Shell Technology Ventures, Rockstart and YES!Delft today have launched the second edition of the New Energy Challenge, a competition for European start-ups offering innovative, low-carbon energy solutions. The competition aims to accelerate the development and implementation of breakthrough technologies. The winning start-up will receive a €100,000 convertible loan from Shell. … [Read more...]
Energy and blockchain: here are the most promising applications
Blockchain applications are rapidly spreading across the energy sector, writes David Groarke, Managing Director of Indigo Advisory Group. Some of those applications may be disruptive for utilities. Europe is the most active region globally. Groarke discusses some of the key takeaways from a recent blockchain conference in Vienna. … [Read more...]
How blockchain could upend power markets
Talk about a disruptive technology. The “world’s leading software platform for digital assets,” blockchain may be little known, but it could revolutionize electricity markets, according to Dick Munson of EDF Energy Exchange. For utilities blockchain could prove to be a threat – or an opportunity. … [Read more...]
Cleantech startups: can German utilities bridge the Valley of Death?
Investment in cleantech startups has so far yielded disappointing results, writes Marius Buchmann, Post-Doc at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. According to Buchmann, one important reason is that incumbent energy companies have not been willing to invest in and acquire startups. But this is now changing, especially in Germany, partly as a result of the new business model adopted by Eon and RWE. Article courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
The great battery race
The coming of cheap and effective lithium-based batteries will cause the greatest changes in the energy and automobile sector since Henry Ford built the model T, writes Gerard Reid, founding partner of Alexa Capital, financial analyst and co-founder of the Energy and Carbon blog. But European countries like Germany and France have no significant production, in contrast to China, which views batteries and their raw materials as key factors in the … [Read more...]
Hamburg considers innovative heat storage scheme
Institutions in Hamburg are proposing to build a large underground thermal heat storage system that could supply roughly a quarter of the city’s heating needs with waste heat from industrial and power plants. If successful, it would make Vattenfall’s plans to realise a CO2-neutral district heating network superfluous. It could also serve as an example for other cities. … [Read more...]
The top 10 advanced energy stories of 2016 – and how they will shape 2017
From the first American offshore wind power to the economic power to employ millions of people, "advanced energy" is a major growth market that shows no signs of stopping, writes Lexie Briggs, social media manager at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a US-based national association of business leaders promoting clean energy technologies. Briggs identifies the ten major advanced energy stories of 2016 in the US - and looks at how they will help shape … [Read more...]
Despite the hype, batteries aren’t the cheapest way to store energy on the grid
There are many different kinds of energy storage technologies, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Lithium ion batteries are the most popular form of storage at the moment, but according to Roger Dargaville, Deputy Director of the Melbourne Energy Institute, they are not always the cheapest option. Nevertheless, lithium ion will probably be the dominant option, not because of economics, but because of human behavior. Courtesy of The … [Read more...]
Fast reactors are alive and kicking
Fast breeder reactors have already been successfully developed in Russia and they will become successful outside of Russia too if policymakers and investors decide to make them a priority, writes Ian Hore-Lacy, Senior Research Analyst at the World Nuclear Association. … [Read more...]
Energy may be ripe for the sharing economy, thanks to Bitcoin’s blockchain technology
The marriage of blockchain technology with microgrid applications could transform the way communities and organisations use renewable energy, writes Lexie Briggs of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), an association of businesses in the US that includes companies such as Vestas, Siemens, Microsoft, GE and Schneider Electric. Siemens has just launched a project in Brooklyn, New York, that allows neighbours to purchase solar power from each other’s … [Read more...]
DNV GL on risks of renewables: “We need new tests and standards to prevent major failures”
The transition to renewable energy is accompanied by the widespread use of power electronics, such as inverters, which require a whole new way of testing smart equipment, says Theo Bosma, Program Director Power Systems & Electrification at DNV GL, one of the largest technical consultancies in the world. According to Bosma, the new power electronics are not adequately tested at the moment. “New technologies such as solar, wind, batteries and … [Read more...]
Stephane Quere, Innovation Director Engie: “Hydrogen is a big topic for us”
Hydrogen, which can be used to store energy, produce electricity and fuel vehicles, is one of the innovation priorities for French energy giant Engie (€70 billion revenue). This is a company that prides itself on its diversity however, explains Stephane Quere, Innovation Director at Engie, with activities stretching from Europe to Africa and Asia, and businesses from gas distribution to security systems. Some of the main priorities for Engie are … [Read more...]
Lumenaza creates regional electricity markets: “We want to connect up all 1.4 million solar PV producers in Germany with consumers locally”
A new software platform in Germany lets utilities buy and sell “regional electricity” by connecting up small producers with consumers. Start-up Lumenaza, founded three years ago, meets a growing demand for transparency, explains CEO and founder Christian Chudoba in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. Unlike a typical virtual power plant, Lumenaza targets tiny producers such as owners of rooftop solar. Its goal is to connect up all of … [Read more...]
Tesla Gigafactory 1 – will it succeed or fail?
The success or failure of the Tesla Gigafactory, which opened in July in Nevada could have far-reaching consequences for the transition to renewables and electric cars. Stephen J. Veneruso attended the opening and took a good hard look at the people involved in this huge project. He concludes that they don’t regard it as an ordinary job. Article courtesy of Cleantechnica.com. … [Read more...]
The hydrogen economy is much nearer than we think Â
For over 30 years promoters of green energy have proclaimed the hydrogen economy is around the corner. Now this could finally become true. While some energy experts claim that hydrogen from renewable energy is prohibitively expensive, companies like ITM in the UK are proving in the market that this technology is already competitive. They produce hydrogen for use in cars and in the form of power-to-gas to be used in the gas network. Energy … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- …
- 16
- Next Page »