The United Nationâs panel on climate change said that technologies to remove CO2 will be necessary to limit global temperature rise to only 1.5oC. But these techniques are largely unproven, and the technical, economic and environmental barriers of negative emissions technologies (NETs) are very real, states Howard J. Herzog, Senior Research Engineer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a leading expert in CO2 capture and storage. … [Read more...]
How can gas contribute to the achievement of EU climate targets
What role is there for gas in the European energy system over the next decades? Some believe the EU must give priority to coal-to-gas switching. Others see no role for natural gas at all in the long run and argue that EU policy must promote only ârenewableâ gas. An Energy Post panel debate in Brussels, sponsored by Nord Stream 2, saw conflicting views sound off against each other. Meanwhile, a new âGas for Climateâ initiative proposes a 10% … [Read more...]
Are solar microgrids the future in the developing world?
Setting out to evaluate the real-world performance of solar microgrids in developing countries, a team from the Energy Institute at Haas partnered with startup Gram Power to provide small smart grid systems to unelectrified rural communities in India. While many industry experts see microgrids as important for future electrification, what the team found was that few communities wanted them, and they were difficult to implement and operate. … [Read more...]
Brexit: What it means for UK-EU energy trade
The UK says it wants to keep or even expand its close ties with the European Union energy market after Brexit, but it might not get what it wants if the country leaves the EU with no deal in 2019. Gas and electricity will continue to be traded between the two, but the risks of shortages and higher costs for the UK and Ireland will grow and increase over time, explains Sara Stefanini of Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
Khashoggi and Skripal: wake-up calls for European energy policy
The apparent brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey by the Saudi Arabian regime and the equally brazen attempted murder of Sergei Skripal in England should serve as wake-up calls for European energy policymakers, writes Karel Beckman, editor-in-chief of Energy Post. These misdeeds demonstrate the aggressive nature of the Saudi and Russia regimes and underline the necessity for Europe to reduce its reliance on oil and gas much more rapidly … [Read more...]
Gas revolution? Prospects for increasing gas production in Ukraine
Ukraine wants to be self-sufficient in gas by 2020, which means increasing production by 35%. A plan is in place, reforms have been made, investments have increased and an international auction for 50 mining concessions is scheduled for 2019. But, says Wojciech KonoĹczuk of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), the country will only be able to fully exploit its large gas reserves if there are more reforms, corruption is reduced and foreign money … [Read more...]
Eurelectric warns of âreal and severeâ risks from no-deal brexit
With talks over the UKâs divorce deal with the EU having stalled over the weekend, the pan-European electricity industry association Eurelectric has taken the unusual step of calling for a rapid and successful end to negotiations. What follows is an open letter from Eurelectricâs secretary general, Kristian Ruby, to UK Prime Minister Theresa May and European Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier. Â … [Read more...]
UK homes need âdeep efficiency retrofitâ to meet climate goals
The British governmentâs policy of incrementally upgrading energy efficiency in UK homes is not enough to meet the countryâs 2050 climate targets. Instead, virtually every UK house needs a one-off retrofit, says a new report. It calls for government and cities to commit to pilot schemes for retrofitting whole houses using models such as the Dutch âEnergiesprongâ, which achieves a near net-zero energy home, typically by adding external insulation … [Read more...]
Europeans ‘not very worried about climate change’
The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is a wake-up call for the need to act quickly on greenhouse gas emissions. But research from the European Social Survey suggests European attitudes towards climate change could be hard to shift, says Ed Grover, senior communications officer at City, University of London. Courtesy of City, University of London. … [Read more...]
The fight over power networks in the EU: will national TSOs become subordinate to regional organisations?
The EU is discussing how far and how fast it can take regional cooperation among Transmission System Operators (TSOs). The European Commission and Parliament want to give entities for regional cooperation more independence and power, while Member States and TSOs want ultimate power to remain at national level. An upcoming conference on 16 October led by ENTSO-E (representing European TSOs) and Coreso (a regional entity) â and supported by Energy … [Read more...]
What is the future of coal?
It fired up the industrial age but is now condemned as a toxic pollutant. Most countries are cutting back on coal usage, but not all. Donald Trump wants to buck the trend and create jobs for miners, and Asiaâs appetite for the black stuff continues to grow. Siân Bradley, from the independent policy institute Chatham House, asks if there is a future for old King Coal. … [Read more...]
8 things you need to know about the IPCC 1.5ËC report
In its landmark report released today on global warming, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to stop global temperatures from rising by over 1.5ËC â but it is possible. The report makes it clear to governments and businesses that limiting warming to 1.5ËC is imperative, says Kelly Levin of World Resources Institute: âNow itâs time for them to step up to the challenge.â … [Read more...]
Methane is a potent pollutant â letâs keep it out of the atmosphere
The USâs intended relaxation of rules for the oil and gas industry on methane emissions could to lead to more being released. Since the countryâs fracking boom began, evidence of a significant increase of methane in the atmosphere has already been seen as far away as Switzerland. As well as impacting climate change, this policy change may increase pollution, and damage the health of both humans and crops, say Alastair Lewis and Lucy Carpenter. … [Read more...]
Tesla big battery defies sceptics, sends industry bananas over performance
Itâs less than a year since the Tesla big battery was installed at Hornsdale in Australia and the worldâs largest lithium-ion battery has exceeded all expectations, says Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com. Quicker, cheaper and with greater reliability, versatility, accuracy and efficiency than predicted, the storage system also looks set to provide a fast return on investment â results that have led to a rash of new battery projects in the … [Read more...]
Chinaâs Belt and Road as a conduit for clean power projects
Chinaâs Belt and Road Initiative is arguably the biggest regional connectivity and cooperation programme in operation today. But with China being a major polluter, there are also concerns the Initiative could just be adding to global environmental stress. Not so, argue John A Mathews and Carol X Huang of Macquarie University, Sydney: itâs actually a magnet for renewable energy investments. Courtesy of The Asia-Pacific Journal. … [Read more...]
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