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Energy Post

The best thinkers on energy

We have a decade to prevent dangerous climate change: these 10 policies can save us

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The climate change challenge is not technical nor even economic, but a matter of enacting the right policies, writes Silvio Marcacci, Communications Director at San Francisco-based think tank Energy Innovation. Based on new research, Marcacci outlines the the types of policies that are the most effective. … [Read more...]

UK offers green assurances for no-deal Brexit

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The UK government says its environment and energy rules will remain in step with the EU’s 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...]

DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook shows massive shift of investment from oil and gas into power lines

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The global energy transition will lead to a massive expansion of power lines at all voltage levels as well as a steep growth in the number of transformers and substations in the electricity system. This is one of the major new findings of the second edition of the Energy Transition Outlook, the annual flagship publication of global technical consultancy DNV GL. As a result, grid costs will triple, yet this cost explosion is offset by cost … [Read more...]

Interview Ditlev Engel, CEO DNV GL Energy: “We have to rethink the mechanisms of the electricity market”

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DNV GL’s new 2018 Energy Transition Outlook projects a massive investment shift from fossil fuels to renewables and grids – and this is based mainly on cost considerations. Yet,  notes Ditlev Engel, CEO of DNV GL Energy, in an interview with Energy Post, this won’t be enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. He says policymakers will have to take additional actions. “Doing just a little more won’t be enough.” (See here for main … [Read more...]

European utilities have increased their activity in energy cloud platforms

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The energy industry is experiencing a profound transformation as the sector moves towards a more intelligent, more distributed, and cleaner use of electricity, referred to as the Energy Cloud. According to digital innovation expert Alex Metz of Navigant, European utilities are increasingly recognising the value of integrated distributed energy resources (DER) and the potential of the Energy Cloud. In this article he looks at the activities of … [Read more...]

Replacing copper with negawatts—how the UK’s RIIO-2 could revolutionise network regulation

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Ofgem’s 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...]

Exclusive – top energy influencer Jan Vrins, Navigant: “Europe not looking enough behind-the-meter”

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Europe is focused too much on expanding renewable energy generation, and is threatening to miss out on the huge opportunities in the energy market that are emerging behind-the-meter, says top influencer Jan Vrins, Managing Director at the U.S.-based global consultancy Navigant, in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. According to Vrins, who is leading a practice of 600 energy experts, North America is forging ahead of Europe. “We are seeing a … [Read more...]

Estonia needs a plan – and support – to get rid of its dirty oil shale

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The need for a transition to sustainable energy is widely felt in Estonia, but after twenty years of talking, Estonia’s dirty oil shale industry is still carrying on. In fact, thanks to lower taxes, a boom in oil shale mining is expected. Estonian Green Movement, a member of Bankwatch, recently presented the national parliament with a proposal for a strategic oil shale exit plan. According to Teet Randma, national campaigner for Bankwatch in … [Read more...]

The next-generation Huawei universal transport solution for smart grid creates value for power companies

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PROMOTED CONTENT Power companies are building new networks that must support diversified services yet remain highly secure. Huawei offers a one-stop ICT solution for the electric power sector, writes Chen Chun-Yi. The company’s fully-connected grid solution has served 13 of the world’s top 20 power companies, including Eon in Germany and Enel in Italy. Another recent customer is SAK, the largest power company in Eastern Switzerland. … [Read more...]

New trend: storage-as-a-service

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New business models are emerging to aggregate and manage behind-the-meter investments, writes energy expert Fereidoon Sioshansi. One example: storage-as-a-service. In Vermont in the U.S. Green Mountain Power offers its customers a Tesla Powerwall battery for $15 a month. Courtesy EEinformer. … [Read more...]

Energiewende enters a new phase – how is it performing?

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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...]

The risks of the Trump Administration’s whiplash policy on Iranian oil

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As the Trump Administration prepares to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran following the president’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), its treatment of Iranian oil sales could dramatically impact both the United States’ Iran strategy and the global oil market, write David Mortlock and Ellen Wald of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. According to the authors, the … [Read more...]

Trump is wrecking the climate and free trade. Here is one solution for both

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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...]

The Trump and Juncker Agreement: there may be more to it than meets the eye

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The agreement between Trump and Juncker to have Europe buy more U.S. LNG has been criticized because it contains few details and because “they can’t make it happen anyway”. However, according to Anna Mikulska of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, the two leaders could promote investment in infrastructure – and that could have a big impact on the market. Courtesy Kleinman Center for … [Read more...]