What would be the energy policy of a UK Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn, its newly elected leader? Citing Corbyn’s recently published manifesto, Protecting Our Planet, Stephen Hall, Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, argues that it would be anything but a throwback to the past. On the contrary, it meets the issues of today in innovative and practical ways. … [Read more...]
Natural gas methane problem? It’s overstated
The role of natural gas as a “bridge fuel” has been called into question by critics who argue that methane leakage rates from gas production and transport could outweigh the lower CO2 emissions associated with gas. However, according to Alex Trembath, policy associate at the Breakthrough Institute, this is not what most of the scientific literature says. “Methane leakage is a minor factor in determining the benefit of gas versus coal and methane … [Read more...]
Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid: “The idea of large power stations for baseload is outdated”
Steve Holliday, CEO of National Grid, the company that operates the gas and power transmission networks in the UK and in the northeastern US, believes the idea of large coal-fired or nuclear power stations to be used for baseload power is “outdated”. "From a consumer’s point of view, the solar on the rooftop is going to be the baseload. Centralised power stations will be increasingly used to provide peak demand", he says, in an exclusive … [Read more...]
Why Ukraine has to reform its gas sector
Ukraine has embarked on “the mother of all reforms”: that of the gas sector. This is one of the most important and most difficult reforms Ukraine has to undertake. Yet without the marketisation of gas prices and an improvement in Naftogaz’s financial standing, it will be impossible to reform Ukraine’s public finances and end the long-standing economic crisis. Energy sector reform is a central goal of the post-Euromaidan government and indeed the … [Read more...]
The Urgenda judgment: a “victory” for the climate that is likely to backfire
The Dutch government has decided to appeal the widely publicised “Urgenda” ruling from the district court in The Hague, ordering the Netherlands to step up its climate change actions. According to Lucas Bergkamp, Partner at Hunton & Williams and Emeritus Professor of International Environmental Liability Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam, there are good reasons why we should hope that the court of appeals will overturn the ruling. According … [Read more...]
The next move for oil is downwards – and here’s why
Former oil trader Martin Tillier explains the reason for the wild price swings in oil recently: panic in the dealing room. He argues that traders are likely to push the oil price down again “until sanity returns”. … [Read more...]
Broken public utilities: how to fix them
The recent newspaper reports of financial and operating problems at the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and South Africa’s ESKOM show that these state-owned systems suffer from similar governance and regulatory deficiencies, writes Branko Terzic, Managing Director of Berkeley Research Group and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. According to Terzic, a former Commissioner on the U.S. FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory … [Read more...]
Brussels moves against bilateral investment treaties within EU, undermines Energy Charter
The European Commission is stepping up efforts to root out intra-EU investment arbitration cases. Brussels feels it should have sole power over EU investment policy. Yet by doing so it is also putting pressure on the international Energy Charter Treaty, on which many of these cases are based. As a result, while the Commission wants the ECT to expand internationally,  it is undermining support for it at home. Italy recently even pulled out of the … [Read more...]
Buying energy in the land of the free
European energy users often look with envy at the US, where energy is abundant and cheap. However, writes Benedict De Meulemeester, such simplistic comparisons ignore the many structural differences that exist between the two markets: “In the land of the free, energy markets are in many ways less free – and certainly less transparent – than in Europe.” According to De Meulemeester, Managing Director of E&C Consultants, “a US energy buyer has … [Read more...]
How are YOU dealing with the energy transition?
In a new blog hosted by Energy Post, POWER TALK, Ph.D-researcher Hendrik Steringa reports on his quest to find out how energy companies are dealing with the energy transition. He conducts in-depth interviews with company professionals as well as with the people they have to deal with: policymakers, NGO's, academics, lobbyists. What do they really think? What are their real strategies? You can participate in this project too! … [Read more...]
Big energy companies take control of Dutch wind energy association NWEA
In January this year the Guardian reported that big European energy companies like Total, Iberdrola, EON and Enel, are increasingly taking control of renewable energy lobby groups like the European wind energy association EWEA. In the Netherlands a similar process is taking place in Dutch wind energy association NWEA. Hendrik Steringa spoke with a senior professional in the Dutch wind energy sector who explains what is going on – and what the … [Read more...]
Ad van Wijk: “The energy sector has nothing to do with energy companies anymore”
There are many developments in the world today that have far more influence on the energy sector than the energy sector itself, says technology visionary Ad van Wijk in this exclusive interview with Energy Post. The Professor in “Future Energy Systems” at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands explains how LED lighting, a DC grid, fuel cell cars, the Internet of Things and 3D printing are upending our energy system as we know it. “The … [Read more...]
Warren Buffett and Elon Musk to spark lithium boom
The growth in electric cars, the solar panel revolution, and Tesla's battery gigafactory are igniting a battle for the cheapest battery. This will transform lithium into a boom-time mineral and the hottest commodity on the energy investor's radar, writes James Stafford of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
A primer on rare earth minerals: not just about price anymore
There has been a lot of discussion about “rare earth” or “critical” minerals in recent years. The Gold Report interviews Simon Moores, managing director of London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, and the firm's analyst, Andrew Miller. They explain how minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite, all of which go into batteries, are evolving from commodities to specialist, niche, products. They also note that sustainability and “supply chain … [Read more...]
We need INDCs from industry too!
Countries across the world are making climate pledges for 2030 through their INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions). Why can’t industrial sectors do the same? Industries are afraid that climate measures will hurt their international competitiveness, but this problem could be avoided if they agreed on international sectoral pledges. Rolf de Vos of Ecofys proposes a new mechanism: Intended Sectorally Determined Contributions (ISDCs). … [Read more...]
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