IEEFA has published its U.S. Power Sector Outlook 2021. Its authors, Dennis Wamsted, Seth Feaster and David Schlissel summarise and explain the projections. They say that coal and gas are set to become the biggest losers as renewable generation climbs quickly. The future for wind and solar – coupled with storage to address intermittency - is looking very good. They present estimates from NextEra (the largest renewable energy developer in the … [Read more...]
China: decoupling GDP growth from rising emissions
To set up this week’s important online event (Tuesday 13th & Wednesday 14th April) “China: Carbon Neutral by 2060 -EFFICIENCY FIRST” we have an overview of China’s energy transition. Everyone agrees its performance is critical for the world to achieve the global goal of limiting warming to 1.5C by 2050. China made significant progress in 2020 with policy frameworks, renewable capacity additions and EVs, but it also added 38 GW of new … [Read more...]
Plastic Solar Cells: OPV power conversion efficiency now reaches 18%
Don’t just think plastics are insulators. Two Nobel prizes were won by showing they can be semiconductors. That celebrated research opened the door to polymer-based solar cells. They are made in a lab from common elements, using processes established decades ago for ordinary household items like plastic wrap. A design strategy breakthrough led by NREL has now created an organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cell with a record-breaking 18.07% power … [Read more...]
Public opposition and grid integration costs: the two limiting factors for Wind?
Are we heading for an over-reliance on wind? With wind generation costs continuing to drop dramatically, Schalk Cloete takes a data-driven look at the obstacles wind will face as its contribution to the global energy mix (a little over 2% today) keeps rising. In the main, it is grid integration and public opposition to very visible turbines – and they are related. Putting turbines out of sight and offshore will increase transmission costs. And … [Read more...]
Buildings Efficiency in China, and what EU partners should know
To set up our upcoming online event (April 13th & 14th) "China: Carbon Neutral by 2060 -EFFICIENCY FIRST” we look at how Buildings Efficiency is being tackled by Energy Management Contracting (EMC), when an ESCO (energy service company) provides energy retrofit services and gets paid for the future energy savings. The up-front investment cost is recouped over the multi-year lifetime of the service contract by taking a cut of the genuine … [Read more...]
Energy efficiency is the “first fuel”, making decarbonisation easier for all other sectors
To set up our upcoming online event “China: Carbon Neutral by 2060 -EFFICIENCY FIRST” we look at the profound importance of efficiency to the global energy transition. Energy efficiency is the “first fuel”, meaning success here will make the decarbonisation of all the other sectors and technologies easier, faster and cheaper. Basically, use and waste less energy. Alyssa Fischer at the IEA starts by noting that their Sustainable Development … [Read more...]
EEMPA solvent and CO2 mineralisation can take us one step closer to our carbon capture goals
If the models are correct that global carbon emissions will keep rising until at least 2040 then carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential. And most of the vast amounts of CO2 we must capture won’t be “utilised” as it’s more than we can possibly use. So storage is an essential part of the equation, explains Jim Conca. He scopes out the problem before looking at two innovations that can bring costs down and bring the technology one step closer … [Read more...]
Understanding battery costs better: Li-ion costs have dropped 97% in 30 years
There are two revelations here. First, quite how dramatically lithium-ion battery costs have dropped since 1991 – by 97%. Second, that nobody has been able to agree on how big that drop has been. But agreement on that number – and an established procedure to therefore make good forecasts - is vital for policy makers and related clean energy players. They need to know how much of a role batteries can play in the electrification of transport as … [Read more...]
The EU needs an independent science-led climate watchdog, a European Climate Change Council
Europe does not have the right institutional set-up for robust independent policy evaluation as the region enters a new, complex and radical stage of its energy and climate transition, argue Lola Vallejo (IDDRI), Alina Averchenkova (GRI), Matthias Duwe (Ecologic Institute) and Lara Lázaro Touza (Real Instituto Elcano). This month 12 expert advisory bodies in 11 EU Member States published a letter to EU policy-makers to launch an EU-level body, a … [Read more...]
“The Role of the EU ETS in Decarbonisation to 2030” [written summary of the panel discussion]
Here you can read a summary of the online discussion from March 19th 2021 on the current debate over the review of the EU ETS. The full video is available here. Of primary concern for fossil-dependent lower income nations is the carbon price rising so high that it reduces available budget for investment in clean energy. If that happens there’s clearly a problem. The counter argument is that there are other funding mechanisms available, and more … [Read more...]
“The Role of the EU ETS in Decarbonisation to 2030” [Energy Post event video]
Here you can watch our video of the online discussion from March 19th 2021 on the current debate over the review of the EU ETS. Of primary concern for fossil-dependent lower income nations is the carbon price rising so high that it reduces available budget for investment in clean energy. If that happens there’s clearly a problem. The counter argument is that there are other funding mechanisms available, and more than one pathway for successful … [Read more...]
California: Designing electricity rates that are fair and encourage EV and Heat Pump take-up
Electricity prices in California are not fair and not good for incentivising electrification, says James Sallee at the Energy Institute at Haas, because of the way people are being billed. There is no doubt that electrification (grid upgrades, etc.) and climate mitigation (including controlling California’s wildfires caused by power cable failures) must add to the cost of transition. But Californians can now find themselves paying up to twice the … [Read more...]
How to keep winter ice off a Wind Turbine’s blades
Nearly 800GW of wind power have been installed worldwide so far, with plenty more to come. But the Texas freeze in February showed how vulnerable wind turbines are to ice. Hui Hu at Iowa State University summaries his team’s research into solving a problem that can cut generation by 20% or even shut down turbines completely. He explains why existing de-icing solutions for airplane wings offer only a partial solution. Metal airplane wings can be … [Read more...]
Case studies: Strategic EV funding starts with an Essential Charging Network
Building a nationwide EV charging network is a daunting prospect. Camille Kadoch and Julia Hildermeier at RAP look at those places that are being strategic about it, starting with an essential network that will allay the concerns of consumers on the verge of buying an EV but put off by worries that they will get stuck somewhere with a flat battery. That’s frustrating, given the average American drives only 37 miles a day and Europeans 32 … [Read more...]
Germany’s plans to be a Hydrogen leader: producer, consumer, solutions provider
Germany is getting in early on the proposed hydrogen economy as a producer, consumer and with intentions to be the leading international supplier of hydrogen technologies. Simon Göss at Energy Brainpool runs through the main drivers for hydrogen before summarising the German strategy. The German 2030 target is to have electrolyser capacity of 5GW installed to produce 14TWh of green hydrogen, providing 15% of the hydrogen consumed in Germany by … [Read more...]
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