Politicians and interest groups are polarising the debate between post COVID-19 economic recovery and decarbonisation. By doing so, they jeopardise Europe’s future. It has to stop. While Pascal Canfin, prominent Member of the European Parliament, launched a vast call to restore Europe’s economy in line with the EU Green Deal, others are calling to delay or freeze climate ambitions. European and national leaders have to understand that they … [Read more...]
articles, events and other posts from the Energy Post community
Green Ammonia can replace fossil fuel storage at scale
What’s the best way to store energy, from industry scale to electric vehicles, replacing the widespread use of fossil fuels? Pure hydrogen is an energy dense alternative, but the gas takes up a lot of space. Liquid ammonia doesn’t, yet it contains the hydrogen and therefore the energy. Ian Wilkinson at Siemens explains the advantages of using ammonia, NH3. Already the world produces 180m tonnes a year, worth €80bn. It’s mainly for agricultural … [Read more...]
Beyond pilots: scaling up energy innovation in cities
Our current electricity grid was built hundreds of years ago, when power generation was centralised and our energy needs were far simpler. Electricity was distributed from large stable power plants to the consumers through a unidirectional flow that was easily predictable and did not require complex control. But over the last decades, cities have been going through a substantial change, seeing an exponential increase of their energy needs which … [Read more...]
First Impact Report out now – Concerted Action Energy Efficiency Directive
The report can be downloaded from this URL: https://www.ca-eed.eu/Outcomes/Impact-report What is CA EED? The Concerted Action (CA) was initially launched in spring of 2008 in support the implementation of the Energy Services Directive (ESD), which later became the Directive on Energy Efficiency (EED). The work carried out within the CA revealed the wide difference in the energy efficiency measures across Europe and a clear need … [Read more...]
Ten highlights of floating solar PV power station on water
The photovoltaic power stations we are familiar with are centralized, distributed, tower type, rooftop, agricultural greenhouse and so on, but these are some ground photovoltaic power stations. After all, the land resources on the earth are limited and the degree of land availability is limited. Next, let's learn something about the situation of the new type PV power station, that isfloating solar PV power station on water and its ten … [Read more...]
How will Russia respond to Europe’s climate action
In March 2014 Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the Kremlin following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He said: “If you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard. You must always remember this”. The compressing of the spring, in this case, was the perceived threat of an increasingly Western-leaning Ukraine and former Soviet states joining NATO. The snap back saw Russia take Crimea, starting a military … [Read more...]
The Balkans’ biggest power station – why thinking beyond Maritsa East 2 matters
By energy lawyers Dominique Doyle (ClientEarth) and Regina Stoilova (Za Zemiata Access to Justice) In Bulgaria’s Stara Zagora region, the Balkans’ biggest coal plant chugs steadily away, part of a giant industrial complex. Maritsa East 2’s reputation is as a provider of jobs and stability. The cloud of pollution that hangs over the region – and the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over its future – go largely undiscussed. The plant’s … [Read more...]
The Knowns and Unknowns of Global Energy
Since energy demand can be affected by developments outside the energy sector – over which the industry has no control – managements need an active and adaptive review process. There is no room for delusion. The slogan "we will need all the energy we can get" is misguided. The future changes. Economics counts – and social climate objectives matter. Sorting the "known unknowns" It helps to sort the unknowns into boxes for different time … [Read more...]
Member States must decide: cash for climate or cash for carbon?
Over 3 billion euros of EU money meant for Europe’s poorer regions could be up for grabs by the fossil fuel industry if EU Member States do not change their current position on 25 June. The funding, which is part of the 374 billion Euro ‘Cohesion Policy’ pot, was - in the European Commission’s proposal - meant to go to sustainable economic activities. Yet if EU Member States get their way, a significant portion of the funding would be made … [Read more...]
Pioneering cold-fusion: the elusive answer to global energy poverty and an end to nuclear waste
Inventor Suneel N Parekh is an energy pioneer. What keeps him going is a mixture of conviction and optimism. But even he knows he won’t get his project over the line without help. After decades he is finally bringing the proof of his methods to the attention of investors who can make or break his life’s work. Pioneers need backers. Just as The Beatles needed a deal before we could enjoy Sgt. Peppers, our energy pioneers need their break too - the … [Read more...]
EU gas market: what China’s tariffs on US LNG could mean for Europe
Natural gas provides for around 25% of all energy consumed in the EU and is an established, if controversial, feature of the EU’s Roadmap to 2050. Furthermore, the majority of EU gas is imported and increasingly so. Combining those two factors, price and security of supply are the main issues for EU member states. So the rise of the LNG market, diversifying supply and introducing competition, alongside traditional, piped gas should be a welcome … [Read more...]
PRESS RELEASE: Jose Luis Martinez Dalmau is elected as new President of ESTELA.
Mr. Jose Luis Martinez Dalmau was appointed unanimously as President by the ESTELA General Assembly for a 2-year term – 2019-2021 right after the announcement by Dr Crespo to retire. The newly mandated Executive Committee (ExCom) of ESTELA is composed of three Vice-Presidents – J. A. Nebrera (ACS Cobra), J. Sandhu (ENGIE), C. Prieto (Abengoa), and six Members – E. Absil (CMI Solar), R. García (Protermosolar, the Spanish STE association), R. … [Read more...]
PPA 2.0: future-proofing corporate energy funding
Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are a significant tool for funding the energy transition. Research by DNV GL suggests that, as renewable energy becomes more widespread, its price dynamics becomes more complex, and that matters to PPAs. Some governments are looking to phase out subsidies and feed-in tariffs, effectively softening their price guarantees. Also, as renewables generation grows, market prices can fall. Martijn Duvoort, Director Energy … [Read more...]
What’s next for the geopolitics of energy transformation?
January’s IRENA report “A New World” has kick-started the debate on how the accelerating deployment of renewables will affect and alter the global distribution of political and economic power. Jan Frederik Braun and Daniel Scholten review its findings and build on the list of issues that must be faced. For example, although the IRENA report focuses on electrification the authors say power-to-gas is likely to play a major role, and we must face up … [Read more...]
Onsite solar and storage powers off-grid telecom towers
There are more than 3m telecom towers globally, and powering them is a $100bn market. It's a particularly important growth sector in developing countries. They are already using mobiles to leapfrog the laying of costly landlines, but because they lack grids that stretch to remote communities they need to power towers that are off the grid. Dr Thomas Hillig says as solar and storage costs continue to drop they are replacing diesel gensets as the … [Read more...]
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