The future of bioenergy is uncertain. The many constraints it faces suggest it could see very little growth. But the huge challenge of solving climate change makes some think it could be the savior of the planet in the long run. This is part 3 of a three-part series that first appeared on the Energy Transition blog, at energytransition.org. … [Read more...]
Are solar and wind really killing coal, nuclear and grid reliability?
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry wants to know whether solar and wind are killing coal, nuclear and grid reliability. Thanks to Texas, where Perry was governor, we know that a combination of wind and solar with fast-ramping natural gas, smart market designs and integrated load control systems will lead to a cleaner, cheaper, more reliable grid, write four researchers at the University of Texas. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Pitting wind and solar against nuclear power
With US electricity demand stalled, expanding wind and solar power is increasing the economic pressure on equally low-emission nuclear power, writes Geoffrey Styles, Managing Director of independent US-based consultancy GSW Strategy Group. He notes that the beneficiaries of renewable energy subsidies resist new state incentives for nuclear plants. But according to Styles, wind and solar should not come at the expense of nuclear power, as all are … [Read more...]
Today’s stunted oil prices could cause oil price shock in 2020
Oil is still essential to the world’s energy needs, writes Haley Zaremba of Oilprice.com. And demand for oil will still be growing over the next few years. After an investment drought of historic proportions, the next oil crisis is looming. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Energy and blockchain: here are the most promising applications
Blockchain applications are rapidly spreading across the energy sector, writes David Groarke, Managing Director of Indigo Advisory Group. Some of those applications may be disruptive for utilities. Europe is the most active region globally. Groarke discusses some of the key takeaways from a recent blockchain conference in Vienna. … [Read more...]
How blockchain could upend power markets
Talk about a disruptive technology. The “world’s leading software platform for digital assets,” blockchain may be little known, but it could revolutionize electricity markets, according to Dick Munson of EDF Energy Exchange. For utilities blockchain could prove to be a threat – or an opportunity. … [Read more...]
Smart meter data hubs: Europe vs. Germany
The European discussion about data management in the energy sector is driven by the smart meter roll-out and the need to reduce market entry barriers via data access, writes Marius Buchmann, Post-Doc at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. Most European countries are discussing or have introduced Retail Hubs to facilitate data collection and distribution. Germany already has mechanisms in place to do this and is instead discussing the … [Read more...]
Biopower (part 2): Climate science for bioenergy is lost in the woods
Producing electricity from biomass is one of the most controversial and least understood forms of renewable energy. In this three part series, we first explored myths and facts about biopower. In this second installment we’ll try to make sense of a seemingly simple question – is biopower good for cutting our carbon emissions? It is anything but simple. This series first appeared on the Energy Transition blog, at energytransition.org. … [Read more...]
Jobs? Investing in renewables beats fossil fuels
For policymakers who are interested in job creation, investing in renewable energy is considerably more effective than investing in fossil fuels, writes Allan Hoffman, author of the blog Thoughts of a Lapsed Physicist and formerly with the U.S. Department of Energy. Solar and wind are powerful engines of job creation and economic growth. … [Read more...]
Myths and facts about biopower (part 1 of 3)
While wind and solar are widely popular, and nuclear and energy storage hotly debated, much less is said about the role bioenergy could play in the transition to a low-carbon society. In a three-part article, Bentham Paulos argues that bioenergy has an important role to play in the green future and exposes some of the myths around it. This article originally appeared in the Energy Transition blog. … [Read more...]
China’s continuing green shift in electric power: evidence from 2016
Over the past decade, China has been greening its electric power system faster than any other industrial power. But China is also continuing to pump out more greenhouse gases than any other other country. Is its green transformation happening fast enough? Hao Tan and John A. Mathews dig deep into the 2016 data and present an awesome picture of the stunningly large Chinese electric power sector. Courtesy Asia-Pacific Journal. … [Read more...]
Production cuts vs innovation: why OPEC has lost the oil price war
OPEC and its cartel of friends must be sweating condensates in advance of their May 25th meeting, writes Peter Tertzakian for Oilprice.com. The oil price war, triggered almost three years ago, is far from over. Calling a truce with production cuts has been an ineffective strategy. In fact, it’s been a feeble strategy and nobody in the business should rely on its extension to be effective. Courtesy of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Interview Ditlev Engel, CEO DNV GL Energy: “The biggest challenge is integration”
The biggest challenge of the energy transition is the integration of renewable technologies into a digitalized interconnected energy system, according to Ditlev Engel, CEO of DNV GL Energy, one of the largest energy consultancies in the world. “Technology is moving very fast”, Engel says in an interview with Energy Post. “Renewable energy growth has surpassed everyone’s expectations. Regulation and market design need to reflect this development.” … [Read more...]
The surprising story of the decline of electricity use in American households
Despite continued economic growth, American households use less electricity than they did five years ago, writes Lucas Davis of the Energy Institute at Haas School of Business. The reason may surprise you, notes Davis: it’s energy-efficient lighting. According to Davis it is not clear yet whether household electricity use has peaked or will rise again in future. Courtesy Energy at Haas. … [Read more...]
Death spiral for cars. By 2030, you probably won’t own one
By 2030, you probably won’t own a car, but you may get a free trip with your morning coffee, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com. Transport-As-A-Service (TaaS) will use only electric vehicles and will upend two trillion-dollar industries. It’s the death spiral for cars as we know them today. Courtesy of Reneweconomy.com. … [Read more...]
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