Biofuels are returning to the political agenda in Europe as EU policymakers start to shape a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport after 2020. Biofuels producers continue to argue that they are an essential part of the solution, even as the low oil price puts an end to several cutting-edge projects, the European Commission prepares to publish a new report about indirect land-use change (ILUC) and some stakeholders urge a … [Read more...]
EU insists energy security is about more than gas
“When it comes to energy security in the long term, there is no better antidote than focusing on sustainable energy,” said EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete at the launch of a new EU energy security master plan in Brussels on 16 February. The Commission defended its proposals – which focus on safeguarding gas supplies – as an aid to moving Europe along to a low-carbon economy as well as preparing it for possible supply … [Read more...]
High time for a Western oil strategy
This is an ideal time for Western governments to put in place a strategy to ensure that oil will no longer lead us into war, writes Frank Vogl, co-founder of Transparency International. But a “Clean Trade Act” as advocated by Leif Weinar in his impressive new book on oil dictatorships won’t work. Better to proceed on a case-by-case basis. Courtesy The Globalist. … [Read more...]
How Russia can make Nord Stream-2 acceptable to the EU
The financial viability of Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline may be threatened if the EU imposes restrictions on its use, as many EU Member States advocate. According to Danila Bochkarev, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute in Brussels, the Russian government could circumvent this hurdle if it allows independent Russia gas producers, such as Novatek and Rosneft, to use 50% of its capacity. Such a move, not unlikely, could usher in a new Russian gas … [Read more...]
A health check for the oil majors: not dead yet
Market watchers are announcing the demise of the oil majors. Not for the first time. According to Jilles van den Beukel, former geoscientist with Shell, the oil companies are indeed seeing their world shrinking. But they are not dead yet: their reason for being – the world’s demand for oil and gas – is still there. … [Read more...]
The moral case for fossil fuels? Let them eat solar panels!
In the wake of the Paris climate accord, there has been much discussion of the so-called ‘moral case’ for fossil fuels, particularly in countries such as India. But according to professor John Mathews of Macquarie University in Australia, rolling out renewable energy in developing countries should be the real legacy of the Paris climate agreement. Renewables offer them the best chance to break into manufacturing value chains. … [Read more...]
Behavioural change could deliver half of industry energy saving potential
Expert studies show that there is still vast untapped energy efficiency potential of up to 25% in European heavy industry. Moreover around half of that, or 10-15%, could be delivered through behavioural change at zero capital cost. So far, the EU has mandated energy audits for large companies, but not application of their results. Energy Post looks at how a new heating and cooling strategy due on 16 February and a review of the EU’s energy … [Read more...]
How far can renewables go? Pretty darn far
This is part 4 of a series looking at the economic trends of new energy technologies by the famous author and thinker Ramez Naam. Part 1 looked at how cheap solar can get (very cheap indeed). Part 2 looked at the declining cost and rising reliability of wind power. Part 3 looked at how cheap energy storage can get (pretty darn cheap). Now Naam discusses how far renewables can go. … [Read more...]
Cost of capital for renewables varies hugely across EU
It is much more expensive to undertake onshore wind projects in some European countries than others, according to the first-ever study of these costs for the entire EU-28. The EU-funded “Diacore” project finds moreover that market actors single out the design and reliability of renewable support schemes as the single biggest risk (after generic country risk) driving up the cost of capital. Best practice policy design could cut support costs for … [Read more...]
Report warns: LNG may lose out to renewables
A new report by economists at The Brattle Group finds that the financial viability of LNG projects is increasingly being threatened by competition from renewable power sources, especially in Asia. They warn that “this increasing competition has significant ramifications for the many LNG export projects now in development across North America and for buyers of LNG that have signed long-term contracts”. … [Read more...]
The cheapest way to scale up wind and solar energy? High-tech power lines
A new study from researchers at the prestigious National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US concludes that the US can cut greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector by 80 per cent while keeping prices at or below current levels. The key to achieving this is to build a nationwide, modernised grid that will allow large-scale systems integration of renewable energies.Scientist Christopher Clack explains how the … [Read more...]
Carbon capture and storage comeback must focus on industry not energy
Since the Paris climate agreement and its ambitious resolve to keep global warming to 1.5C over pre-industrial temperatures, a number of influential publications have been declaring the death of carbon capture and storage (CCS). But critics fail to make a distinction between CCS for power plants and for industrial manufacturing, writes Charles Digges of the Norwegian NGO Bellona. CCS is the only way to substantially reduce industrial emissions. … [Read more...]
Energy Post takes over The Energy Collective!
We are delighted to announce that this week Energy Post became the proud owner of the great US-based website The Energy Collective. … [Read more...]
Future is hi-tech, high value-added and non-energy-intensive
The growth of advanced economies depends increasingly on hi-tech information rather than traditional commodities, writes Fereidoon Sionshansi, president of Menlo Energy Economics and publisher of the newsletter EEnergy Informer. It is no coincidence that ExxonMobil, long the largest US company, is no longer in the top three. “Future growth will depend on every smaller amounts of energy.” … [Read more...]
Renewable energy demand in Europe reaches record levels
The demand for renewable electricity in Europe based on Guarantees of Origin (GO) validated by the European EECS standard continued to grow in 2015. The growth is up more than 8% from 2014 and surpassed 340 TWh, reports ECOZH, a Norwegian renewable energy supplier. … [Read more...]
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