Turkeyâs rules for an electricity price ceiling may be well intentioned, but they are creating a price ladder that is causing those prices to rise too fast and too much, say Fuat OÄuz at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazit University and ĂaÄrı Peker at the Energy Market Regulatory Authority, Turkey. When market participants are allowed to sell and buy electricity at distorted prices the effects of external shocks are amplified artificially. The main shocks … [Read more...]
New research shows Wind turbines, configured right, could provide grid stability
Research at NREL, in collaboration with GE, has led to a demonstration of common wind turbines in âgrid-forming modeâ. They managed to set the grid voltage and frequency, operating without power from the wider electric grid. It opens the door to reducing reliance on conventional sources of stability like coal or gas generators. The well-known weakness of wind is its variability and therefore its need to be supported by traditional baseload … [Read more...]
Germany: can 100% renewable power reduce energy costs within the decade?
A bold report is presented by Thure Traber, Hans-Josef Fell and Sophie Marquitan at Energy Watch Group. It says that a 100% renewable power system for Germany can undercut fossil power within this decade. The authors look at the full cost of fossil power, including subsidies. Importantly, they explain how unit costs will rise further, as demand declines, due to the decreasing utilisation of its expensive infrastructure. Meanwhile, total system … [Read more...]
PET: a toolkit to make existing Coal plants more efficient
Many nations are struggling to phase out coal. Some, like China, are heavily dependent on it, and have more plants in the pipeline to ensure energy security and keep prices low. In other words, a lot of coal will remain in operation for the medium term. Given that, it makes sense to make them more efficient while they are in use. Daisy Chi at ECECP looks at a new set of tools â the Plant Efficiency Toolbox (PET) - that can analyse and optimise a … [Read more...]
Coal phase-out by 21 nations only accounts for 3.2% of global power. What about the others?
The 21 nations committed to coal phase-out only account for 3.2% of global electricity generation. Three - Belgium, Austria and Sweden â have already done so. The rest hope to by different dates, ranging to 2040. Asia is where the main problem is, and their transition challenges are well known: growing economies, and energy security. Carlos FernĂĄndez Alvarez at the IEA spells out their recommendations, and references case studies in Canada, the … [Read more...]
Surging U.S. renewables on track to take 30% market share by 2026
While the U.S. Congress debates whether backing the transition is a winning strategy, the energy sector is clearly showing the nationâs direction of travel. Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster at IEEFA look at the impressive growth of the clean energy champions, wind and solar. Since 2019, wind and utility-scale solar generation has risen by 76 TWh â a 31% increase â while coal and gas has fallen by 1.6%. By 2026, wind and utility-scale solar will … [Read more...]
Chinaâs energy crisis: the problems with coal exit, emissions targets, and a command economy
China is also suffering from an energy crisis. Major industries have had to restrict production, and reports abound of candle-lit dinners, traffic lights failing and people getting trapped in elevators. Its effect has also been global, with Apple, Tesla, Microsoft and Dell saying itâs hitting their supply chains. As Jun Du at Aston University explains, Chinaâs drive to cut coal has collided with post-Covid resurgent demand and an unusually hot … [Read more...]
The U.S. now needs a Carbon Tax to transition from Gas to Renewables
Gas emissions must be halved (and coal eliminated) by 2030 to meet President Bidenâs goal of a carbon free power sector by 2035. The problem is that gas additions are half the price of new wind and solar installations. Though the clean energy champions are still getting cheaper, so are gas additions. Nikos Tsafos at the Center for Strategic and International Studies looks at the policy options over the next decade for the U.S. The stark fact is … [Read more...]
Germany 2021: coal generation is rising, but the switch to gas should continue
As news across Europe shows, a combination of factors is seeing coal powered electricity generation on the increase. Simon Göss at cr.hub, writing for Energy Brainpool, takes a close look at whatâs going on in Germany. The post-pandemic demand bounce-back, low generation from wind due to calm weather, and record high gas prices have made coal more competitive. Thatâs even with rising prices for CO2 and record high prices for coal (caused by … [Read more...]
Decommissioning coal, oil, gas: how funds can buy and retire the assets
Companies that want to retire their CO2-emitting assets (coal, oil, gas) can struggle to afford the cost of the decommissioning process. Brad Handler and Morgan Bazilian at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, writing for the World Economic Forum, explain how the creation of a new financial instrument, the 'carbon retirement portfolio' (CRP), could be a solution. In essence, itâs simple. Investors create a fund that buys the asset and takes the … [Read more...]
Record global power sector emissions by 2022, because Renewables arenât growing fast enough
The IEA is forecasting that renewables will cover only half the projected increase in global electricity demand in 2021 and 2022. Despite renewablesâ impressive growth, coal and gas will be needed to cover the rest. That means emissions will rise to record levels. That will be the reverse of the IEAâs (and many othersâ) âRoadmap to Net Zero by 2050â pathway, where three-quarters of global emissions reductions between 2020 and 2025 come from the … [Read more...]
Comparing four Carbon Removal scenarios (IPCC, IEA, McKinsey, NGFS) and policy implications
Most net-zero scenarios include carbon removal as a major component. Simon Göss and Hendrik Schuldt at cr.hub review five major scenarios from the IPCC, IEA, ETC, McKinsey, and the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). They start by making the very important distinction between carbon capture and negative emissions: capturing carbon from, say, a gas plant does not deliver negative emissions, it just prevents new emissions. This … [Read more...]
Wind, Solar: continuing cost declines will help meet rising renewables targets
The ECâs âFit for 55â proposals include the raising of the EUâs 2030 target for total energy produced from renewable sources to 40%. Much of the rest of the world will likely raise its targets at some point too. Continuing to cut the cost of renewable energy generation will be essential to make that happen, and take pressure off all the other associated costs of supporting its integration into the energy system. Michael Taylor at IRENA summarises … [Read more...]
End Fossil Fuel subsidies by shifting them to poorer households
In May, the environment ministers of the G7 agreed to end fossil fuel subsidies within this decade. Around $650 bn/year is spent worldwide on subsidising all energy sources, with the majority ($450bn) going to fossil fuels despite the climate crisis. But simply removing the subsidies has proven difficult. They keep energy costs low for consumers. Itâs why public protest resisted the change in Ecuador and France in 2019. And developing nations … [Read more...]
What if Carbon Capture fails? Modelling the consequences and solutions
Most policy scenarios being used by governments include carbon capture as a vital tool to reduce emissions. Though itâs far from proven at scale, models assume that between 2030 and 2050 carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will get its act together and deliver on its part in the net-zero puzzle. Assuming that will happen, burning fossil fuels can continue for longer. But Neil Grant and Ajay Gambhir at Imperial College London, writing for Carbon Brief, … [Read more...]
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