The Australian government has ambitious plans to expand hydropower capacity in Tasmania – and to restrict gas exports so they can be reserved for domestic use. Cle-Anne Gabriel, Lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Queensland, argues these policies are going in the right direction. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Bioenergy increases emissions in Europe
The way the EU Emission Trading (ETS) has been set up, means that replacement of coal or gas with biomass will lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions, writes Rauli Partanen, freelance author and analyst. And in combination with the renewable energy targets all EU member states have, this is exactly what our policies encourage us to do. … [Read more...]
Total makeover: wholesale markets need new thinking
The integration of renewables into the grid is becoming an increasingly acute problem, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, editor of newsletter EEnergy Informer. According to Sioshansi, this is especially true in energy-only markets that have no capacity mechanism of any sort. But market interventions in the form of subsidies are not the answer. Joe Bowring of independent consultancy Monitoring Analytics has an alternative: offering capacity against a … [Read more...]
How the Internet of Things can fight climate change
The Internet of Things could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% in 2030 if its potential is fully used, writes Kevin Williams, CEO of startup Wise Distributed Energy in California. … [Read more...]
Nuclear energy does not cost the earth
Those who claim nuclear is dead, at least for Europe, because of its high costs and lack of public support are wrong, writes Tim Yeo, Chairman of the pro-nuclear group New Nuclear Watch Europe (NNWE). Despite recent financial troubles besetting certain parties in the nuclear sector, there are competitive vendors and competitive projects out there. Key for European countries considering building new nuclear plants is to choose the right … [Read more...]
The lowdown on hydrogen – part 2: production
Electrolysis, powered by renewables, is often seen as the ideal way to produce hydrogen. But electrolysis is expensive and not always efficient, writes Roger Arnold. There are other ways that are more efficient and also climate friendly. This is part 2 of a two-part series on hydrogen written by independent energy expert Roger Arnold. Part 1 deals with the uses of hydrogen in transport. … [Read more...]
Cleantech startups: can German utilities bridge the Valley of Death?
Investment in cleantech startups has so far yielded disappointing results, writes Marius Buchmann, Post-Doc at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. According to Buchmann, one important reason is that incumbent energy companies have not been willing to invest in and acquire startups. But this is now changing, especially in Germany, partly as a result of the new business model adopted by Eon and RWE. Article courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
The coal-free 2°C scenario: within reach and cheaper than told by IEA
Scrapping of planned coal power and accelerated investment in wind and solar are essential if we are to reach the Paris climate goals. The good news: It can be done significantly cheaper than the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, writes Terje Osmundsen, Senior Vice President of the Norwegian-based international solar power company Scatec Solar. Courtesy of EnergiogKlima. … [Read more...]
It is time to tax carbon
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...]
Market design of 1980s not fit for today’s markets
The renewable flood is creating havoc in wholesale electricity markets. And this will only get worse, as storage and zero net energy buildings expand, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, editor of the newsletter EEnergy Informer. According to Sioshansi, the solutions applied today to keep the lights on do not address the fundamental flaws in market design. New solutions are needed. Courtesy EEnergy Informer. … [Read more...]
Do we need an Airbus for nuclear?
Author and pro-nuclear activist Michael Shellenberger recently wrote that the nuclear sector, to survive, must embark on a radical new course: create one company, comparable to Airbus in the aircraft sector, that will develop a standardized, efficient reactor design. Josh Freed and Todd Allen of think tank the Third Way and Ted Nordhaus and Jessica Lovering of think tank The Breakthrough Institute argue that this approach will not solve … [Read more...]
10 things you should know about the Clean Power Plan
The Trump Administration has taken action to revoke the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan – one of the major ways in which the U.S. government is implementing its pledge under the Paris Climate Agreement. According to Tomas Carbonell of the U.S.-based NGO Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Trump’s action has little public support. … [Read more...]
The big Dutch coal mistake (part Two)
Uniper and Engie have made further write-downs on their still very new Dutch coal power plants, writes independent consultant Gerard Wynn, confirming the bleak prospects for coal power production in Europe. Yet Uniper is pressing on with plans to build another new coal plant in Germany. Courtesy IEEFA. … [Read more...]
The growing risks of offshore wind: can we rely on the sea for our power supply?
Countries in North Western Europe are becoming increasingly dependent on offshore wind as an electricity source. At the same time, risks are growing as the industry is “pushing the boundaries” by reducing costs while going further out to sea for more complex projects in deeper waters. Experts from DNV GL, the largest international independent advisor in offshore wind, talk about what they see as the major risks going forward – from cable failures … [Read more...]
Alternative numbers: 6 ways Trump’s energy plan doesn’t add up
The Trump administration claims that its America First Energy Plan will generate $50 trillion in revenues for American society. According to Jeremy Proville and Jonathan Camuzeaux of EDF Energy Exchange this is an “alternative fact” for which the evidence is totally lacking. … [Read more...]
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