Discussions on the energy transition usually focus on the economics of renewables and cost comparisons with fossil fuels and other energy sources. What is usually ignored, are innovations in materials and chemical processes, which are nonetheless increasingly important as agents of change in the energy sector. Innovation watcher Denis Kuznetsov discusses four scientific breakthroughs in materials research that could shake up the energy sector in … [Read more...]
Get this: Germany does not have generous subsidies for renewables
In an otherwise well-written and informative article on the recent decision by the EU Court of Justice on renewables policy, Energy Post repeats the unfounded notion that Germany has generous subsidies. This is wrong – and the difference matters: the German system of feed-in tariffs favours small companies and cooperatives. Now, the EU wants to kill feed-in tariffs, ostensibly because of the cost – but what’s at stake is freedom. … [Read more...]
Twenty-first century energy wars: how oil and gas are fuelling global conflicts
Fossil fuels are triggering violent conflicts all over the world, says Michael Klare, Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, the US. Klare zooms in on four areas – Iraq/Syria, South Sudan, the Crimea/Ukraine, and the South China Sea – to argue that the desire to control valuable oil and gas assets is fuelling long-standing historic tensions. “In a fossil-fuel world, control over oil and gas reserves … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Top 5 Energy – All you need to know for the Italian EU Presidency
In this special briefing, viEUws.eu's leading energy journalist Hughes Belin picks out the top 5 energy issues that will be discussed by the European institutions under the Italian Presidency. Security of supply remains at the top of EU decision makers’ agenda as the crisis between Ukraine and Russia continues. 2030 climate & energy framework: the Italian EU Presidency will have a chance to draw a compromise at the informal Energy and … [Read more...]
Moscow’s great new gas game: Russia will become a bigger player – but in a bigger market
Russia has embarked on a strategy to become a major player in the global LNG business, with as many as five or six  big new projects expected to come online by the end of the decade. This new LNG production capacity is part of Russia's broader strategy that involves reducing its reliance on European markets and becoming one of the top gas suppliers to the Asia-Pacific region. Paradoxically, these efforts, if they succeed, are likely to reduce … [Read more...]
Carbon Tracker blasts Shell’s take on Carbon Bubble
In a new report out today, Carbon Tracker Initiative (CTI), the NGO that invented the concept of “stranded assets”, blasts Shell’s “climate letter” of 16 May, in which Shell argues that “we do not believe that any of our proven reserves will become stranded”. According to CTI, Shell’s focus on proven reserves is “too narrow” and “understates the risk that its business faces from changes in climate policy”. EP editor Karel Beckman takes stock of … [Read more...]
US energy independence: fact or fiction?
What do you get when you speak with four American investment analysts about the prospects of US gas and oil production, the sustainability of fracking, the risks of the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the potential of nuclear energy and renewables? You get four different, but outspoken opinions, from people with different  perspectives on the world than what you usually find in Europe. A four-way interview by J.T. Long for The Energy … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Top 5 Environment – All you need to know for the Italian EU Presidency
In this special briefing, viEUws.eu's leading environment journalist Sonja van Renssen picks out the top 5 environment issues that will be discussed by the EU institutions under the Italian Presidency. A first priority is the circular or zero waste economy, after the European Commission unveiled a new policy package on 1 July that pushes for higher recycling targets and the total elimination of landfill Green growth and jobs will be high on … [Read more...]
Russian energy sector will cease to be engine of growth
The contribution of the energy sector to Russian GDP will decrease by nearly 50% over the coming decades. Although energy will continue to provide an important foundation to the Russian economy, it will cease to be an engine of growth. That is the main conclusion of Global and Russian Energy Outlook to 2040, recently published the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Analytical Centre of the Government of Russia. … [Read more...]
EU Court upholds national renewable subsidy schemes in surprise decision
In a rare event, the EU Court of Justice has overturned the opinion of its own Advocate-General to rule that member states are not obliged to open up their national renewable subsidy schemes to producers in other countries. The decision was welcomed by renewables producers and member states such as Germany, which have generous subsidies in place. But it was lambasted by others, such as RECS International, an organisation of market players, … [Read more...]
Why Brussels is reluctant to adopt an energy efficiency target that’s good for the EU economy
Within weeks, the European Commission will propose an energy efficiency target for Europe for 2030 that is substantially lower than what many stakeholders and policymakers believe is feasible. It will even be lower than what the Commission’s own impact assessment concludes is beneficial for the economy. And it will probably be non-binding although the impact assessment says a binding target would be more effective. Why this reluctance from … [Read more...]
Why the US has not made more progress in moving to a renewable energy future – a personal view
In 1978 a monumental multi-departmental study was submitted to President Carter concluding that “solar energy could make a significant contribution to U.S. energy supply by the end of this century”. The study, backed by 30 federal departments, stated that “even with today’s subsidized energy prices, many solar technologies are already economic.” Yet no action was taken and solar power and other renewable energies stagnated for over 30 years. … [Read more...]
Kurdish oil will find its way out
In May, Iraqi-Kurdistan for the first time ever sold oil to international markets, defying a ban on oil exports from the central government in Baghdad. According to Friedbert PflĂĽger, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) will have no problems finding investors and customers to build up its potentially huge oil and gas business. With the current crisis in Iraq, Baghdad should come to terms with the KRG if it wants to share in the proceeds. … [Read more...]
The new Oil Wars in Iraq
Underlying much of the violence that has broken out in Iraq is a struggle to obtain control over Iraq’s oil resources or at least a “fair share” of oil revenues, writes Michael Schwartz, author of many books and articles including “War Without End: The Iraq War in Context”. According to Schwartz’s analysis,the insurgents are attempting to accomplish by force what was denied to them by the central government: a portion of the proceeds from the … [Read more...]
A warning from the IPCC: the EU 2030’s climate target cannot be based on science alone
The European Union often emphasizes that it is pursuing a “science-based” climate policy. The European Council’s long-term emission reduction target of 80-95% by 2050 explicitly refers to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Thus, it came as a surprise for many European policymakers and stakeholders that the latest IPCC report did not offer any specific guidelines on future EU climate targets. … [Read more...]
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