Energy Post

Daily reports on the European and Global energy transition

The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

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The U.S. should get behind Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), says Joseph Majkut at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Under the EU’s newest agreement, anyone importing CBAM-listed goods into Europe will have to report the emissions associated with their products starting in October, and ultimately face tariffs if those emissions exceed those of the equivalent products made in the EU. The current list is iron and … [Read more...]

Concrete: 8% of global emissions and rising. Which innovations can achieve net zero by 2050?

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Concrete manufacture is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, with the ingredient “clinker” accounting for most of it. Global demand for cement (which hardens into concrete) is expected to increase 48% from 4.2bn to 6.2bn tons by 2050, mainly driven by developing nations. China used more concrete between 2011 and 2013 than the United States did in the entire 20th century. Ben Skinner and Radhika Lalit at RMI look at the materials and … [Read more...]

EU ETS and CBAM: what the big update to emissions trading rules means for Europe’s key sectors

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The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme is a vital part of the region’s decarbonisation plans. Simon Göss at carboneer digs into the new rules coming in for the existing EU ETS, and the implementation of the new carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). Right now, the existing EU ETS covers around 40% of the EU’s emissions (energy sector, industrial installations and aviation). Its scope is being extended to include maritime transport. On top of that, … [Read more...]

2023 lookahead for Sustainable Finance: EU Taxonomy, ESG ratings, corporate disclosure laws, Europe’s “IRA”

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What will be the big issues for sustainable finance in 2023? Luca Bonaccorsi at Transport & Environment points at four. Firstly, the EU Taxonomy defines what counts as “green” investment. There has been much criticism of the inclusion of gas, and critics will continue publishing their analyses of what is truly sustainable and what is greenwash. Next, ESG ratings have also been severely criticised. They are an investor’s main tool for capital … [Read more...]

30+ nations now subsidise Heat Pumps because lifetime cost is cheaper than fossil boilers

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The global growth in heat pumps can deliver almost 40% of all possible emissions cuts from heating by 2030 (with most of the rest coming from efficiency, mainly insulation), says the IEA. This is according to their “Announced Pledges Scenario” (APS) which assumes that governments carry out all of the climate commitments they have made. Keeping buildings warm produces one-tenth of global energy-related CO2 emissions. So the APS’s heat pump growth … [Read more...]

Corporate targets are forcing suppliers to cut emissions or relocate to clean energy nations

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Emissions targets being imposed by corporates in the U.S. and Europe are forcing manufacturers in other parts of the world to decarbonise, writes Kwangyin Liu at Clean Energy Wire. Here, she looks at how Taiwan’s TSMC – the world’s third largest chip manufacturer – is having to set up factories in Arizona (U.S.) and Kumamoto (Japan) where emissions are lower and thus to comply with requirements set by customers like Apple, Google and Microsoft. … [Read more...]

Can Global Shipping turn talk into action on reducing emissions?

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This week the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) member states are meeting to find ways and agree on how to step up their climate goals. Strategies and targets have been presented, but agreement and binding commitments are needed urgently. There are big differences of opinion within the IMO, and it might turn out that regional and industry developments will drive change faster, explains Christiaan De Beukelaer at Durham University. For … [Read more...]

COP 27: a way forward for methane, fossil fuel (not just coal) phase-out, and U.S.-China competition?

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COP 27 was never expected to have the impact that COP 26 did, and that’s how it turned out, explain Ben Cahill, Sandeep Pai and Taiya Smith at CSIS. But there are three issues that can have long term positive impacts if carried forward successfully. The first is some good news on methane emissions. The U.S., the EU, Japan and other countries announced an important producer-consumer effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions from traded gas, while … [Read more...]

COP 27: “Loss & Damage” can become the fourth pillar of climate action, along with mitigation, adaptation and finance

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COP27 saw two major outcomes on the finance front: the creation of a “Loss and Damage” fund and a call to reform international financial institutions. It made fewer, if any, advances to reduce emissions, and narrowly missed sending a global call to phase down oil and gas consumption. But funding the emissions reductions of developing and vulnerable nations was a gap that had to be filled, and so this is a big step forward, explains Lola Vallejo … [Read more...]

Solar PV windows on highly glazed skyscrapers can cut energy by 40%+

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Around a third of the world’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions come from buildings. Highly glazed skyscrapers and buildings may look beautiful and let in plenty of light, but waste a lot of energy due to the extra cooling needed in summer and heating in winter. Modern skyscrapers can have window-to-wall ratios of 70%+. But modern thermally efficient photovoltaic windows not only provide insulation but turn the absorbed light into power. Wayne … [Read more...]

What does the “global carbon budget” mean? Have we got 9 years left?

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Piers Forster and Debbie Rosen at the University of Leeds and Robin Lamboll and Joeri Rogelj at Imperial College London, writing for Carbon Brief, look at the carbon budget estimates of the Global Carbon Project and the IPCC, the methodology and the inevitable uncertainties. They compare it to their own latest report from the CONSTRAIN research project. Where the GCP and the IPCC estimate nine years left of carbon emissions at current emission … [Read more...]

IEA says peak coal is a few years away, but China’s demand for energy suggests not

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Lucas Davis at the Haas School of Business questions the IEA’s optimism revealed in its latest World Energy Outlook 2022 that predicted coal will peak in the next few years. In 2021, global coal consumption increased 5% and global electricity generation from coal reached an all-time high. China is the main driver - last year over half of all coal-fired electricity generation came from China - and its energy demand keeps rising. Between 2000 and … [Read more...]

Corporate greenwashing: will court cases and new rules close the gap between promises and reality?

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Activists are taking firms to court over deceiving consumers with questionable climate pledges. Isabel Sutton at Clean Energy Wire summarises the issues. Greenwashing, and therefore misdirecting consumer behaviour, is clearly a barrier to achieving climate goals. The latest IPCC report says consumer behaviour and changes to our lifestyles can result in a 40%–70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  But unregulated advertising can say … [Read more...]

How European nations are using tax to promote zero-emissions cars

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Taxation is an effective way to steer people towards zero-emission cars. But there is wide variation between European countries in how this is done, and therefore the results. Griffin Carpenter at Transport & Environment (T&E) summarises their report “The good tax guide: A comparison of car taxation in Europe” that covers seven forms of car taxation across 31 European countries in detail. The ultimate goal should be to create a clear … [Read more...]

Investing in Hydrogen: is there a “first mover advantage”?

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Is there a “first mover advantage” – or not - for an investor in the new hydrogen economy? Michiel Korthals Altes offers a series of “tests” of investment decisions based on the following criteria: economics, climate efficiency, system optimum, price stability, regulation, technology, now and in the future. He concludes that until the sector reaches maturity, conversion inefficiencies make the production of hydrogen a poor choice for most … [Read more...]