Energy Post

Daily reports on the European and Global energy transition

Does the 2040 ban on new petrol and diesel cars mean the death of biofuels?

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One question that arises from the announcement by the UK government that new diesel and petrol cars will be banned by 2040 is what it means for biofuels. According to Raffaella Ocone of Heriot-Watt University, co-author of a recent UK-government-funded report into the biofuels industry by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the 2040 ban could be viewed as an opportunity for the biofuels sector. Article courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]

Politically charged: do you know where your batteries come from?

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People are excited about batteries, from electric cars to Tesla’s 129 megawatt-hour energy storage project  in South Australia. But one important issue is often overlooked: the raw materials needed to build this technology – where they come from and their environmental cost. Ben McLellan of Kyoto University takes a closer look at what goes into the lithium-ion battery. Article courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]

How electric vehicles could take a bite out of the oil market

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When could peak oil demand be reached? Not as soon as it seems, even with the latest automotive news out of Europe, write Amy Myers Jaffe and Lewis Fulton of the University of California, Davis. Article courtesy The Conversation. (This is the third article in a short three-part series on the latest developments in EVs.) … [Read more...]

Britain to ban new fossil fuel vehicles by 2040

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Great Britain will ban all new diesel and gasoline-powered automobiles after 2040. In an announcement on 26 July, Environment Secretary Michael Gove confirmed that vehicles powered solely by fossil fuels will no longer be allowed to be sold by then in Britain, and will instead be replaced by electric vehicles (EVs), writes Gregory Brew of Oilprice.com. Courtesy Oilprice.com. (This is the second article in a short three-part series on EVs that we … [Read more...]

Electric vehicles enter the here and now

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The EV market is accelerating, with both governments and major car manufacturers announcing ambitious new targets and initiatives. Jason Mathers of EDF Energy Exchange takes stock of some of the most recent developments and notes that the U.S. is threatening to fall behind Europe and China, thanks to the Trump administration’s short-sighted policies. Courtesy EDF Energy Exchange/Climate 411 blog. (This is the first article in a short three-part … [Read more...]

Startup spotters Freerk Bisschop (Rockstart) and Evert Jaap Lugt (Yes!Delft): “Smart meters are already obsolete”

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Freerk Bisschop, Director Smart Energy at Rockstart, and Evert Jaap Lugt, Managing Director at Yes!Delft, talk about what they look for in contenders for the New Energy Challenge – and for their own startup programs. They also spotlight some of the trends going on in energy innovation and call on established industry and policymakers to get more involved with startups. “Everything is changing so fast. Things like smart meters are already based on … [Read more...]

The surprising New Energy side of Shell

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“With Shell Technology Ventures we position ourselves strategically in many places, so that we can experience first-hand where the energy ecosystem is going, and create options for the future”. An interview with Geert van de Wouw, Managing Director of Shell’s venture capital unit, part of the company’s New Energies division, shows the fascinating new side of the old oil company. Quietly, Shell is getting ready to become a major player in a wide … [Read more...]

Interview David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor Shell: “Net zero emissions are achievable. The timing is challenging”

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EU climate and energy policy is “reasonably effective”, but it could achieve more for the climate if it focused purely on reducing CO2-emissions, says David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell, in an interview with Energy Post. “There are too many goals and too many targets.” Hone also argues that first generation biofuels are needed to make advanced biofuels work and that a “new approach” towards CCS is urgently needed. Globally, Hone … [Read more...]

Large distribution system operators make a pitch for an EU-wide organisation

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EDSO for Smart Grids, an organisation representing most of the large European distribution system operators (DSOs), has submitted to the European Commission a proposal to become the “vehicle” for the establishment of an “EU-DSO Entity”. In the Clean Energy Package presented last year, the Commission asked the sector to set up such an EU-wide organisation which would play a key role in the intended transformation of the electricity market. EDSO … [Read more...]

Today’s stunted oil prices could cause oil price shock in 2020

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Oil is still essential to the world’s energy needs, writes Haley Zaremba of Oilprice.com. And demand for oil will still be growing over the next few years. After an investment drought of historic proportions, the next oil crisis is looming. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]

Energy and blockchain: here are the most promising applications

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Blockchain applications are rapidly spreading across the energy sector, writes David Groarke, Managing Director of Indigo Advisory Group. Some of those applications may be disruptive for utilities. Europe is the most active region globally. Groarke discusses some of the key takeaways from a recent blockchain conference in Vienna. … [Read more...]

Smart meter data hubs: Europe vs. Germany

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The European discussion about data management in the energy sector is driven by the smart meter roll-out and the need to reduce market entry barriers via data access, writes Marius Buchmann, Post-Doc at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. Most European countries are discussing or have introduced Retail Hubs to facilitate data collection and distribution. Germany already has mechanisms in place to do this and is instead discussing the … [Read more...]

Death spiral for cars. By 2030, you probably won’t own one

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By 2030, you probably won’t own a car, but you may get a free trip with your morning coffee, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com. Transport-As-A-Service (TaaS) will use only electric vehicles and will upend two trillion-dollar industries. It’s the death spiral for cars as we know them today. Courtesy of Reneweconomy.com. … [Read more...]

Big Oil: growth of electric vehicles will lead to oil demand peak

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Following Shell, oil major Total has now also indicated it is expecting increasingly tough competition from electric vehicles (EVs), writes John LeSage of Oilprice.com. One significant trend is the wide range of EVs that will be available in a few years. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]

It is time to tax carbon

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Low-carbon technologies will transform the energy system, but not fast enough to limit global warming, writes Gerard Reid, founding partner of Alexa Capital, financial analyst and co-founder of the Energy and Carbon blog. According to Reid, what is needed is to shift the still massive investment in oil and gas onto alternative energy sources. That can only be done through a carbon tax. … [Read more...]