Volker Quaschning, a professor for renewable energies in Berlin and one of the most influential advocates of the “Energiewende” in Germany, is convinced that nuclear and fossil fuel power in Germany will be fully replaced by renewable energies in the not too distant future. The Energiewende, he says, does not even require the support of Germany’s EEG (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) feed-in law any longer. “The EEG is only needed to accelerate the … [Read more...]
The vision of Peter Terium, CEO of RWE: “We want to be the holistic energy manager of the future”
RWE, the German utility known for its reliance on large lignite, coal and nuclear power stations, and its high CO2 emissions, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. “We want to use our leading market position to take our customers into a new future”, explains RWE’s Dutch CEO Peter Terium in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. “My dream, my vision is that RWE will put solar panels on your roof, a battery in your shed, a heat pump in your … [Read more...]
China’s continuing renewable energy revolution: global implications
China’s renewable energy revolution is powering ahead, with the year 2013 marking an important inflection point where the scales tipped more towards electric power generated from water, wind and solar than from fossil fuels and nuclear. This means that its energy security is being enhanced, while carbon emissions from the power sector can be expected to soon start to fall. … [Read more...]
Hamburg commits to fossil fuel beyond 2050
Hamburg was the “European Green Capital of 2011”, but its climate ambitions are overshadowed by a new Vattenfall coal power plant, which will lead to three times higher CO2 emissions than the city has targeted. The case of Hamburg illustrates the difficulties Germany has in making the transition to a low-carbon economy. … [Read more...]
Explosive report from France: shale revolution overblown
In an explosive new report, researchers from the influential French think thank IDDRI take apart many of the myths that in their view have developed around the unconventional gas and oil “revolution” in the US. Shale has not led to an industrial renaissance in the US, they write, nor will it make the US “energy independent”. Shale gas has not even contributed significantly to lower CO2 emissions in the US. For Europe, says lead author Thomas … [Read more...]
Energiewende under siege: German energy strategy under threat from EU “paradigm shift”
The German Energiewende is running up against a “paradigm shift” in EU energy policy, which seems on the point of slowing down the transformation towards a low-carbon economy.. As Germany cannot afford to continue with the Energiewende on its own, the German government will have to do its utmost to bend EU energy policy in its direction, write Oliver Geden and Severin Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). … [Read more...]
Experts issue plea for new European energy policy to overcome “crisis of confidence”
On the eve of a crucial Summit of the European Heads of State and government, who will meet in Brussels on 20-21 March to discuss EU climate, energy and industrial policy, a group of prominent energy experts has issued a plea for a “new European energy policy”. The experts, led by Claude Mandil, former Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), say the state of European energy markets is “deeply unsatisfactory” as a result of … [Read more...]
IHS: save Energiewende by replacing offshore wind with shale gas
A new research report from international energy consultancy IHS "presents a path towards a rebalanced approach that could return the Energiewende to its original goal of providing a competitive transition to a low-carbon economy while generating substantial benefits to Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP), jobs, income, trade position and government revenues." According to IHS, "redeveloping the current Energiewende would reduce the cumulative … [Read more...]
Today’s Prize: How to save the Energiewende with European Shale Gas
A new report from the international consultancy IHS shows that the German Energiewende could still be achieved at reasonable cost if Germany were to allow domestic shale gas production. According to Nick Grealy, the IHS report offers, perhaps for the first time, a realistic, achievable strategy to make the energy transition work. Â … [Read more...]
Interview Adam Sieminksi, Chief EIA: “Gas production in the US will keep growing”
The Energy Information Administration (EIA), part of the US Department of Energy, predicts that natural gas production in the US will continue to grow at an impressive pace – regardless of what shale gas and environmental critics believe. Right now output is close to 70 billion cubic feet a day and it is expected to reach over 100 billion cubic feet per day by 2040. “In our view, those production trends are going to continue without the … [Read more...]
Is the door to CCS closing in the UK?
Slow progress threatens the future of CCS in the UK, write Sam Gomersall and Alan James, Directors of Pale Blue Dot Energy, a management consultancy focused on the low carbon transition based in Aberdeen. According to the authors, the earliest CCS projects are unlikely to come onstream before the early 2020s – if they get off the ground at all. “The future of CCS in the UK hangs in the balance.” … [Read more...]
WWF: Groundbreaking analysis shows China’s renewable energy future within reach
By embracing conservation measures and renewable energy, China can transition to an 80 percent renewable electric power system by 2050 at far less cost than continuing to rely on coal, according to a new report from WWF-US. As a result, China’s carbon emissions from power generation could be 90 percent less than currently projected levels in 2050 without compromising the reliability of the electric grid or slowing economic growth. The … [Read more...]
World Energy Council: Price volatility greater concern than climate change framework
High energy price volatility has for the first time replaced global climate framework as the number-one critical uncertainty driving the world energy agenda, according to the 2014 World Energy Issues Monitor, released on Tuesday 18 February by the World Energy Council (WEC). Global climate framework uncertainty,while still is akeyuncertainty, is now perceived by energy leaders to have less impact than in the previous three years of the study. … [Read more...]
Interview IEA Director Maria van der Hoeven: “Expansion of gas use no panacea for climate change”
Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that unconventional gas can be produced in an environmentally acceptable way, but warns that an expansion of gas alone “is no panacea for climate change”. In an interview with James Stafford, editor of Oilprice.com, Van der Hoeven discusses a wide range of important energy issues, ranging from the role of gas, renewables and nuclear power to the necessity … [Read more...]
India’s quest for energy: nuclear power & other greener options
India has been among the world's fastest growing economies for the past two decades. The country continues to lead not only in growth but also in energy demand growth. India wants to meet its growing energy demands first of all through expanding its nuclear sector and secondly by the development of other “greener” options. Ritwik Mukherjee, editor of the Indian energy journal Energy Ensemble, discusses the challenges faced by India and the … [Read more...]