The idea of a hydrogen-based economy has been around since the oil crises of the 1970s, but it has not materialised up to this point. Yet according to Jan Cihlar of Ecofys, a Navigant company, hydrogen could still become a key enabler of the low carbon transition, if it is produced with renewable electricity. The potential of further cost reductions make this a possibility in some applications in transport and industry. … [Read more...]
Why solar keeps being underestimated
There are competing ideas on the best technologies to rapidly decarbonise the energy system. Some scenarios emphasise the role of carbon capture and storage to render coal- and gas-fired power plants more climate-friendly. Others point to nuclear energy and a third group is more optimistic on renewable sources. But itâs plausible that even these more optimistic outlooks have greatly underestimated the potential of solar power, writes Dr Felix … [Read more...]
IEA underreports contribution solar and wind by a factor of three compared to fossil fuels
The International Energy Agencyâs (IEA) statistics underreport the role of wind and solar in the worldâs energy mix by a factor of three, writes Erik Sauar. This gives policymakers, investors and the public the false impression that wind and solar are insignificant. According to Sauar, the counting method must be changed to reflect how close the world really is to a transition to renewables. Article courtesy Energi og Klima. [See note at the end … [Read more...]
100% renewable energy for 139 nations detailed in Stanford report
Mark Z. Jacobson, the famed professor at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences, and 26 of his colleagues have compiled a report that shows exactly how 139 nations could transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 without throwing millions of people out of work. In fact, they contend that the changeover would actually spur job growth while dramatically reducing carbon emissions, writes Steve Hanley. Article courtesy of … [Read more...]
Battery storage is becoming a built-in product feature
Batteries will increasingly be built into power generating systems and other infrastructure, writes John Massey, a UK-based business trainer who gives workshops for energy investors, policymakers and energy companies worldwide. According to Massey, the integration of batteries into products and systems will create an entirely new value chain that will partially come to replace standalone grid-scale and household batteries. … [Read more...]
If we keep subsidizing wind, will the cost of wind energy go down?
The learning rate for wind power is in the range of 7.7%-11%, researchers Eric Williams and Eric Hittinger of Rochester Institute of Technology found. This means the cost should go down from 5.5 cts/kWh today to 4.1-4.5 cts/kWh in 2030, cheaper than conventional power sources. Does this mean we should stop subsidizing wind? Article courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The perils of falling in love with energy technology
Renewable energy and fossil fuel advocates have one thing in common â an unhealthy tendency to fall in love with a particular energy technology, writes Hal Harvey, founder and CEO of think tank Energy Innovation. Policymakers for their part often fall in love with particular policies. But according to Harvey, what matters is setting ambitious goals, adopting policies that reward performance and let the dynamics of the market work out how to get … [Read more...]
The five key characteristics of the future energy company
Energy markets are in the middle of a revolution, triggered by decarbonisation and innovation. History suggests that this is not a safe place to be, not even for the revolutionaries, but especially not for the âold guardâ. Stephen Woodhouse and Simon Bradbury of PĂśyry Management Consulting investigate the key characteristics necessary for a successful future energy company. (This article was adapted from a new book, Innovation and Disruption at … [Read more...]
How electricity will be priced in the future
The rapid transformation of the electricity sector will make it necessary for utilities to adopt radically new pricing methods, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, publisher of newsletter EEnergy Informer and editor of a new book, Innovation & Disruption at the Gridâs Edge. According to Sioshansi, existing volumetric tariffs will increasingly be replaced by fixed service fees. … [Read more...]
Nuclear and coal lobbies threaten to scupper renewables in South Africa
South Aricaâs state utility Eskom is undermining the development of renewable energy in South Africa, writes Professor Hartmut Winkler of the University of Johannesburg. According to Winkler, the countryâs coal and nuclear lobbies are behind the opposition to renewables. The struggle is part of a wider political confrontation over control of key parts of the South African economy. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The renewable energy auction revolution
Whatâs up with record low renewable energy prices? Policy innovation is key to harnessing renewable energy potential, writes Meredith Fowlie, Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of California at Berkeley. Article courtesy Energy Institute Blog, Energy Institute at Haas School of Business. … [Read more...]
Politically charged: do you know where your batteries come from?
People are excited about batteries, from electric cars to Teslaâs 129 megawatt-hour energy storage project  in South Australia. But one important issue is often overlooked: the raw materials needed to build this technology â where they come from and their environmental cost. Ben McLellan of Kyoto University takes a closer look at what goes into the lithium-ion battery. Article courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Legal challenge to Spainâs capacity market payments well-founded
Two Spanish NGOâs have started a court case against Spainâs capacity market scheme, which they say unnecessarily subsidizes operators of large power plants for billions of euros. Gerard Wynn, independent energy consultant, explains why their arguments are well-founded. According to Wynn, Spainâs capacity mechanism violates EU rules and should be scrapped as soon as possible. This article was first published on the blog of the Institute for Energy … [Read more...]
Europeâs growth rate in offshore wind must triple to get Paris goals into reach
To support the Paris Agreementâs goal of limiting temperature increase to 1.5°C, Europe will need a CO2-neutral electricity supply by 2045. A target we cannot meet unless we ramp up Europeâs offshore wind capacity, says Michiel MĂźller from consultancy Ecofys, a Navigant company. The companyâs energy experts calculated that the current offshore wind installation rate would have to triple to get this goal within reach. They argue that an integrated … [Read more...]
The trillion dollar question: will renewables displace natural gas?
Bloombergâs renewable energy affiliate forecasts that wind and solar power will make major inroads into the global market share of natural gas within a decade. This is a crucially important question for major oil companies who are betting their future on gas, writes Managing Director of independent US-based consultancy GSW Strategy Group Geoffrey Styles. But according to Styles, it is likelier that coal, not gas, faces the biggest risk from the … [Read more...]
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