Coal power plant emissions fell by an impressive 11%, according to new EU data, but still accounted for 39% of total emissions. Dave Jones, electricity analyst of UK-based think tank Sandbag finds that the UK, Spain, Greece and Italy performed well last year, Â but Germany and Poland did not. 7 out of 10 of Europeâs biggest polluters are German lignite stations. The carbon price in the ETS had no effect on emissions. … [Read more...]
Will clean coal be allowed to develop in Europe?
EU and national energy policies are strongly focused on promoting the use of renewable energy. However, EU policymakers should not overlook progress being made in traditional energy sources, especially in coal power plants, writes Pieter Cleppe, head of the Brussels office of think tank Open Europe. According to Cleppe, a significant expansion of âclean coalâ â which involves both carbon capture and storage (CCS) and supercritical power plants â … [Read more...]
Unique project in Scotland: new floating near-shore wind farm needs no permit
Mike Parr, Director of independent energy consultancy PWR, has developed a unique near-shore floating offshore wind farm project in the Firth of Clyde off the western coast of Scotland. Thanks to its design as a vessel at mooring, writes Parr, the farm does not require any planning permits and thanks to its low cost, it does not need subsidies. The first of these floating wind turbines will be installed this month north of Turnberry golf course. … [Read more...]
Trump slams brakes on Obamaâs climate plan, but thereâs still a long road ahead
Badly looking for a political win that would both fulfill some campaign promises to his political base and satisfy the demands of rank-and-file Republicans in Congress, President Trump on March 28 signed an Energy Independence and Economic Growth Executive Order. According to Henrik Selin, Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, the order is just an opening salvo in what is destined to become a … [Read more...]
Debate over capacity markets heats up in Brussels
Member States, MEPs and other stakeholders in Brussels are getting ready to develop rules for capacity markets in Europe. Some argue that countries should resort to capacity mechanisms only as a last resort. Other such as France insist on strong capacity markets: they are afraid of blackout risks. And there is disagreement over whether to allow coal power stations to play a role as backup source. Sonja van Renssen reports from Brussels. … [Read more...]
South Australia makes fresh power play in bid to end blackouts
Blackouts in South Australia have focused the worldâs attention on this state which has lots of renewable energy. South Australiaâs government has now unveiled a keenly anticipated new energy plan, with the aim of making itself more self-sufficient. Hugh Saddler of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at Australian National University explains what it is about. Courtesy of The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Six years after Fukushima, much of Japan has lost faith in nuclear power
The Japanese government should consider a fundamental change in its current nuclear energy policy if it wants to recover the public's trust in nuclear power, writes Tatsujiro Suzuki, Director of the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University. According to Suzuki, staying on the current path will undermine Japan's economic and political security. Courtesy of The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Wind power blows away opposition in U.S.
What many regarded as unthinkable just a few years ago, is happening today: U.S. utilities are almost effortlessly handling ever increasing levels of intermittent wind power, writes Washington DC-based energy author Dennis Wamsted. What is more, Democratic and Republican politicians are lauding the unprecedented way in which wind and solar resources are transforming low-income rural areas. Wind power is here to stay, regardless of who sits in the … [Read more...]
Energy efficiency needs âhistoric level of public-private cooperationâ
From a banking perspective, energy efficiency is difficult to classify in terms of business opportunities because its benefits are so widely dispersed, Â writes Stephen Hibbert, global head of Energy & Carbon Efficiency at ING Wholesale Banking. For this reason, to close the âinvestment gapâ in energy efficiency, âa historic level of public-private cooperationâ is needed, according to Hibbert. He sees many signs that this is happening. … [Read more...]
UKâs French Connection shows: cross-border links are the way to go
Few people realise that despite Brexit, the UK is embarking on a large expansion of its electricity interconnections with the European mainland. Is this a good idea, asks energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn? Wynn, who has just co-written a report on the Electricity Grid Transition in the UK, points out that the UK-France interconnector came under tremendous pressure last year, but in the end proved its usefulness. Courtesy Energy & Carbon … [Read more...]
How much will it really cost to decommission the aging French nuclear fleet?
A recently published French governmental report has blown a significant hole in the French nuclear decommissioning strategy, writes Paul Dorfman, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Energy Institute, University College London and founder of the Nuclear Consulting Group. According to Dorfman, the report found that the clean-up of French reactors will take longer, be more challenging and cost much more than French nuclear operator EDF … [Read more...]
Why Germany needs a European Energiewende
Neither the German Energiewende nor the EU's Energy Union can succeed in isolation. We need a European Energiewende, writes Rebecca Bertram, who leads the European Energy Transition work at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. Courtesy Energy Transition/Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
Donât throw out the energy efficiency baby with the Brexit bathwater
Will Brexit put energy efficiency progress in the UK at risk, ask Jan Rosenow, Pedro Guertler and Richard Cowart of RAP (Regulatory Assistance Project)? In electric appliances and heating systems â probably not. The biggest risk is in the building sector.UK policymakers will need to put efficiency first if they want to reach carbon targets and keep costs down. … [Read more...]
How Germanyâs plan for 100% electric cars could backfire
Germany has ambitious plans for both electric cars and renewable energy. But as things stand, Â writes DĂ©nes Csala of Lancaster University, Germanyâs well-meaning but contradictory ambitions would actually boost emissions by an amount comparable with the present-day emissions of Uruguay or the state of Montana. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Mr Energy Transition Claude Turmes cheered in Brussels, but across EU divisions run deep
As Green MEP Claude Turmes launched his vision for pursuing the green energy revolution in Europe, EU energy ministers remained strongly divided over the depth and pace of the energy transition. … [Read more...]
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