Solar power now covers more than 1% of global electricity demand. In three countries in Europe â Italy, Germany and Greece - solar PV supplies more than 7% of electricity demand. This is reported by Solar Power Europe (previously EPIA â European Photovoltaic Industry Association). China is the fastest growing market. Research company GlobalData has adjusted projected new capacity in China for 2015 upwards. … [Read more...]
GE-Alstom deal tests limits of EU competition law
The planned takeover of Alstom by GE has raised anti-trust concerns in Brussels. The European Commission is expected to soon come with an official âStatement of Objectionsâ. The companies â and the French government â are putting heavy pressure on the Commission to let the deal go through. Â âBlocking the deal would help Chinese rivals and cost jobs in Europe." … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: Brussels Briefing on Environment â All you need to know for June 2015
In this Brussels Briefing on Environment for viEUws.eu, Sonja van Renssen provides an overview of the latest EU environment policy developments. … [Read more...]
Limits of the âEnergy Unionâ: expect only pragmatic progress
On 8 June the EU Member States will discuss the European Commissionâs proposals for an Energy Union. According to Severin Fischer and Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, it is already clear that they will avoid or delay implementation of any meaningful steps in the direction of a political energy union. Over the next few years, they write, the focus of EU energy and climate policy will be … [Read more...]
Climate benefits of a natural gas bridge ‘unlikely to be significant’
Natural gas can only be a worthwhile bridge to a low carbon future if a series of tough conditions are met, according to a working paper from the influential New Climate Economy initiative. The paper says the climate benefits of gas, including shale gas, could in theory be significant. It suggests a 10% increase in global gas supplies could prevent 500 gigawatts (GW) of new coal capacity being added by 2035, avoiding 1.3 billion tonnes of annual … [Read more...]
The mixed outlook for new nuclear power plants
Nuclear power has had a makeover. What was once seen as a futuristic source of limitless energy has been reframed as a response to global warming, an ideal solution for countries looking for a continuous source of low-carbon power. Nuclear advocates claim that nuclear power capacity is expanding, but according to Paul Dorfman, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Energy Institute at University College London, in reality the global picture is … [Read more...]
Interview Radu Dudau, Energy Policy Group: âWe are in urgent need of a new energy strategyâ
The Romanian energy sector is at a watershed, says Radu Dudau, Director of the Bucharest-based Energy Policy Group, in an interview with Energy Post. âWe are in urgent need of a new energy strategy. We need to decide what to do with our energy sector.â At the same time, says Dudau, the EU needs to get involved to coordinate regional energy matters in Central and Eastern Europe: âThis is a region with no encouraging history of cooperationâ But … [Read more...]
Energy subsidies probe is the kind of competition policy the EU needs
Capacity problems can best be tackled by letting prices fluctuate and making energy providers responsible for intermittent supply. To the extent that support schemes are used, they should be technology-neutral and driven by market forces to ensure efficiency, argues Diego Zuluaga, Deputy Director of the Epicenter (European Policy Information Center), a coalition of six free-market think tanks in Europe. For this reason, writes Zuluaga, the sector … [Read more...]
The IMF just destroyed the main argument against clean energy
A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) finds that energy (fossil fuel) subsidies are âbig and risingâ. At the presentation of the report, Vitor Gaspar, Director Fiscal Affairs Department at the IMF, noted that most subsidies go to coal and said the numbers were âshockingâ. He added that âeliminating energy subsidies can generate substantial environmental, fiscal and welfare benefitsâ. Elias Hinckley, strategic adviser at the US law … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: Brussels Briefing on Energy â All you need to know for May & June
In this Brussels Briefing on Energy for viEUws.eu, journalist Hughes Belin provides an overview of the latest EU energy policy developments, including the competition investigation into capacity markets and the meeting of the G7 energy ministers in Hamburg. He also looks ahead to the agenda for June. … [Read more...]
“Nuon has no vision of the future of the energy system”
In this instalment of the Power Talk series written by Ph. D. researcher Hendrik Steringa, a staff member who worked for Nuon, the Dutch subsidiary of Vattenfall, tells about the struggle inside the company to develop new business models. "To come up with new business models in sustainable energy is not so difficult. But to come up with financially attractive models is a lot more difficult." … [Read more...]
Demand response markets in Europe begin to blossom
Demand response markets are taking off in Europe, writes Jeff St John of the US energy website Greentech Media. For example, Belgian demand response specialist REstore, with more than 1 GW of peak load under management from large industrial customers, is set to expand into the UK and France. Pieter-Jan Mermans of REstore explains his strategy and tells why Germany is such a difficult market. Article courtesy of Greentech Media. … [Read more...]
Hydropowerâs big splash â Word Energy Council projects decades of strong growth
The global hydroelectric power market, which already represents 76% of all renewable global energy, has the potential to double to 2,000GW capacity by 2050 according to a new report from the World Energy Council, âCharting The Upsurge In Hydropower Developmentâ, presented today in Beijing. This doubling could be achieved even earlier, if governments and multilateral banks give help to emerging economies where hydropower resources are … [Read more...]
Investigation into capacity mechanisms: a test case for the Energy Union
The sector inquiry into the use of capacity mechanisms announced by the EUâs Competition Commissioner Magrethe Vestager on 29 April has important implications for the creation of a single market for energy, writes Matthew Duhan, Adviser at the UK-based consultancy Global Counsel. According to Duhan, the willingness of DG Competition to take on Member States in this key area of energy policy will be a crucial test case for the success of the … [Read more...]
Rising sun, sinking influence? Japan’s self-marginalisation from global climate politics
As other countries including the US, China, UK, Germany and Mexico lead on climate action, the lack of effort from the worldâs third largest economy and fifth largest emitter has left Japan isolated in a debate that is increasingly central to trade, investment, security and foreign policy, write Taylor Dimsale, Liz Gallagher and Camilla Born in a new report from the London-based consultancy E3G. The authors explain the reasons behind Japan's … [Read more...]
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