In the energy sector, the disadvantages of EU membership overwhelmingly outweigh the advantages, the Business for Britain lobby group has argued. David Buchan and Malcolm Keay of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and authors of a new book on the Energy Union, conclude, however, that EU constraints on UK energy policy have been minimal and benefits have been many. The consequences of a Brexit for the UK energy sector are not clear, … [Read more...]
Delusions or lies? The UK government’s five spurious reasons to back Hinkley Point C
The UK's Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) on 12 March published a short list of reasons why the proposed 3.2 GWs of nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point should be built. The publication, 5 Reasons why we are backing Hinkley Point C, is a mix of truth, unprovable assertions and omissions which could also be construed as lies, writes independent energy consultant Mike Parr. … [Read more...]
What Energy Efficiency can learn from Solar, Uber and Spotify
The “as-a-service” business model, which substitutes pay-as-you-go options for ownership  with its high upfront costs, is conquering such diverse sectors as solar panels, digital music and transport. It will also be increasingly applied to energy-efficiency projects, writes Angela Ferrante of US-based financial technology company SparkFund. The long-awaited energy efficiency breakthrough may finally be here. … [Read more...]
Buying Vattenfall’s lignite business could be a risky bet
Vattenfall is currently looking for a buyer for its German lignite assets. However, any potential investor faces a high risk that they will find themselves forced to wind down the business before earning back their investment, write Julian Schwartzkopff and Sabrina Schulz of international environmental organisation E3G. In this article, a shortened version of their new report Vattenfall’s Lignite Business – a Risky Bet for Investors, they explain … [Read more...]
Broken public utilities: how to fix them
The recent newspaper reports of financial and operating problems at the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and South Africa’s ESKOM show that these state-owned systems suffer from similar governance and regulatory deficiencies, writes Branko Terzic, Managing Director of Berkeley Research Group and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. According to Terzic, a former Commissioner on the U.S. FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory … [Read more...]
How hub-based pricing is reshaping the EU gas market – even Spain
Countries like Spain, which have long been immune to the shift from oil- to spot market-based gas pricing, are finally waking up. With that, come fresh opportunities for alternative gas suppliers to sell more and end-customers to pay less. So the evidence suggests, writes Benedict De Meulemeester, owner and founder of the international energy and environment consultancy E&C. Taking the UK as an example, he urges Spain to use a new … [Read more...]
EU kicks off final phase of controversial carbon market reform
On 15 July, the European Commission unveiled its long-awaited proposals for a deep and meaningful reform of Europe’s carbon market from 2021-30. It neatly turns into law political decisions by EU heads of state and government last October. NGOs have lambasted it for lack of ambition while industry is screaming blue murder about a declining pot of free carbon allowances. Welcome to the start of a two-year battle that is probably the last chance … [Read more...]
Tories are backing the wrong energy horses
By opting for nuclear power and shale gas, and reducing support for wind energy, the new Tory government is betting on the wrong energy horses, write Peter Strachan and Alex Russell of Robert Gordon University. "New nuclear looks a very costly and unreliable drain on the government’s budget, while fracking looks expensive, incompatible with emissions targets and probably uneconomic at current oil prices." … [Read more...]
GE-Alstom deal tests limits of EU competition law
The planned takeover of Alstom by GE has raised anti-trust concerns in Brussels. The European Commission is expected to soon come with an official “Statement of Objections”. The companies – and the French government – are putting heavy pressure on the Commission to let the deal go through.  “Blocking the deal would help Chinese rivals and cost jobs in Europe." … [Read more...]
Interview Radu Dudau, Energy Policy Group: “We are in urgent need of a new energy strategy”
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. “We are in urgent need of a new energy strategy. We need to decide what to do with our energy sector.” At the same time, says Dudau, the EU needs to get involved to coordinate regional energy matters in Central and Eastern Europe: “This is a region with no encouraging history of cooperation” But … [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...]
Tennet: Dutch electricity prices down 20%, price declines in almost all European countries
Electricity prices in the Netherlands declined 20% in 2014, according to a new Market Review published by Tennet, the Dutch transmission system operator (TSO), which is also active in Germany. According to the Market Review, electricity prices went down across Europe. Prices in the Netherlands and Germany showed convergence, but there was little convergence overall in Europe. The report also shows that coal-fired power plants are taking over from … [Read more...]
More coal plants are being cancelled than built
The global coal boom has started to slow, a new  report says, as more plans for new power plants are now being shelved than completed. The number of cancelled coal projects across the world has outstripped those completed at a rate of two to one since 2010, according to Sierra Club and CoalSwarm - two campaign groups that have tracked the progress of 3,900 intended plants since 1 January 2010. Article by Sophie Yeo of The Carbon Brief. … [Read more...]
Everyone is guessing when it comes to oil prices
Oil price forecasters base their predictions on a multitude of different factors, writes Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. When you take all these into account, he says, it becomes clear that nobody really knows which way oil prices are heading. … [Read more...]
In the oil heartlands of the planet, solar now beats oil and gas
One of the biggest banks in the Middle East and the oil-rich Gulf countries says that fossil fuels can no longer compete with solar technologies on price, and that the vast bulk of the $US48 trillion needed to meet global power demand over the next two decades will come from renewables. Meanwhile, in Dubai, Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, has won the world’s largest ever solar tender with the cheapest ever price: one-third below the cost of gas-fired … [Read more...]
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