The renewable flood is creating havoc in wholesale electricity markets. And this will only get worse, as storage and zero net energy buildings expand, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, editor of the newsletter EEnergy Informer. According to Sioshansi, the solutions applied today to keep the lights on do not address the fundamental flaws in market design. New solutions are needed. Courtesy EEnergy Informer. … [Read more...]
Do we need an Airbus for nuclear?
Author and pro-nuclear activist Michael Shellenberger recently wrote that the nuclear sector, to survive, must embark on a radical new course: create one company, comparable to Airbus in the aircraft sector, that will develop a standardized, efficient reactor design. Josh Freed and Todd Allen of think tank the Third Way and Ted Nordhaus and Jessica Lovering of think tank The Breakthrough Institute argue that this approach will not solve … [Read more...]
10 things you should know about the Clean Power Plan
The Trump Administration has taken action to revoke the Obama Administrationâs Clean Power Plan â one of the major ways in which the U.S. government is implementing its pledge under the Paris Climate Agreement. According to Tomas Carbonell of the U.S.-based NGO Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Trumpâs action has little public support. … [Read more...]
The big Dutch coal mistake (part Two)
Uniper and Engie have made further write-downs on their still very new Dutch coal power plants, writes independent consultant Gerard Wynn, confirming the bleak prospects for coal power production in Europe. Yet Uniper is pressing on with plans to build another new coal plant in Germany. Courtesy IEEFA. … [Read more...]
The growing risks of offshore wind: can we rely on the sea for our power supply?
Countries in North Western Europe are becoming increasingly dependent on offshore wind as an electricity source. At the same time, risks are growing as the industry is âpushing the boundariesâ by reducing costs while going further out to sea for more complex projects in deeper waters. Experts from DNV GL, the largest international independent advisor in offshore wind, talk about what they see as the major risks going forward â from cable failures … [Read more...]
Alternative numbers: 6 ways Trump’s energy plan doesn’t add up
The Trump administration claims that its America First Energy Plan will generate $50 trillion in revenues for American society. According to Jeremy Proville and Jonathan Camuzeaux of EDF Energy Exchange this is an âalternative factâ for which the evidence is totally lacking. … [Read more...]
European coal emissions decline but German lignite stations keep pumping on
Coal power plant emissions fell by an impressive 11%, according to new EU data, but still accounted for 39% of total emissions. Dave Jones, electricity analyst of UK-based think tank Sandbag finds that the UK, Spain, Greece and Italy performed well last year, Â but Germany and Poland did not. 7 out of 10 of Europeâs biggest polluters are German lignite stations. The carbon price in the ETS had no effect on emissions. … [Read more...]
Will clean coal be allowed to develop in Europe?
EU and national energy policies are strongly focused on promoting the use of renewable energy. However, EU policymakers should not overlook progress being made in traditional energy sources, especially in coal power plants, writes Pieter Cleppe, head of the Brussels office of think tank Open Europe. According to Cleppe, a significant expansion of âclean coalâ â which involves both carbon capture and storage (CCS) and supercritical power plants â … [Read more...]
Unique project in Scotland: new floating near-shore wind farm needs no permit
Mike Parr, Director of independent energy consultancy PWR, has developed a unique near-shore floating offshore wind farm project in the Firth of Clyde off the western coast of Scotland. Thanks to its design as a vessel at mooring, writes Parr, the farm does not require any planning permits and thanks to its low cost, it does not need subsidies. The first of these floating wind turbines will be installed this month north of Turnberry golf course. … [Read more...]
Why the International Energy Agency still gets it wrong on fossil fuels
The IEA (International Energy Agency) has produced a remarkable and alarming report, together with IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), warning that âunprecedentedâ and âunparalleledâ efforts are necessary âimmediatelyâ and âacross all countriesâ to stave off climate disaster. Yet it still sees a significant role for fossil fuels in 2050. How is this possible? Greg Muttitt, Senior Advisor at NGO Oil Change International, argues that the … [Read more...]
Trump slams brakes on Obamaâs climate plan, but thereâs still a long road ahead
Badly looking for a political win that would both fulfill some campaign promises to his political base and satisfy the demands of rank-and-file Republicans in Congress, President Trump on March 28 signed an Energy Independence and Economic Growth Executive Order. According to Henrik Selin, Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, the order is just an opening salvo in what is destined to become a … [Read more...]
Western Balkans are massively expanding coal power â but the new plants may have to be closed again soon
At least 9 new lignite power plants are being planned in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, but according to a new report from CEE Bankwatch Network their feasibility studies do not take into account the effect of CO2 prices. As a result, when these countries join the EU, the plants will not be competitive anymore and will need to be closed down, writes Pippa Gallop, research coordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network â just … [Read more...]
Politics and economics clash over Nord Stream 2
At a dinner debate in Brussels on European relations with Russia, members of the European Parliament made it clear they regard Russia as an enemy which should be opposed in any possible way. That includes projects such as Gazpromâs planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Whether EU institutions have the means to stop Nord Stream 2, remains to be seen. … [Read more...]
Energy Post debate: Nord Stream 2 and the future of the European gas market
Video: On 8 March Energy Post held a conference in Brussels, sponsored by Nord Stream 2, moderated by our EU correspondent Sonja van Renssen, where Gazprom's pipeline project was debated in the context of the future of the European gas market. The panellists are: Tim Boersma (Columbia University), Paul Corcoran (Nord Stream 2), Jean-Arnold Vinois (Jacques Delors Institute) and Katja Yafimava (Oxford Institute for Energy Studies). … [Read more...]
Debate over capacity markets heats up in Brussels
Member States, MEPs and other stakeholders in Brussels are getting ready to develop rules for capacity markets in Europe. Some argue that countries should resort to capacity mechanisms only as a last resort. Other such as France insist on strong capacity markets: they are afraid of blackout risks. And there is disagreement over whether to allow coal power stations to play a role as backup source. Sonja van Renssen reports from Brussels. … [Read more...]
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