A new IDC Energy Insights study reveals that around two in every three European utilities use social media for business purposes or plan to do so in the short term, compared with 48% a year earlier. The study also highlights that further expansion in the social media space is one of the top 3 customer experience investment priorities that European utility suppliers are already involved in or expect to undertake in the next few months. Key … [Read more...]
Fossil-fueled Republicanism: what to expect from the new US Congress
While more and more people around the world are coming to recognize the need for restraints on fossil fuel consumption, the new Republican-dominated Congress will lead the United States in the opposite direction, writes Michael Klare, author of many books and articles on energy policy. Klare outlines the energy policies the Republicans in Congress are likely to pursue and explains what is behind their fervent commitment to oil and gas. In an … [Read more...]
World Energy Council: Germany and Spain less energy secure, UK and Japan on watch list
The new release of the World Energy Councilâs annual Energy Trilemma Index, a ranking of countries based on their energy security of supply, affordability and sustainability, shows that Germany and Spain have gone down in their ratings. The UK and Japan have been placed on ânegative watchâ, showing a downward trend in energy security. In an interview with Energy Post, Joan MacNaughton, Executive Chair of the World Energy Trilemma work, notes that … [Read more...]
Why Google gave up on renewables (hint: because they donât know much about energy)
The two scientists responsible for Googleâs failed attempt to launch a renewable energy revolution have written an article explaining what, according to them, went wrong with their project. They have come to the conclusion that fighting climate change with todayâs renewable energy technologies wonât work â but they present no evidence for it, writes Energy Post editor Karel Beckman. … [Read more...]
The Five Energy Labours of Juncker
The new team heading the European Commission in Brussels is lucky. Its predecessors closed two sensitive deals before the reshuffle: a European energy and climate strategy for 2030 and a gas winter package between Ukraine and Russia. On top of that, outgoing Energy Commissioner GĂźnther Oettinger finished off a thick report on the way forward for a European energy market. The new Commission will follow up on these three dossiers, plus two more … [Read more...]
The âhistoricâ US-China climate change deal confirms that we are failing in the fight against climate change
The US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made on 11 November, has been hailed by many as a historic breakthrough in the fight against climate change, but it has also met with quite a bit of scepticism. Robert Wilson, who publishes the blog The Energy Transition on the website of The Energy Collective, argues that the agreement between the two largest economies in the world demonstrates that the world is failing to deal with the threat of … [Read more...]
SunPower: "solar the greatest market opportunity world has seenâ
The head of one of the worldâs leading solar PV manufacturers and developers, SunPowerâs Tom Werner, predicts that solar will be a $US5 trillion industry within 20 years, and represents one of the greatest ever opportunities in the history of markets. Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com reports on a recent investment briefing given by Werner. … [Read more...]
Let’s not forget those fossil fuel subsidies
The IEAâs World Energy Outlook (WEO), published on 12 November, has â not for the first time â put the spotlight on the huge subsidies given worldwide for the use and production of fossil fuels. And these do not include other costs (e.g. the hundreds of billions in US military spending to garrison the Middle East) and externalities caused by our oil, gas and coal use. Sophie Vorrath of RenewEconomy presents the main figures from the WEO. … [Read more...]
Where battery storage will take over from backup power plants
Although the growth in renewables has led to the shutdown of many gas- and coal-fired power plants, power producers believe their plants will still be needed to provide backup capacity. But grid storage batteries are becoming increasingly competitive with âpeaker plantsâ, says Paul Siblerud of US storage company ViZn Energy Systems in an interview with Roy L. Hales of The EcoReport, citing a new study by Energy Strategies Group. … [Read more...]
Worldâs first power-to-liquids production plant opened in Dresden
A Power-to-Liquids (PtL) demonstration rig which is the first of its kind in the world was officially inaugurated on 14 November by Dresden-based sunfire GmbH. The ceremony was attended by German Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka, Board Member Pieter Koolen of venture capitalist Bilfinger, Â as well as a number of other high-ranking representatives from the worlds of politics, industry and research. French energy companies … [Read more...]
What are we to make of the US and Chinaâs "historic" climate deal?
The US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made on 11 November, has given rise to a lot of commentary in the media worldwide. In this article, Mat Hope of The Carbon Brief provides an excellent critical overview of some of the most significant analyses. Energy Post chief editor Karel Beckman adds some insights of his own. … [Read more...]
Wishing away lignite – EU climate policy ignores elephant in the room
While mining and combustion of lignite impose high burdens on the environment, Europeâs least expensive fuel remains impervious to climate policies or market trends. Poland remains committed to lignite power generation. In Germany, the worldâs largest lignite industry provides backup electricity for nuclear phase-out and renewable power intermittency. Mediterranean sunshine has not kept Greece and Turkey from relying on lignite rather than … [Read more...]
Five take-home messages from the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2014
Current events risk distracting governments âfrom recognising and tackling the longer-term signs of stress that are emerging in the energy systemâ says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2014 unveiled on 12 November in London. Just like a year ago, it warns that long-term oil supplies are far from secure, with the Middle East re-establishing itself as the main supplier in the long-term. Moreover, while … [Read more...]
Interview Joe Phillips, DNV GL: âFor offshore wind there is only one way forward: togetherâ
âOffshore wind offers great promise but the industry is at a very delicate stage now. We canât afford to make mistakes in construction that lead to cost overruns,â warns Joe Phillips, Head of Strategy & Policy for Renewables at DNV GL, one of the largest technical energy consultancies in the world. DNV GL has recently issued an âoffshore wind cost reduction manifestoâ that commits the company to help reduce costs in the sector by 25% and … [Read more...]
Europeâs nuclear future may hinge on UKâs Hinkley deal
The fate of future nuclear power projects in Europe could hinge on whether government-backed guarantees for Britainâs Hinkley Point C power station survive an expected challenge from Austria in Europeâs highest court. Analysts agree that large nuclear undertakings have become too costly and risky for private investors alone. For this reason many EU countries are backing the UKâs support for nuclear power. Timothy Spence reports from Vienna. … [Read more...]
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