The nuclear power industry, under pressure economically, is arguing that it deserves government support because it is essential for ânational securityâ, notes Jim Green, editor of the Nuclear Monitor newsletter. Green explains why he finds this argument disingenuous and unconvincing. … [Read more...]
Trading biomass like oil: Lithuania shows how it can be done
European biomass markets are fragmented and intransparent, writes Jakub Kucera, economic analyst at RSJ, a Prague-based investment company. With one exception: Lithuania has a well-functioning biomass spot market, Baltpool. Could this become a model for other European countries? The Lithuanians would like to expand. … [Read more...]
New Energy Challenge 2017: Startups focus on interface between energy and automation
Energy start-ups seem to be focusing on solar power, storage, material sciences, and on the interface between automation and energy, such as big data, mobile internet and e-commerce applications. Thatâs the picture that emerges from the successful submissions of startups to the New Energy Challenge 2017, which is preparing for a grand finale on 28 September in Amsterdam. Geert van de Wouw, Managing Director of Shell Technology Ventures, one of … [Read more...]
A dangerous energy policy: Ukraine, despite war, is making itself dependent on Russian oil
When it comes to Ukrainian dependence on Russian energy, the spotlight is usually on natural gas. Here Ukraine has made unprecedented progress, writes Wojciech KonoĹczuk, analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. But what few observers notice, KonoĹczuk adds, is that as a result of corruption and neglect Ukraine has let its domestic oil refining industry decay and has become critically dependent on Russian diesel and LPG … [Read more...]
For Total, the Age of Oil is not over yet
The decision of the Maersk group to sell its oil and gas division is partly due to specific circumstances, but it is also a vote of no confidence in the future of the oil industry now that peak oil demand and US shale oil imply systematically lower profitability, writes geophysicist Jilles van den Beukel. But Total clearly feels there is still a future for low-cost conventional oil, particularly in politically stable countries like Denmark and … [Read more...]
Biofuel breakthroughs bring ânegative emissionsâ a step closer
Recent breakthroughs in biofuel research have brought the prospect of ânegative emissionsâ a step closer, writes Andrew Hopkins, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Australian National University. With the help of pyrolysis, biomass in the form of algae can be converted into char, which can be used as soil additive, returning carbon to the soil. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
DNV GLâs Energy Transition Outlook: for the first time in history, energy demand will peak
Global energy demand will plateau from 2030, oil demand will flatten from 2020 to 2028 and go to a significant decline thereafter, the shift to renewable energy will be quicker and more massive than most people realize, yet the energy transition will not be difficult to finance. These are some of the momentous conclusions of a set of major new reports from independent energy consultancy DNV GL, under the name Energy Transition Outlook (ETO). They … [Read more...]
The growing potential of green hydrogen
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...]
Here are the results from Brussels: energy efficiency zero points
The results of the European Councilâs proposals on energy efficiency are in: they will reduce the current EU energy efficiency target from 1.5% per year to less than half of that. That is, in the most optimistic scenario. In a worst-case scenario, the target could plummet to 0.04%, writes Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). According to Rosenow, this will make it nearly impossible for the EU to deliver on "Paris". … [Read more...]
Why the next oil price spike may cripple the oil industry
Two diametrically opposed views dominate the current debate about where the oil price is heading: one says lower for longer, the other says up. According to Andreas de Vries and Salman Ghouri, both are right. But the next oil price spike may prove to be the last gasp of the oil industry. Article courtesy Oilprice.com. … [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...]
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