Despite the hype about smart cities, and the availability of EU funding, there are very few projects out there that qualify for funding, according to Lada Strelnikova, lead fund manager at the European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). An exception: Belgian bank Belfius has, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB), provided âŹ1 billion to smart city projects involving more than 100 municipalities in Belgium. According to Joost Declerck … [Read more...]
Polandâs PGE should accelerate its coal diversification plans
Polandâs biggest utility, PGE, should accelerate plans to diversify away from coal, as surging carbon prices underscore risks gathering around its present PLN 21 billion ($5.6 billion) coal power investment programme, write Gerard Wynn of IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) and Paolo Coghe of the Paris-based independent consultancy Acousmatics. Courtesy Energy and Carbon Blog. … [Read more...]
Replacing copper with negawattsâhow the UKâs RIIO-2 could revolutionise network regulation
Ofgemâs recent framework decision on improving its performance-based regulation scheme, RIIO, indicates that it may be ready to take a much-needed step toward levelling the playing field between supply-side and customer-side resources. However, it is not yet clear what the details will look like. According to Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project, a global group of regulatory experts, Ofgem should put a network regulation scheme in … [Read more...]
How to make the smart city a reality: forget technology, focus on the people
European public funding has kicked off the first generation of âsmart cityâ projects, a recent concept in sustainable urban development aimed at integrated planning for energy, mobility and ICT. But successful smart city development does not come easily: above all, it requires engagement from citizens, say several experts Energy Post spoke with. âForget technology. The smart city is about identifying solutions that are part of everyday lifeâ. … [Read more...]
Ukraine has made great progress in reforming the gas sector â but its fate still hangs in the balance
Natural gas still plays an outsized role in Ukraineâs energy mix â and it will continue to do so for many decades to come, writes Jakub Kucera, economic analyst at RSJ, a Prague-based investment company. Kucera explains the many formidable challenges Ukraine is facing in the gas sector and their profound impact on the European energy market. He concludes that Ukraine has made admirable progress in cleaning up the gas sector. Unfortunately, … [Read more...]
Energiewende enters a new phase â how is it performing?
The Energiewende is proceeding ahead of schedule with high grid reliability, writes researcher Schalk Cloete. However, costs are much higher than originally planned, while CO2emissions are stagnating. According to Cloete, wind/solar market shares have now reached the point where large grid expansion projects become critical. One problem is that the net value of new wind/solar is approaching zero as market value declines and integration costs … [Read more...]
EU wants new climate policy to be âpopulism-proofâ [EPW]
No new targets, gas is in, jobs and growth are key: the EU is designing a new climate and energy strategy for the coming decades that must reflect a new EU identity post-Brexit â and must drive economic opportunity to ensure it is âpopulism-proofâ. … [Read more...]
The carbon floor price â a hammer in need of a toolbox
Carbon pricing is often regarded as the Holy Grail of climate policy. But according to Richard Cowart, Principal at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), carbon prices cannot be a stand-alone solution. They have limited reach and â especially in electricity -- can be expensive for consumers. Nor are high carbon floor prices a magical solution: they donât reduce the surplus of allowances and may not even reduce emissions. According to Cowart, … [Read more...]
Energy Community sets stage for clean energy transition in South-East Europe
While the European Union has been busy with the new Clean Energy Package and discussing full decarbonisation by 2050, some important developments are also taking place in its closest neighborhood - in South-East Europe, where the Energy Community Treaty operates. Journalist and energy expert Oleg Savitsky attended the  Energy Community Sustainability Forum in June and explains how policymakers are trying to transform the energy markets of the … [Read more...]
The irony of Italyâs election for energy
Should the Italian government decide to halt the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the last leg of the Southern Gas Corridor - meant to reduce the EU's dependence on Russia - may be in jeopardy, writes John Roberts, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Ironically, the Russians may want to save the project, according to Roberts. Courtesy: the EnergySource blog of the Atlantic Council. … [Read more...]
Ukraineâs power sector is set for a major transition
As the pillars of Ukraineâs power sector â coal and nuclear â are shaking, the country is on the point of a major energy transformation, writes Oleg Savitsky, climate and energy policy expert and journalist. But some crucial steps still need to be taken to make it possible. … [Read more...]
Polandâs largest utility, PGE, faced with growing risks from transition
The financial stability of PGE, Polandâs largest utility, could be undermined if it sticks with its current fossil fuel-heavy generation profile, writes Gerard Wynn. In a new report for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Wynn concludes that the company could be hit hard by increasing carbon prices and tougher air pollution rules if it does not shift away from coal. … [Read more...]
Uneconomic coal could be squeezed out of European Union power markets by 2030
Coalâs time is running out in Europe: deteriorating economics and stronger climate policies will soon make coal uneconomic, writes Silvio Marcacci of think tank Energy Innovation. Many European countries have already set an end date for coal power, utilities and investors are shifting away from it. The question is not if coal will lose, but when, and how well-managed its exit will be. … [Read more...]
Europe needs a fresh approach to climate strategy
The EU needs a new approach to long-term climate strategy to ensure that EU climate policy is brought in line with the goals of Paris and takes into account recent technological and political changes, write Andrei Marcu of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and Georg Zachmann of think tank Bruegel. According to Marcu and Zachmann, climate policy can only succeed if it does not come out of a bureaucratic âblack … [Read more...]
Europe aims to have 300 smart cities by end of next year
With the help of the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (EIP SCC), 78 cities in Europe have undertaken smart city development. The EIP-SCC aims at a critical mass of 300 smart cities by the end of 2019, according to Andreea Strachinescu of the European Commission. The most difficult part, she says, is not the renovation of individual buildings, but the systems integration. The next step: positive energy districts. … [Read more...]
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