The EU has been one of the front-runners on climate policy ever since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997. However, according to geologist and energy author Euan Mearns, who runs the blog Energy Matters and is a former editor of the famous "peak oil" website The Oil Drum, Kyoto has been an outright failure and current EU energy policy is futile and counterproductive. He wonders why EU governments "continue to pursue this futile course of … [Read more...]
IEA in World Energy Outlook: no oil abundance in sight
Technology and high prices are opening up new oil resources, but this does not mean the world is on the verge of an era of oil abundance, according to the International Energy Agencyâs (IEA) 2013 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO-2013). Although rising oil output from North America and Brazil reduces the role of OPEC countries in quenching the worldâs thirst for oil over the next decade, the Middle East â the only large source of low-cost … [Read more...]
Why an EU-US trade deal matters for the energy sector
This week the second round of negotiations for an EU-US free trade agreement is taking place. Energy has not been making headlines in the context of these talks, but a TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) will have far-reaching implications for the energy sector, e.g. with regard to oil sands, LNG and shale gas. NGOâs worry that the TTIP will give big business the chance to undermine Europeâs environmental legislation. Sonja van … [Read more...]
Oil Espionage: US and UK tapped OPEC
News supplied by Commondreams.org written by Lauren McCauley Both the NSA and the U.K. spy agency, GCHQ, have infiltrated the computer networks of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), according to documents disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden and reported on by Der Spiegel Monday. As critics note, this latest disclosure illustrates, once again, the expanse of the U.S. and U.K. spy networks and the breadth of their … [Read more...]
Why a carbon tax is a bad idea
With the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) struggling and âcarbon credit fraudsâ in the news, many analysts argue we should get rid of carbon trading and opt for carbon taxes instead. But according to Alex Trembath and Matthew Step, carbon taxes will do nothing to cut emissions because they donât lead to innovation. âSteve Jobs didnât develop the PC because the price of typewriters went up.â … [Read more...]
German Environment Ministry says CO2-neutral Germany âalmost possibleâ
Can an industrialized country such as Germany avoid nearly all of its man-made greenhouse gas emissions? âClearly yesâ, answers a new study by the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). And it can be done without carbon capture and storage, nuclear power and first generation biomass. However, energy demand must be reduced by half and âunnecessary transportâ must be avoided. âIt is technically possible to reduce greenhouse gas … [Read more...]
The future of the large German utilities: it’s already here
Energy Post reported recently that German utility RWE is âshedding its old business model and embracing the energy transitionâ. This is not surprising, writes solar industry pioneer Peter F. Varadi. In fact, says Varadi, the new strategy merely formalizes what is already happening in practice. (Photo: Tim Fuller) … [Read more...]
EPEX Spot and Swissgrid prepare for market coupling
The European Power Exchange EPEX SPOT and the Transmission System Operator Swissgrid AG started cooperating with the aim to be ready to launch day-ahead market coupling projects in cooperation with other neighboring Transmission System Operators (TSOs). The partnership is based upon the Price Coupling of Regions (PCR), which was chosen as the market coupling solution for the integration of the European electricity market. It is therefore … [Read more...]
Peak Coal in China – or long, high plateau?
Recent reports predicting a "peak" in Chinese coal power consumption are misleading, Armond Cohen and Kexin Liu of the Clean Air Task Force (CAFT) point out. The amount of Chinese coal-fired power generation will "continue to skyrocket". The same goes for other parts of Southeast Asia. The only way to prevent climate disaster is by scaling up carbon capture and storage (CCS). (Photo from Shanxi province by Bert van Dijk) … [Read more...]
“Franceâs fracking ban to remain for foreseeable future”
The decision to uphold the ban on hydraulic fracturing (âfrackingâ) in France by the constitutional court, preventing further exploration activities for shale gas reserves, is unlikely to change in the near future, despite the warnings of advocates that France will miss out on a significant source of cheap energy, says a new report from research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to the companyâs latest report, France Upstream Fiscal … [Read more...]
VIDEO: 2030 Climate & Energy – Will Europe have the courage to fix its climate & energy tools?
Sonja van Renssen, leading environment journalist at viEUws.eu, gives an insight into the EUâs progress on reducing green house gas emissions in order to tackle climate change and an outlook on the debate on reduction targets for 2030 coming up next year. … [Read more...]
Top climate scientists call on environmentalists to support nuclear
In an open letter addressed to "those influencing environmental policy but opposed to nuclear power", four top climate scientists in the US have called on world leaders and environmental activists to support the developmnet of nuclear power to protect the climate. The scientists are James Hansen, Ken Caldeira, Kerry Emanuel and Tom Wigley. Here is their letter, published by CNN: "As climate and energy scientists concerned with global climate … [Read more...]
How renewables will transform commercial and (geo)political relations
The role that renewable energy could play in changing the balance of power in the world is often overlooked. Rick Bosman of the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) in Rotterdam and Daniel Scholten, Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology, undertake a thought experiment with stunning implications for future consumer-producer relations. Must reading for energy market and political strategists. (Illustration Tjebbe van … [Read more...]
EU Commission: feed-in tariffs should be abandoned
The European Commission has presented a Communication which gives guidance to Member States on âhow to make the most of public interventionsâ in the electricity market. The Communication discusses âhow to reform existingâ interventions, especially renewable energy subsidy schemes, and how to effectively design new ones, especially for back-up capacity schemes." The Commission notes that âin some very specific cases public intervention might be … [Read more...]
EU Court upholds primary importance of internal energy market
In its first ruling on mandatory unbundling, the European Court of Justice has deemed this principle so vital to the internal market that it supersedes fundamental freedoms enshrined in the EU Treaties, such as free movement of capital. It is a victory of public interest over pure economics. The ruling in the case of the Netherlands vs. three energy companies comes on the eve of fresh EU guidance intended to better align the state interventions … [Read more...]
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