The shale gas hopes of Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe have crumbled now that foreign investors have departed. An important reason for this failure is an inadequate political framework, write Lidia Puka and Aleksandra Gawlikowska-Fyk of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and Ole Gunnar Austvik of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. They argue that these countries could learn from the Norwegian model, … [Read more...]
Interview Radu Dudau, Energy Policy Group: âWe are in urgent need of a new energy strategyâ
The Romanian energy sector is at a watershed, says Radu Dudau, Director of the Bucharest-based Energy Policy Group, in an interview with Energy Post. âWe are in urgent need of a new energy strategy. We need to decide what to do with our energy sector.â At the same time, says Dudau, the EU needs to get involved to coordinate regional energy matters in Central and Eastern Europe: âThis is a region with no encouraging history of cooperationâ But … [Read more...]
Energy subsidies probe is the kind of competition policy the EU needs
Capacity problems can best be tackled by letting prices fluctuate and making energy providers responsible for intermittent supply. To the extent that support schemes are used, they should be technology-neutral and driven by market forces to ensure efficiency, argues Diego Zuluaga, Deputy Director of the Epicenter (European Policy Information Center), a coalition of six free-market think tanks in Europe. For this reason, writes Zuluaga, the sector … [Read more...]
The IMF just destroyed the main argument against clean energy
A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) finds that energy (fossil fuel) subsidies are âbig and risingâ. At the presentation of the report, Vitor Gaspar, Director Fiscal Affairs Department at the IMF, noted that most subsidies go to coal and said the numbers were âshockingâ. He added that âeliminating energy subsidies can generate substantial environmental, fiscal and welfare benefitsâ. Elias Hinckley, strategic adviser at the US law … [Read more...]
Why Shell can’t quit the Arctic
Despite the damage to its reputation, Shell insists on continuing its controversial Arctic campaign. The company says that the world needs the oil and gas resources of the Arctic. But according to Energy Postâs editor-in-chief Karel Beckman, itâs really Shell itself that needs those resources. … [Read more...]
EU climate policy: time to come down to earth
For many years, the EU pursued the strategy of âleading by exampleâ in international climate negotiations. However, since the Copenhagen climate summit, frictions inside the EU and a paradigm shift have become increasingly evident, write Severin Fischer and Oliver Geden of the influential German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). With the October 2014 compromise in the European Council on a new climate framework for 2030, the … [Read more...]
Demand response markets in Europe begin to blossom
Demand response markets are taking off in Europe, writes Jeff St John of the US energy website Greentech Media. For example, Belgian demand response specialist REstore, with more than 1 GW of peak load under management from large industrial customers, is set to expand into the UK and France. Pieter-Jan Mermans of REstore explains his strategy and tells why Germany is such a difficult market. Article courtesy of Greentech Media. … [Read more...]
Hydropowerâs big splash â Word Energy Council projects decades of strong growth
The global hydroelectric power market, which already represents 76% of all renewable global energy, has the potential to double to 2,000GW capacity by 2050 according to a new report from the World Energy Council, âCharting The Upsurge In Hydropower Developmentâ, presented today in Beijing. This doubling could be achieved even earlier, if governments and multilateral banks give help to emerging economies where hydropower resources are … [Read more...]
Rising sun, sinking influence? Japan’s self-marginalisation from global climate politics
As other countries including the US, China, UK, Germany and Mexico lead on climate action, the lack of effort from the worldâs third largest economy and fifth largest emitter has left Japan isolated in a debate that is increasingly central to trade, investment, security and foreign policy, write Taylor Dimsale, Liz Gallagher and Camilla Born in a new report from the London-based consultancy E3G. The authors explain the reasons behind Japan's … [Read more...]
China can cut out most coal generation by 2050
A new study from the China National Renewable Energy Centre shows that China can rely on renewables for more than 60 percent of its total energy needs, including transportation, by 2050. Electricity could be supplied 85% from renewables and just 7 per cent from coal, writes Bobby Magill of Climate Central. Â But to achieve these targets, China needs to deregulate its electricity markets. … [Read more...]
Asia at the crossroads: will it choose old energy â or turn to the new?
Asia is at a critical moment in its energy development. Hundreds of millions of people across Asia will be gaining access to modern electricity systems for the first time in the coming years. The question is: will they be supplied with power from traditional central plants, or by low-carbon, distributed power systems? According to David Fullbrook, senior consultant with DNV GL Energyâs Clean Technology Centre in Singapore, people in Asia would … [Read more...]
Tesla batteries: just the beginning of how technology will transform the electric grid
The spread of cost-effective batteries, such as Teslaâs new Powerwall, will fundamentally change the way the electric grid operates, writes Michael McElfresh of Santa Clara University. Combined with other innovations, batteries in homes and businesses will transform how people and businesses treat electricity. Along the way, these batteries will improve the efficiency and reliability of the grid overall. … [Read more...]
Why the Tesla battery heralds the beginning of the end for fossil fuels
The introduction of the Powerwall, Teslaâs new battery, will change the global energy equation fundamentally, writes John Mathews, Professor of Strategic Management, at Macquarie University in Australia. This is because it will make renewable energy âthe new normalâ and will put fossil fuel companies on the defensive. Instead of asking âcan we have our own energy system?â communities will be asking âwhy canât we have it?â … [Read more...]
What the new Conservative government means for UK energy policy
The new Conservative government is unlikely to change UK climate and energy policy radically, writes Stephen Tindale, the new CEO of the pro-nuclear Alvin Weinberg Foundation and a former Executive Director of Greenpeace UK. According to Tindale, David Cameron will build on the considerable achievements of the previous coalition government with the Liberal-Democrats, although there will be some changes, such as less support for onshore wind and a … [Read more...]
Greece and Iran: two old friends can change the geopolitics of energy in Europe
Greece, which has long had friendly relations with Iran, is poised to play a key role in distributing Iranian to gas to Europe, if Iranian sanctions are lifted. With Iran in the equation, the energy geopolitics of the region â and thereby the rest of Europe â will look very different from what they are today, write Christos Brakoulias, Constantine Levoyannis and Dr. Angelos Gkanoutas-Leventis of the Greek Energy Forum (GEF) in Brussels. … [Read more...]
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