South Australia made headlines around the world when it was announced that the state had been powered by 100% renewable energy for an entire working day. Commentators took it as a proof that a fully renewable future is possible. South Australia, writes Jack Baldwin of the South Australian news service The Lead, demonstrates to the world the benefits of renewable energy. According to Baldwin, there are signs the rest of the country will follow, … [Read more...]
André Faaij, Energy Academy Europe: “The energy transition has only just begun"
While policymakers and companies generally acknowledge the need for an energy transition, they still underestimate the enormous task that is facing us. The real energy transition, says AndrĂ© Faaij, the new academic director of the Dutch research institute Energy Academy Europe, has yet to start. And, he adds, it will only succeed if it is strongly directed by government policy – preferably coordinated by Brussels – and approached in a … [Read more...]
The EU's great 2030 energy and climate compromise
European leaders agreed new climate and energy targets for 2030 of “at least” 40% greenhouse gas emission reductions, 27% renewables and 27% energy efficiency at a summit in Brussels on 23 October. Central and Eastern European countries led by Poland succeeded in getting substantial financial concessions in return for signing up to the package. Stakeholder reaction ranged from bitter disappointment among NGOs and energy efficiency advocates to … [Read more...]
Brussels gives first glimpse of what it means by “Energy Union”
Career diplomat Maroš Ĺ efÄŤoviÄŤ from Slovakia gave the first glimpse of what the EU's "Energy Union" may look like during his hearing at the European Parliament on Monday night for the post of Europe’s Vice President Energy Union. Ĺ efÄŤoviÄŤ believes in common purchasing of gas and the Southern Corridor (but opposes South Stream), regards the internal market as the backbone of the Energy Union, supports the UK’s state aid to the nuclear power plant … [Read more...]
Save the EU Emissions Trading Scheme: set a price band
The Market Stability Reserve proposed by the European Commission will not be sufficient to reform the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). If the ETS is to be saved, EU policymakers must instead take the bold step of establishing a price band for CO2 emission rights, argue Brigitte Knopf of the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Ottmar Edenhofer of PIK and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change … [Read more...]
Solar power to the people
The spectacular global growth of solar PV is one of the big energy stories of today. And it may well become the energy story of the 21st Century. Where did the solar revolution “suddenly”come from? And where will it take us? One of the pioneers of the sector, Peter F. Varadi, co-founder of what was once the biggest solar PV producer in the world, Solarex, has written a unique history of his company and that of solar PV. He also looks ahead to … [Read more...]
Brussels reveals: public support for renewables hardly different from non-renewables
For the first time ever, the EU Commission has mapped out how much public money flows to the energy sector in Europe and where it goes. According to a new report prepared by consultancy Ecofys, Europe spent €113 billion on energy subsidies in 2012. Remarkably, public support for coal is equal to that of onshore wind and total support for renewables is not much higher than for non-renewables. Also remarkably, the estimated “levelised costs” for … [Read more...]
EU Commission issues interim report on energy subsidies and costs
The functioning of energy markets and the size and effect of government interventions has been the subject of debate for years. To date however, a consolidated dataset for government interventions in the power market of the European Union has been missing. This is why the European Commission has commissioned a study that aims at helping to close the knowledge gap by quantifying the extent of public interventions in energy markets in all 28 Member … [Read more...]
Energy storage: stormy growth but no one-size-fits-all solution
The debate over which energy storage technology will prove to be the best in the long-term is misguided, argues Chris Dalby of Oilprice.com. There will be no one-size-fits-all winner. He discusses some of the latest developments in energy storage, which show that different situations will lead to different solutions. … [Read more...]
Brussels concludes UK measures for Hinkley Point nuclear power plant are compatible with EU rules
The European Commission has found revised UK plans to subsidise the construction and operation of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset to be in line with EU state aid rules. According to the Commission, “during the in-depth investigation (see IP/13/1277), the UK has agreed to significantly modify the terms of the project financing. As a result, the state aid provided will remain proportionate to the objective pursued, avoiding … [Read more...]
Italian EU Presidency falls down on energy policy
With a final decision on the 2030 framework for EU climate and energy policy approaching, and a highly unstable international energy situation, the Italian Presidency of the EU should focus squarely on energy. However, the Italian energy effort is vague, focused on the short term and fails to initiate the measures the EU and Italy need to solve the energy and climate crisis, writes energy journalist and economist Lorenzo Colantoni. … [Read more...]
Europe’s new VP for Energy Union shows little knowledge of energy
Slovenia’s Alenka Bratušek was condemned as vague, bland and ignorant of key energy issues at her hearing at the European Parliament on Monday afternoon. Bratušek, who from November is meant to lead Europe’s energy negotiations with Russia and take on a global climate deal, failed to convince MEPs she had the skills or integrity to become the EU’s new “Vice President for Energy Union”. … [Read more...]
Carefully prepared Cañete dogged by conflict of interest
The candidate for EU Climate and Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete from Spain, demonstrated an impressive grasp of his subject matter at his hearing at the European Parliament on Wednesday night in Brussels. But he failed to answer repeated questions about his brother-in-law’s involvement in two oil-related companies. Today, his future hangs in the balance as he becomes a hostage in a fight between the Parliament’s different political … [Read more...]
IEA: Solar costs heading to 4c/kWh, rooftop solar “unbeatable”
The traditionally conservative International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts the cost of solar energy will fall to around 4c/kWh in coming decades as the sun becomes the largest source of power generation across the world. The latest “Solar Roadmap” published by the IEA on Monday shows that the speed with which solar is reaching “socket parity” has taken the world by surprise, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com.au. … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s energy sector: badly in need of repair
Ukraine’s energy sector faces unprecedented challenges, from a reliance on expensive fossil-fuel imports to inefficient infrastructure and markets. But rather than viewing this as a vulnerability, Ukraine’s energy sector is potentially a low-hanging fruit for reform, notes a new report from the NGO CEE Bankwatch Network. According to Bankwatch, the current diplomatic crisis with Russia and the removal of politicians engaged in corrupting the … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- …
- 50
- Next Page »