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Energy Post

The best thinkers on energy

Reducing U.K. home energy use by 25% is not “too difficult”

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Some energy specialists believe that “all the easy stuff on energy efficiency has been done”, but Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) disagrees. New research shows that one-quarter of the energy currently used in U.K. households could be “cost-effectively” saved by 2035, he writes. But it can’t be done without policy support: the government will have to recognise the broader social benefits of energy efficiency investments, … [Read more...]

OPEC? NOPEC! What makes Putin’s vision of a Russian-US oil alliance a pipedream

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U.S. president Trump, who wants the U.S. to become a dominant oil and gas supplier to the world, regards Russia as “competitor”, though he sees that as “a compliment”. Russian president Putin has said he would like to “work together” with the U.S. to forge an OPEC-like alliance. Anna Mikulska, a fellow at the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies and at the University of Pennsylvania's Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, explains why such an … [Read more...]

Interview Sytse Zuidema, CEO EV charging leader NewMotion: “Charging at home and office will become the norm”

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Over the next five years the European mobility market – as well as the electricity market – will undergo a transformation, says Sytse Zuidema, CEO of NewMotion, Europe’s largest EV charging company, acquired last year by Shell. The Amsterdam-based company is already developing products that anticipate on the coming digitalization of the energy value chain, such as a highly advanced vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charger and apps that tell people at the … [Read more...]

The carbon floor price – a hammer in need of a toolbox

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Carbon pricing is often regarded as the Holy Grail of climate policy. But according to Richard Cowart, Principal at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), carbon prices cannot be a stand-alone solution. They have limited reach and – especially in electricity -- can be expensive for consumers. Nor are high carbon floor prices a magical solution: they don’t reduce the surplus of allowances and may not even reduce emissions. According to Cowart, … [Read more...]

Energy Community sets stage for clean energy transition in South-East Europe

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While the European Union has been busy with the new Clean Energy Package and discussing full decarbonisation by 2050, some important developments are also taking place in its closest neighborhood - in South-East Europe, where the Energy Community Treaty operates. Journalist and energy expert Oleg Savitsky attended the  Energy Community Sustainability Forum in June and explains how policymakers are trying to transform the energy markets of the … [Read more...]

Frack Germany? Greens sound the alarm as the frackers strike back

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Though many environmentalists cheered two summers ago when Germany’s Bundestag seemingly banned fracking, natural gas production across the country has not stopped. L. Michael Buchsbaum explains how companies are pushing for shale gas fracking, despite its impacts on people’s health and the environment. Courtesy Energy Transition. … [Read more...]

The Saudis won’t prevent the next oil shock

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As the oil price is inching up, and geopolitical storm clouds are gathering, market watchers increasingly wonder: can Saudi Arabia prevent the next oil price spike? And is it willing to do so? In this article, Nick Cunningham argues that even if Saudi Arabia manages to ratchet up production, it would mean that virtually all spare capacity go out of the market, setting the market up for further price rises. In an accompanying article, Cyril … [Read more...]

Blockchain technology – a threat to distribution network operators?

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Network operators should get involved soon in blockchain technology. If they miss the digital revolution, it will threaten their business model in the longer term and they could end up becoming pure network asset owners without operational responsibilities, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University. Courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]

Europe aims to have 300 smart cities by end of next year

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With the help of the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (EIP SCC), 78 cities in Europe have undertaken smart city development. The EIP-SCC aims at a critical mass of 300 smart cities by the end of 2019, according to Andreea Strachinescu of the European Commission. The most difficult part, she says, is not the renovation of individual buildings, but the systems integration. The next step: positive energy districts. … [Read more...]

EVs to make up third of market in 2040, e-buses to dominate end 2020s

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Electric vehicles will become cheaper than the internal combustion engine in a half decade, and will make up a third of the car fleet by 2040, while electric buses will completely “dominate” their sector by the late-2020s, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), which just published its Electric Vehicle Outlook 2018 report. Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com reports. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]

Poland’s stunning e-mobility plans

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The Polish government has adopted a new law on electromobility aimed at turning Poland into an e-mobility leader in Europe. The country wants to have 1 million EVs on the road by 2025 (Download position paper here). Already home to electric bus manufacturing plants and a big EV battery plant, Poland is set to become the motor for electrifying transport in Europe. “We are really pioneers”, says Marta Gajęcka, Head of Energy Advisors to the … [Read more...]

Investors have a choice: vote for Shell’s “whatever world” or the world of the Church of England

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The climate resolution which will be voted on at the upcoming Shell annual shareholdings meeting on 22 May, is not about Shell alone, writes Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, the investor group who  introduced it. Van Baal calls on investors to follow the advice of the Church of England to vote for the resolution, and not that of the directors, who are demanding they will be given  “the flexibility to continue to thrive in whatever world … [Read more...]

The extremism of Donald Trump

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Now that Donald Trump has blown up the  Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran, which he accuses of supporting “extremism and terrorism”, it seemed appropriate to hold up a mirror to the U.S. and ask whether perhaps that country has itself become an “extremist” state. No one better suited for this task than Tom Engelhardt, author a new book, A Nation Unmade by War, and editor of the website Tomdispatch.com, which has been documenting … [Read more...]

Energy companies under pressure to improve non-financial reporting – “the accountants are taking over”

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Most energy companies today report on their climate, environmental and social impacts. In the EU they are even legally obliged to do so. But how transparent are these reports? How can they be compared? And how will they be used by investors and policymakers? Clare Taylor spoke to a number of experts and learned that energy companies are increasingly under pressure to improve their non-financial reporting – and that there is more legislation to … [Read more...]

Interview Iberdrola’s Director of Climate Change Saenz de Mira: “Europe is losing leadership” (Energy Post Weekly)

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“In renewables there are more investments today in the US and China”, says Gonzalo Saenz de Miera, Director of Climate Change at Iberdrola, a world leader in renewables, in an interview with Energy Post. “Europe is losing its leadership.” Saenz de Miera calls for a binding target for 2050, not just 2030, and for it to be more ambitious than the current 80-95% greenhouse gas emission reduction. He also advocates “polluter pays” taxation that puts … [Read more...]