The UK's Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) on 12 March published a short list of reasons why the proposed 3.2 GWs of nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point should be built. The publication, 5 Reasons why we are backing Hinkley Point C, is a mix of truth, unprovable assertions and omissions which could also be construed as lies, writes independent energy consultant Mike Parr. … [Read more...]
Is oil becoming stranded?
The risk of stranded oil assets may be greater than many people think, writes Paul Spedding, former Global Co-Head of Oil and Gas Research at HSBC and advisor to the non-profit financial think tank Carbon Tracker, which popularised the term âcarbon bubbleâ. According to Spedding, climate policies may well lead to a drop in demand that will leave oil reserves destined for future production stranded. … [Read more...]
The looming Nordic energy crisis
Sweden is faced with the possible shutdown of its entire nuclear generating capacity. This could result in grid instability, price hikes and much higher greenhouse gas emissions, writes Rauli Partanen, an independent analyst and author on energy and the environment. Partanen calls on policymakers to take action to avoid a Swedish nuclear phaseout. … [Read more...]
Obama’s Clean Power Plan: wounded, not dead yet
The US Supreme Court has issued a judicial stay of President Obamaâs Clean Power Plan (CPP).  Scott Fulton, former General Counsel of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and current President of the Environmental Law Institute, explains the ramifications of this decision for US and international climate efforts, in an interview with Talia Fox, fellow of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, "This will raise questions in the minds of … [Read more...]
New data debunks clean energy claims Apple, Amazon, Google
Recent claims by owners of large data centers that a large part of their operations are powered by renewable energy have skeptics coming out of from under their solar panels. Now, there is hard data proving that skepticism is valid, writes energy consultant and author Jim Pierobon. He applauds the efforts of companies like Amazon, Apple and Google to strive for clean energy, but calls for more transparency on their actual practices. … [Read more...]
National Parliaments should approve Paris Climate Agreement before it is a done deal
The European Commission is taking steps to have the Paris climate agreement ratified and signed at EU level, without involving the parliaments of the Member States. Although this may be formally acceptable, it is a bad idea, writes Lucas Bergkamp, Partner at the Brussels-based law firm Hunton & Williams: it will aggravate the EUâs âdemocratic deficitâ, weaken popular support for climate action and will leave intact key weaknesses in the … [Read more...]
BPâs view of electric cars looks unrealistic
BPâs latest long term outlook for the energy sector looks particularly unrealistic in its projection of a âmost likelyâ case of almost no uptake of electric vehicles by 2035, writes independent energy expert Adam Whitmore. According to Whitmore, even very moderate assumptions lead to substantially higher growth rates for EVs. … [Read more...]
BP says not to worry, good times will return
Aside from minor adjustments, BPâs latest Energy Outlook is mostly business-as-usual, writes Fereidoon Sionshansi, president of Menlo Energy Economics and publisher of the newsletter EEnergy Informer. BP seems to have missed out entirely on the agreement reached in Paris in December 2015, as if it did not happen, notes Sionshansi: "The Outlook seems more of a wish list than a forecast." … [Read more...]
Exxonâs never-ending big dig
ExxonMobil not only appears to have ignored its own scientists when they warned about the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions in the 1980s, the company even took advantage of its inside knowledge by leasing large tracts for Arctic oil exploration, writes famous author and activist Bill McKibben in a revealing essay. What is worse, says McKibben, is that even today Exxon continues to spend billions finding and producing ever more fossil fuels. But … [Read more...]
Wind top new power capacity source in Europe
In 2015 12,800 MW of new wind power capacity was installed in the EU, an increase of 6.3% over 2014, and more than any other form of power generation, according to recent new figures from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Wind power accounted for over 44% of total power capacity installations in the EU last year. … [Read more...]
World Energy Council: unconventional gas will conquer the world
The growth of unconventional gas is spreading across the world with major implications over many years for markets and prices according to a new World Energy Council study âUnconventional gas, a global phenomenonâ. The report notes that many countries have similar shale gas potential to the US and predicts an âaccelerated spreadâ across the world. … [Read more...]
Chinaâs electricity mix: changing so fast that CO2 emissions may have peaked
China installed a world record of 32.5 gigawatts (GW) of wind power last year, and a world record 18.3 GW of solar power, according to official figures from the National Bureau of Statistics of China on 29 February. Coal consumption fell 3.7%, nuclear power grew 30% and natural gas 3.3%. These trends mark a rapid diversification of Chinaâs electricity generation capacity with reduced dominance of coal. Some even believe Chinaâs CO2-emissions have … [Read more...]
Robert Johnston, CEO Eurasia Group: âTake a seat at the table and advocate for gasâ
The big question in the energy sector today is whether the world will move to a zero-carbon policy in which fossil fuels have no place, or a world in which natural gas is part of the solution, says Robert Johnston, CEO of US-based consulting firm Eurasia Group, in an interview with World Energy Focus. Johnston advises companies to âtake a seat at the policy table and advocate for gasâ to counter âgrowing demands to exclude natural gasâ. … [Read more...]
Corporate interest in green energy requires new thinking from electric utilities
Corporate America is going green, writes Dennis Wamsted. Electricity companies had better take notice: they can offer their customers what they ask for - or watch them contract for it on their own. … [Read more...]
Europeâs energy investment crisis: âthe EU energy market needs a makeoverâ
Europeâs electricity market, which has some of the highest renewable energy shares in the world, is suffering from a profound investment crisis. Sonja van Renssen spoke with top experts from government, business and academia about the causes and possible solutions. Conclusion: âtinkering around the edgesâ wonât do - âa complete makeoverâ of Europeâs market design is needed. Courtesy of World Energy Focus. … [Read more...]
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