The UK is weighing up future carbon pricing options in a post-EU world, but Scotland will not abide a London plan for a national tax because that would impinge on devolved powers. Resolving the issue will not be easy, particularly in the event of a no-deal Brexit, writes Sara Stefanini, Climate Home News. Courtesy of Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
How do ambitious climate pledges impact economic growth?
At the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, delegates from all over the world made ambitious commitments to tackle climate change. But how will their actions impact economic growth? Chris Busch of think-tank Energy Innovation compares manufacturing and employment data from climate leader California to laggard Texas and the US as a whole. His findings suggest that climate actions are affordable and even provide a boost to economies. … [Read more...]
Why decarbonising gas might be harder than you think
Decarbonising the European energy system by 2050 will require a fundamental shift for the way the gas industry operates, away from business-as-usual in network planning and market design. Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, leaves no room for fossil gas consumption where CO2 is not captured and stored. But turning the gas industry into a zero-carbon industry is no simple task. … [Read more...]
What role for gas in Europeâs 2050 energy system?
The European Commission sees natural gas play a critical role in the energy transition to 2035, but beyond that its views on the role of gas are much less clear. Simon Blakey, analyst at IHS Markit, does not believe that renewables can be ramped up quickly enough to replace coal generation. Jonathan Gaventa of think tank E3G argues gas has no place in the energy mix by then, unless it is decarbonized. Energy Post editor Jason Deign spoke to both … [Read more...]
UK offers green assurances for no-deal Brexit
The UK government says its environment and energy rules will remain in step with the EUâs even if it makes a hard, no-deal exit next year. Time, however, is running short, writes Sara Stefanini. Courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
Hydrogen is heading up the European policy agenda
Hydrogenâs momentum is building, as European ministers consider approving a new âHydrogen Initiativeâ this week that aims to âmaximise the great potential of sustainable hydrogen technology.â With funding from the EUâs Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a consortium of industrial heavyweights in the H2FUTURE project is already ramping up production of hydrogen from renewable sources. But, as the International Renewable Energy Agency notes … [Read more...]
Smart cities: not enough projects make the grade
Despite the hype about smart cities, and the availability of EU funding, there are very few projects out there that qualify for funding, according to Lada Strelnikova, lead fund manager at the European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). An exception: Belgian bank Belfius has, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB), provided âŹ1 billion to smart city projects involving more than 100 municipalities in Belgium. According to Joost Declerck … [Read more...]
Polandâs PGE should accelerate its coal diversification plans
Polandâs biggest utility, PGE, should accelerate plans to diversify away from coal, as surging carbon prices underscore risks gathering around its present PLN 21 billion ($5.6 billion) coal power investment programme, write Gerard Wynn of IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) and Paolo Coghe of the Paris-based independent consultancy Acousmatics. Courtesy Energy and Carbon Blog. … [Read more...]
Replacing copper with negawattsâhow the UKâs RIIO-2 could revolutionise network regulation
Ofgemâs recent framework decision on improving its performance-based regulation scheme, RIIO, indicates that it may be ready to take a much-needed step toward levelling the playing field between supply-side and customer-side resources. However, it is not yet clear what the details will look like. According to Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project, a global group of regulatory experts, Ofgem should put a network regulation scheme in … [Read more...]
How to make the smart city a reality: forget technology, focus on the people
European public funding has kicked off the first generation of âsmart cityâ projects, a recent concept in sustainable urban development aimed at integrated planning for energy, mobility and ICT. But successful smart city development does not come easily: above all, it requires engagement from citizens, say several experts Energy Post spoke with. âForget technology. The smart city is about identifying solutions that are part of everyday lifeâ. … [Read more...]
China restarts coal plant construction after two-year freeze
Satellite imagery reveals that many coal-fired power projects that were halted by the Chinese government have quietly restarted, writes Feng Hao of China Dialogue. The reason is probably that Chinaâs power demand is rebounding. However, according to Hao, many coal power plants are running at a loss and there is still substantial overcapacity. Courtesy Climate Home. … [Read more...]
Ukraine has made great progress in reforming the gas sector â but its fate still hangs in the balance
Natural gas still plays an outsized role in Ukraineâs energy mix â and it will continue to do so for many decades to come, writes Jakub Kucera, economic analyst at RSJ, a Prague-based investment company. Kucera explains the many formidable challenges Ukraine is facing in the gas sector and their profound impact on the European energy market. He concludes that Ukraine has made admirable progress in cleaning up the gas sector. Unfortunately, … [Read more...]
Energiewende enters a new phase â how is it performing?
The Energiewende is proceeding ahead of schedule with high grid reliability, writes researcher Schalk Cloete. However, costs are much higher than originally planned, while CO2emissions are stagnating. According to Cloete, wind/solar market shares have now reached the point where large grid expansion projects become critical. One problem is that the net value of new wind/solar is approaching zero as market value declines and integration costs … [Read more...]
Un-SAFE: Trump clean cars rollback could cost $450 billion, increase emissions 11%
Trumpâs fuel economy standard rollback will be a disaster for the United States, write Jeffrey Rissman and Robbie Orvis of California-based think tank Energy Innovation. It will harm American consumers and the transport sector and sharply drive up emissions. The only winners will be oil companies. … [Read more...]
Trump is wrecking the climate and free trade. Here is one solution for both
Instead of tit-for-tat retaliation to US tariffs, trade partners should link their response to climate goals and kill two birds with one stone, write four researchers. Courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
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