In a world where electricity is generated from non-renewables (oil, gas, nuclear) our meters measure and charge us for electricity delivered, as if it was a fuel being consumed. Going forward, the cost should be measured against what is actually being consumed. In a renewables world â particularly 'run-of-the-river' hydro, wind and solar - thatâs not the electricity. Itâs the wear and tear on the infrastructure. Treating these types of renewable … [Read more...]
Transition will change economic winners and losers. Itâs not just technical, itâs political
On Wednesday 23rd January the ITRE committee vote on the agreement on the Electricity Market Design Directive and Regulation that was reached in December 2018. The day before, climate think tank E3G will publish a report on what still needs to be done by the next Commission, above and beyond the existing Clean Energy Package. In an interview with RAW Talks, E3Gâs Chairman, Tom Burke, talks about both the practical and political … [Read more...]
Energy Efficiency targets: Time to ramp up investment in buildings, industry and vehicles
Energy efficiency investment rates need to double now, and then double again in 2025, to meet energy efficiencyâs obligation to hitting the Paris targets. Right now there is a âŹ130bn annual energy efficiency investment gap in Europe. Peter Sweatman, Rapporteur for EEFIG, looks at the assets themselves and says we need to productise the measurement of their energy efficiency, and then legislate. Thatâs how to make energy efficient homes, offices, … [Read more...]
EU electricity supply from RES off course for 2030 â so is it more nuclear or gas?
Last yearâs strong reported performances for the share of clean energy in the UK and German energy mixes paint a rosy picture. It is the result of billions in investment and strong signals from Brussels and the COP series. Looking more broadly across the EU though, the share actually decreased by 17% from 2016 to 2017. Furthermore, due to lack of investment stretching back as far as 2011, the rate of growth has dropped significantly putting RES … [Read more...]
VW joins Tesla and BMW – EV and energy company all-in-one pays for business and consumers
Last weekâs announcement by VW that it is setting up a company called âElliâ (short for Electric Life) offering energy services shows VWâs vision of what lies ahead for the automotive industry. It brings them head to head with Tesla and BMW who are already playing a role outside the traditional bounds of the car business. They are the new breed, ready to profit from customers who want to go electric as long as it makes financial as well as … [Read more...]
Report maps out the new geopolitical power dynamics created by renewables
A new report by the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation says the new energy age will profoundly reshape relations between states and regions. It will bring âA New Worldâ of power, security, energy independence and prosperity. It will also reshape the geopolitical map, just as fossil-fuels have done over the last 200 years. No nation will be unaffected. … [Read more...]
Britain has shifted 30% of its electricity away from fossil fuels in just nine years
Britainâs extraordinary energy transition is in part down to increased energy efficiency: put simply, less electricity was needed, whatever the source. But coal is still essential during spikes in demand. Given coal generation is due to be phased out by 2025, the country will need to find alternative power sources to cope during extreme weather events. And that overall decline in electricity demand is sure to be reversed as more vehicles and … [Read more...]
A record year for big corporates buying renewable energy to run their operations
In the U.S. 2018 set a new record for total capacity of announced corporate renewable energy (RE) purchases. Facebook, AT&T, Walmart, ExxonMobil and Microsoft top the list. This unprecedented demand has been met with robust supply from renewable energy project developers as well as from utilities, which have demonstrated their willingness to work with these buyers in finding new solutions in the market. The Rocky Mountain Instituteâs Lily … [Read more...]
Will France spoil its nuclear future for short-term political gain?
President Emmanuel Macron of France is walking a tightrope. He wants to âMake Our Planet Great Againâ and imposed a fuel-tax hike. But protests against the tax that spiralled into a debate about the cost of living have left him struggling with his energy policy, and what to do with the nationâs ageing nuclear reactor fleet. Dan Yurman separates the nuclear promises from the reality. … [Read more...]
Norwayâs renewables exports to increase 8-fold by 2030
Already, Norwayâs renewable energy sector generates $1.2bn in export revenues today. Now an analysis of commitments by both private and state actors shows that that figure should rise 8-fold by 2030. Terje Osmundsen, CEO of Empower New Energy, adds up the numbers, identifies the key businesses and state operators, and shows how renewables exports can help both Norway and developing countries in danger of being left behind. … [Read more...]
Billions in private investment waiting for clearer action and guarantees from governments on pathway to 2050
Last month we reported how weak commitments by some EU states were putting a successful transition at risk. Marcela Scarpellini of right. based on science focuses on how this confusion impacts the funding of the transition, and the essential role of private investment. $16.5 trillion needs to be put into energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies by 2030 to hold the temperature increase below 2°C by 2050, says the IEA. Governments alone cannot … [Read more...]
Low oil price alongside rise in renewables sees Oil & Gas slide to bottom of S&P 500
In December we reported that in 2018, the U.S. became the world's leading oil producer for the first time since the 1970s. It is tipped to produce 12 million barrels of oil per day this year (up approximately 10% year on year), and over two-thirds of it will come from shale producers. But the consequent squeeze on the oil price meant U.S. Oil & Gas firms ended the second year in a row at the bottom of the stock market. IEEFAâs director of … [Read more...]
Opposition to Nord Stream 2 ignores market fundamentals [Energy Post Weekly]
Criticism of the Nord Stream 2 project routinely misses the bigger picture of EUâs lower carbon targets, Groningenâs impending switch-off and Russiaâs own dependence on natural gas exports to Europe. … [Read more...]
IEA: Future is electric and increasingly renewable
"The IEA is no longer the conservative bastion of oil it once was" writes Fereidoon Sioshansi. Distilling all 650 pages of their latest Outlook, he summarises how the pressing need to address climate change means the dwindling supremacy of oil is giving way to a growing role for electricity that will, amongst other things, cater for 1 billion EVs by 2040. Courtesy EEnergy Informer … [Read more...]
The risks related to onshore wind power investment
Bans on subsidies (in some countries) and reduced costs have hit total investment in onshore wind. Meanwhile, market share continues to grow across the EU28. Wind energy now accounts for almost 20% of installed capacity for power generation which makes researcher Schalk Cloete's sobering analysis of risks for onshore wind well worth reading. Following up on his previous article, he examines current assumptions and argues that the discount rate … [Read more...]
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