Brussels is on course to deliver a big shake-up of the EUâs energy markets this December by trying to put consumers in the driving seat of the energy transition. Millions of consumers have already made the switch to âgreenâ electricity tariffs. Or so they think. But these tariffs are misleading and consumers are, in many cases, actually supporting fossil fuels or nuclear plants which are hidden behind a green façade, writes Jörg MĂŒhlenhoff, … [Read more...]
Hereâs how to build 100% clean renewable energy in the US before 2040
There really is a feasible way to build our way out of the climate crisis in time to avoid the worst effects of global warming, writes Tom Solomon of 350 New Mexico. We do it by rapidly replacing all fossil fuel-based energy with renewable energy built with current technology, installed in a smart grid. We pay for it without damaging the economy and actually save money vs. our current reliance on fossil fuels. The âside benefitsâ include cleaner … [Read more...]
Marie Fossum StrannegĂ„rd, VP Energy Ericsson: âFuture of smart metering depends on regulatory frameworkâ
Utilities are moving into a world where they have to handle lots of data real time, very similar to what the telecoms sector went through, says Marie Fossum StrannegĂ„rd, who is in charge of the energy business at Ericsson, in an interview with Energy Post. The Swedish telecommunications giant is a new player in energy, focusing â for now â on smart metering services. According to Fossum StrannegĂ„rd the future of smart metering depends heavily on … [Read more...]
Payment day for nuclear addiction in France
French year ahead power prices have risen sharply over the last few weeks amid worries over the reliability of EDFâs nuclear output in the coming winter. The situation in France demonstrates that nuclear power is neither as cheap nor as reliable as its proponents claim, writes Benedict de Meulemeester, Managing Director of Brussels-based E&C Consultants. According to De Meulemeester, the French market model, based on centralized power … [Read more...]
Who is afraid of Nord Stream 2?
Nord Stream 2, the new gas pipeline that Gazprom is planning to build from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany, has been criticised for reducing Europeâs diversification of energy sources and energy security. But according to Energy Postâs editor in chief Karel Beckman, the EU should welcome the pipeline, despite deteriorating relations with Russia. According to Beckman, Nord Stream 2 has a sound economic rationale behind it and the EUâs … [Read more...]
The Energiewende is running up against its limits
German transmission system operator Tennet recently announced an 80% increase in its transmission fees because of the high construction costs of new power lines to accommodate renewable energy. A study of the DĂŒsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics found that by 2025 costs of the Energiewende could exceed âŹ25,000 for an average four-person household. Jeffrey Michel concludes that the Energiewende is running up against its limits â but may … [Read more...]
The collective effort behind Finlandâs new nuclear power plant
Five years after announcing that it had chosen PyhĂ€joki, in northern Finland, as the site for a new Russian-designed 1200 MW nuclear reactor, Finnish company Fennovoima is within sight of a 2018 construction start date. No, this is not the notorious Olkiluoto-3 EPR being builty by Arevaâ this is Hanhikivi 1, to be built by Rosatom. Journalist Eric Marx travelled to Finland to find out why Fennovoima is succeeding where other new nuclear projects … [Read more...]
The delusion of cheap, safe shale gas extraction
The UKâs Communities Secretary Sajid Javid recently approved plans for fracking at Cuadrilla's Preston New Road site at Little Plumpton in Lancashire in what the BBC has called a âlandmark decisionâ. For the first time, after many years of regulatory struggle and public debate, fracking may really start in the UK. Professors Alex Russell and Peter Strachan argue that the plans if they go ahead will result in environmental and economic disaster. … [Read more...]
Demand response can drastically lower energy bills â if suppliers donât get âcompensatedâ
New research commissioned by the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) finds that demand flexibility can save many billions of euros in electricity costs. As the European Commission is pondering the design of a new and interconnected energy market for Europe, it needs to make sure these benefits are realised, writes Phil Baker, Senior Advisor at RAP. Brussels should resist calls to âcompensateâ energy suppliers for perceived losses as a result of … [Read more...]
The energy prescriptions of The Atlantic Council: âThereâs a direction relation between climate change and geopoliticsâ
The implications of climate change targets not being met are massive migration, the potential for resource wars and âa further disintegrating of the international orderâ, according to Richard L. Morningstar, Founding Director and Chairman of the Global Energy Center and David Koranyi, Director of the Eurasian Energy Futures Initiative, both part of the Washington DC based think tank The Atlantic Council. Morningstar and Koranyi see a âdirect … [Read more...]
To keep European offshore wind world-leading, we need an industrial policy
To retain the global lead European companies have in offshore wind, the EU should develop an industrial policy that will guarantee a steady pipeline of projects, writes independent energy expert Mike Parr. This would ensure continued investment by companies in cost reduction and technology improvements. Failure to do so could mean the offshore wind sector would suffer the same fate as the European solar PV industry. … [Read more...]
Visions clash at World Energy Congress in Istanbul
The World Energy Council gave out a clear message at the World Energy Congress that took place this week in Istanbul: the world needs to move away from fossil fuels much faster than it is doing today. That contrasted sharply with the message given out by most of the high-level speakers from government and business at the Congress, who stressed that the world needs more oil and gas. Mohammad Barkindo, the new Secretary General of oil cartel OPEC … [Read more...]
Interview Jean-Bernard LĂ©vy, CEO EDF: âOur future lies in combination nuclear and renewablesâ
EDF, one of the largest electricity producers in the world, has embarked on a â2030â strategy focused on renewable energy and customer solutions in addition to its large nuclear business. According to CEO Jean-Bernard LĂ©vy, "EDFâs future lies in a generation mix that combines nuclear and renewable energies.â LĂ©vy says EDF will tackle the problems with its EPR nuclear reactor design by introducing a "New Model" Â EPR that will be cheaper. He also … [Read more...]
Interview IEA Chief Fatih Birol: âWe are once again increasing our expectations for renewables”
In its upcoming World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) is âonce again happily increasing our growth projections of renewable energyâ, says Executive Director Fatih Birol in an interview. But a world without fossil fuels is not yet in sight. âThere are fossil fuels and fossil fuels. Coal and oil should be discouraged. Natural gas will continue to play an important role in even our most stringent scenarios.â This interview was … [Read more...]
Interview Spencer Dale, BP Group Chief Economist: âThe energy transition could come faster than we thinkâ
The energy industry faces uncertainties of daunting magnitude on many levels, says Spencer Dale, BPâs Group Chief Economist, in this exclusive interview: the pace of climate change policy, the growth of renewables, the apparent demise of coal, falling energy prices, the role of natural gas in the energy mix, and the likely impact of energy efficiency on demand growth. According to Dale, âitâs possible that we will see forces leading to a faster … [Read more...]
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