Six years ago, Pope Benedict XVI installed more than 1,000 solar panels on the Vaticanâs audience hall, helping him earn him the sobriquet of the âGreen Popeâ. Soon his successor Pope Francis may just go one step further: in April he is expected to issue a papal encyclical on climate change. His actions could tip the balance against fossil fuels, as the worldâs wealthiest institution takes on the worldâs most powerful industry. Meanwhile, Vatican … [Read more...]
IEA: âNuclear power critical to meet climate goalsâ
Nuclear power is âa critical element in limiting greenhouse gas emissionsâ, says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a report released on 29 January (co-authored with the Nuclear Energy Agency). According to the report, 72 new reactors are under construction, the highest number in 25 years. … [Read more...]
Russiaâs oil and gas tax policies look increasingly eastward
Recent changes in the taxation of Russiaâs oil and gas sector reflect both the countryâs pivot eastward and the special treatment afforded to its state-controlled energy companies, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. … [Read more...]
Want to avoid oil’s gloom? Turn to the sun, says Outsider Nick Hodge
While some celebrated shale oil as a "boom," Nick Hodge, founder and director of investment community the Outsider Club, derided it as a "Ponzi scheme." Today the shale sector quivers before the specter of falling oil prices, and the oil majors that have invested heavily in shale may be humbled. In this interview with The Energy Report, syndicated by Energy Post, Hodge argues that nuclear energy is about to reassert itself, and that solar power … [Read more...]
Eonâs transformation: how it will change the energy debate in Europe
With Eonâs historic decision to restructure we now for the first time will have  a large energy supplier not being pulled in two directions, but acting on the single imperative of bringing new energy solutions to customers. This removes one of the key obstacles that has been hindering the energy transition, writes Simon Skillings, former Director of Strategy and Policy at Eon UK and now independent consultant and associate at environmental think … [Read more...]
The vulnerability of our electric utility system to cyber attacks
As our electric utility system is moving from dumb and centralized to smart and decentralized, it is becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Are utility executives paying sufficient attention to these serious new risks? Energy expert Allan Hoffman, a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy, says the SONY hacking case should serve as a wake-up call to the energy industry. … [Read more...]
Crushing the US energy export dream
Petroleum geologist Arthur Berman argues that itâs foolish to believe the US could become an energy exporter. âThe US will never be self-sufficient in oilâ, he writes in an article for Oilprice.com. âExporting crude oil and natural gas from the United States are among the dumbest energy ideas of all time.â … [Read more...]
Oil price decline: no room for conspirators
Some observers claim the US and Saudi Arabia have made a secret deal to bring down oil prices. They are supposed to be doing this in particular to hurt Iran and Russia. But Friedbert PflĂźger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), Kingâs College London, finds their arguments unconvincing. The oil market is too big to be manipulated by conspirators. … [Read more...]
UK âcapacity marketâ is not a market â itâs state aid (ÂŁ1 billion/year)
 The UK is the first country in the EU to have started a âcapacity marketâ. Under this scheme, the UK government offers payments to electricity suppliers for making âbackup capacityâ available. The first auction, held in December for capacity in 2018/2019, has resulted in contracts for ÂŁ931 million for UK power generators. According to Mike Parr, Director of energy consultancy PWR, most of this money is wasted. He says the scheme is overgenerous … [Read more...]
Europe does not need the Southern Gas Corridor
The Southern Gas Corridor, the EUâs major energy diversification project, is not only unnecessary in light of gas demand projections, but also falls short on the goal of bringing energy independence from Russia. It involves large subsidies to Russian company Lukoil and it strengthens another authoritarian regime, that of Azerbaijan. Those are the main conclusions of a new study, âPipe Dreamsâ, written by a group of NGO's: CEE Bankwatch Network, … [Read more...]
Historic moment: Saudi Arabia sees End of Oil Age coming and opens valves on the carbon bubble
Most analysts believe Saudi Arabia refuses to cut production because it wants to shake out its higher-cost competitors or because it wants to punish Iran and Russia. There may be some truth in those theories, writes Elias Hinckley, strategic advisor and head of the energy practice with international law firm Sullivan and Worcester, but they miss the deeper motivation of the Saudis. Saudi Arabia, he says, sees the end of the Oil Age on the horizon … [Read more...]
New clean energy investment surges 12% in 2014
New investment in the global clean energy sector rose 12% last year to $274.2 billion, the highest annual investment volume since 2011, reports Clean Energy Pipeline, the online financial news and data service dedicated to the clean energy sector in a report released on 21 January. … [Read more...]
Deutsche Bank: solar at grid parity in most of world by 2017
Investment bank Deutsche Bank is predicting that solar systems will be at grid parity in up to 80 per cent of the global market within 2 years, and says the collapse in the oil price will do little to slow down the solar juggernaut. Giles Parkinson of the Australian-based website Reneweconomy.com reports. … [Read more...]
Why cheap oil will not wreck the prospects for renewable energy â this time around
When oil prices collapsed in the 1980s, most large renewable energy programs were dismantled. But that wonât happen this time, writes John Mathews, Professor of Strategic Management at Macquarie University's Graduate School of Management in Sydney, and author of a brand new book âThe Greening of Capitalismâ. The reason is that China has made a strategic commitment to renewables. Donât forget, Mathews writes: coal prices have also been falling, … [Read more...]
Christoph Frei, World Energy Council: âThe real hope for âParisâ is to see a connected carbon market started by the big players”
On 20 January, the World Energy Council (WEC) will publish its World Energy Issues Monitor â an annual survey of over 1,000 energy leaders in over 80 countries. WECâs Secretary-General Christoph Frei notes the biggest changes compared to last year are that energy leaders have become more concerned with security of supply (Russia) and cyber-security. Price volatility and climate framework remain at the top of the worries list. In an in-depth … [Read more...]
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