The Iasi-Ungheni gas interconnector between Romania and Moldova, the construction of which began in late August, is expected to improve Moldova’s energy security, bring commercial benefits to both Moldova and Romania, and contribute to the physical integration of the European gas market. The real raison d'être of the new pipeline is, however, rather geopolitical in nature: it will help wean Moldova from Russian domination and bring the country … [Read more...]
World Energy in 2040: Our fossil-fueled future
What sort of fabulous new energy systems will the world possess in 2040? Which fuels will supply the bulk of our energy needs? And how will that change the global energy equation, international politics, and the planet’s health? If the experts at the U.S. Department of Energy are right, the startling “new” fuels of 2040 will be oil, coal, and natural gas -- and we will find ourselves on a baking, painfully uncomfortable planet. Famous energy … [Read more...]
How much energy does the world need?
Although global energy consumption is expected to rise dramatically, established projections don’t even come close to accounting for the additional capacity it will take to ensure modern energy access for all. Most scenarios presume that 1 to 2 billion people will still be living without electricity in 2035. That, says environmental policy expert Roger Pielke, Jr., is unacceptable. Pielke calculates how much energy the world needs if we assume … [Read more...]
Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven
Now that a new political year has started, it may be useful to ask what exactly are the most important parameters that should go into any energy policy mix. I have identified seven – which I have dubbed the Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven. The nice thing about my “energy policy model” is that it may come in handy – even if you totally disagree with my ideas. Photo: Heaven visited me by Kevin Dooley … [Read more...]
After Nabucco – Croatia to the Rescue of Central Europe’s Energy Security?
With the "death" of Nabucco, it seems that the EU strategy to diversify gas supplies to Central and South East European member states has failed miserably. Yet according to David Koranyi, Ian Brzezinski and Matthew Bryza of the Atlantic Council there are other ways to reduce these countries’ dependence on Russian gas supplies. They can work to expand gas interconnections in the EU. And, perhaps even more importantly, they can source US shale gas … [Read more...]
Nuclear Power: the Faustian Bargain
There are good reasons to be in favor of nuclear power – for now. There are even better reasons to want to replace nuclear power by renewable energy – in the not too distant future, writes Allan Hoffman, former energy expert at the US Department of Energy. This is the second of two articles in which Hoffman, who runs the blog Thoughts of a Lapsed Physicist, reflects on a sensitive energy topic. In his first article he weighed the pros and cons of … [Read more...]
Fracking? It will happen – so let’s at least do it very, very carefully
To frack or not to frack? That is the question being asked now in many European countries. The US has over a decade of experience with fracking. Allan Hoffman, long-time energy expert at the US Department of Energy who started his own blog upon his retirement last year, has mixed feelings about the blessings of shale gas and shale oil. Weighing the pros and cons, he concludes that fracking is probably too lucrative to be stopped, but at least it … [Read more...]
Natural gas as “coal killer”
Natural gas is a coal killer and renewable energy booster. That at any rate is the major conclusion of the Breakthrough Institute, an influential, independent US think tank, in a recent report. We have provided a short summary for you. Photo: Greenpeace Italy … [Read more...]
Ukraine: the energy to change course
Twenty-two years after breaking free from the USSR, Ukraine is now attempting to do the unthinkable and permanently shake Russia’s hold on the country. The plan? Looking westward to the European Union and building an energy hub that might just revolutionize the region’s geopolitical status quo. Photo: Dobrych … [Read more...]
Germany’s ‘Energiewende’ Shows Why We Need Nuclear
Germany’s energy transition has been used by activists and governments as evidence that we can solve climate change with wind and solar, and that we don’t need nuclear power. But according to Max Luke and Jessica Lovering of the Breakthrough Institute, if we take the fight against CO2 emissions seriously, it would be foolish – and very expensive – to limit the options to renewables alone and not to include nuclear power. Nuclear power plant … [Read more...]
Five lessons from Germany’s Energiewende
The German renewable energy transition is moving ahead at an impressive pace. What can other countries learn from what has been achieved so far? And what are the main challenges ahead? Sam Friggens of Abundance Generation, a UK crowdfunding initiative for renewable energy projects, sums up five lessons that can be drawn from the German experience. It can be done elsewehere, he says, but you need a new kind of energy market. Photo: WWF … [Read more...]
The Third Carbon Age
Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded the Age of Coal. But according to Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, and the author, most recently, of The Race for What’s Left, this is an illusion. In reality, the energy industry is pouring its historic profits into new … [Read more...]
Europe’s malfunctioning energy market is stifling economic growth
Today’s European energy market is still poorly interconnected and neither open nor competitive, writes former European Parliament President and former Prime Minister of Poland Jerzy Buzek, currently a Member of the European Parliament. Moreover, energy prices in the EU are much higher than in China and the US and are increasing. According to Burzek, a truly harmonised common energy market and coordinated investment in infrastructure are vital if … [Read more...]
Virunga: The real price of energy
In 2010, the Congolese Government of Kinshasa granted concessions to European companies to exploit oil near the border with Uganda. Exploration is only starting now in a context of civil war. But the area includes one of the world’s most exceptional nature reserves: Virunga National Park. Energy versus wildlife: the same story once again. The EU is financing a cost-benefit analysis to decide on a way ahead, but one conclusion is already clear: … [Read more...]
Is the EU done picking clean energy winners?
How far is the EU preparing to move away from its current energy R&D strategy of picking technological winners? In a new policy paper earlier this year, the European Commission outlined its vision for a fresh approach to innovation that takes the energy system as its starting point and focuses on system outcomes, not individual technologies. This is the R&D dimension of the EU’s current battle for a 2030 climate and energy policy. Sonja … [Read more...]
