on imported goods equal to the internal EU ETS-related carbon price, so that both EU-produced goods and those imported into the EU face similar carbon cost pressures. But sectors must use the CBAM phase-in period to decarbonise. Pablo Ruiz and Barbara Kölbl at Rabobank look at how different … [Read more...]
Simple superconducting diode can dramatically cut energy use in transistors, data centres
Some estimates say data centres could be consuming up to 20% of all power globally in ten years. Thatâs largely because the billions of transistors have to be cooled. Elizabeth Thomson at MIT describes breakthrough research that has made a superconducting diode thatâs twice as efficient as the standard, therefore generating and wasting far less heat. Whatâs surprising is that some straightforward physics of materials was utilised, in contrast to … [Read more...]
Annual Energy Efficiency improvements must double to meet climate targets. We know how to do it
Global energy intensity â a measure of how efficiently the global economy uses energy â improved by just over 2% in 2022. That needs to double to 4% annually to 2030 to meet global efficiency targets, explains Brian Motherway at the IEA. If achieved, by 2030 one unit of energy used will generate 40% more economic output than today. Thatâs huge, and shows why few other policy areas offer such widespread benefits. More than half of the 150 … [Read more...]
When 0.2% Methane leakage can make Gas dirtier than Coal
Around the world gas is replacing coal to reduce emissions. But even small amounts of methane leakage in the gas life-cycle can make emissions on par with or even worse than coal, explain Shannon Hughes and Deborah Gordon at RMI. They present their calculator that shows if West Virginia state's gas methane leakage rate is just 1.4% their emissions equal the coal it replaces. Texas Permian LNG exported to China only needs a leakage rate of 0.2% to … [Read more...]
CBAM is now active. A guide to what companies must do to comply
On October 1st 2023 the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) became effective. Its purpose is to limit carbon leakage by establishing a carbon price on imported goods that is equivalent to the carbon price on domestically produced goods. That means introducing a set of reporting and compliance obligations for importers of goods into the EU. Simon Göss and Hendrik Schuldt at carboneer explain the new mechanism and scope (aluminium, cement, … [Read more...]
EU legislators must avoid crippling clean tech with a blanket ban on PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
A blanket ban on all types of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), or âforever chemicalsâ, is currently being considered by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). PFAS are used in cleaning products, non-stick pans, personal care products and more, so a ban on these will save lives and deliver sustainable practices. But, as Daniel Fraile at Hydrogen Europe explains, the PFAS subgroups of fluoropolymers and perfluoropolyethers are used in … [Read more...]
Green Methanol: an alternative fuel for heavy vehicles and shipping?
Itâs very early days but pilot projects for green methanol are underway, explains Gabi Thesing writing for WEF. Itâs a low-carbon fuel that can be produced from renewable sources such as biomass or using carbon capture. Compared to traditional fossil fuels it can reduce CO2 emissions by 60-95%, nitrogen oxide by 60-80%, and almost completely eliminate sulphur oxide and particulate matter emissions. Green methanol can be blended with traditional … [Read more...]
1,500GW of Renewables deployment delayed globally because Grids arenât modernising fast enough
A first-of-its-kind global country-by-country study, âElectricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitionsâ by the IEA finds that electricity grids are not keeping pace with the rapid growth of clean energy technologies. Without greater policy attention and investment, shortfalls in the reach and quality of grid infrastructure puts at risk our climate goals. Worldwide, we need to add or replace 80m kms of power lines by 2040 â an amount equal to the … [Read more...]
Resource nationalism is not the United Statesâ biggest minerals problem
A growing number of resource-rich nations are planning to restrict exports of unprocessed raw materials, explain Gracelin Baskaran and Cy McGeady at CSIS. Currently, a significant proportion of critical minerals are exported to China for processing, giving it monopoly power in the value chain. If countries like the DRC, Namibia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia instead processed their own raw materials they would create skilled jobs and industries … [Read more...]
Fossil producer UAE to host COP28: what are Gulf states doing to decarbonise?
COP28 in November is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a major oil and gas producer. The COP President will be Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of ADNOC, one of the worldâs biggest oil companies. Itâs attracted heavy criticism from many quarters. Robin Mills at the Center on Global Energy Policy reviews the contradictions inherent in a leading fossil producing nation hosting the worldâs most important decarbonisation forum. The Gulf states … [Read more...]
EU states agree deal on electricity market to protect consumers from price volatility, boost cheap renewable power
On Tuesday EU member states finally agreed on how to reform the bloc's electricity market after long months of difficult negotiations. The introduction of long-term contracts, particularly contracts for difference (CfDs), should stabilise prices for consumers and give certainty to investors in new generation. But the big concern had been how the state support implicit in CfDs might be used to bias the playing field in favour of nuclear and coal, … [Read more...]
What can todayâs Energy Revolution learn from the previous Industrial and Information Revolutions?
What can the Industrial Revolution and the more recent Information Revolution teach us about the Energy Revolution we are going through now, ask Yuki Numata, Laurens Speelman and Marissa Gantman at RMI. Importantly, the same questions that were ignored or dismissed in those past transitions will help us shape our energy transition to make it better, faster, less wasteful and polluting, as well as more equitable. The authors reveal a 4-part … [Read more...]
Make EV batteries bidirectional, get GWs of storage for the Grid
How to cope with the hourly, daily and seasonal variation in demand as regions electrify more, depend more on variable renewables like wind and solar, and cut baseload fossil generation? Storage shifts load nicely. But why build grid-scale batteries when millions of little batteries in our EVs are sitting idle in our driveways for most of the time? As Mark Specht at the Union of Concerned Scientists explains, itâs why in California a bill is … [Read more...]
Carbon Pricing: almost 25% of emissions now covered globally, but coverage and prices must rise further
Despite early scepticism, carbon pricing is making its mark globally. Today almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are covered by a carbon price, compared to just 7% ten years ago. 73 national and sub-national jurisdictions have carbon pricing, explain Joseph Pryor and Venkat Ramana Putti at The World Bank, writing for the Florence School of Regulation and quoting from the World Bankâs State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2023 … [Read more...]
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