70% of electricity in the US now is generated by renewables, and natural gas from fracking is on the decline, says a presidential hopeful in a campaign speech in 2052. He promises voters that if elected he “will ensure completion of the energy transition”. … [Read more...]
Energiewende is easily affordable – if we don’t go 100% renewable
Researchers from Fraunhofer ISE have published a new report investigating the net cost of Germany’s energy transition. The good news is that the German government’s current goals are likely to be affordable. The bad news is that 100 percent renewable energy is less so, writes Craig Morris of the website German Energy Transition. … [Read more...]
Stanford: world can go 100% wind, water, sun by 2050 – and save money
Reneweconomy.com A new analysis from Stanford University has laid out a roadmap for 139 countries to power their economies with solar, wind, and hydro energy by 2050. It says the world can reach 80 per cent WWS (wind, water and sunlight) by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050 with no impact on economic growth. … [Read more...]
EU’s first State of the Energy Union report: how it will deliver on climate and energy goals for 2030
The EU’s first-ever “State of the Energy Union” report is determinedly optimistic on progress, but offers little new information and appears to take just a small step towards resolving the biggest challenge of all: uniting national interests around EU priorities. Published by the European Commission on 18 November, the report is accompanied by a whole suite of studies in areas from energy security to climate action. The package sets out … [Read more...]
Interview Marko Delimar, IEEE: “Technologists need to demystify energy”
“Right now renewable energy is still in the single digits in Europe. That’s a disaster”, says Marko Delimar, Professor at the University of Zagreb and Chair of the European Public Policy Group of the engineers association IEEE, the largest professional association in the world. According to Delimar, the energy transition is still at a very early stage. Technologists, he says, in an interview with Energy Post, have an important task: “We need to … [Read more...]
The coal conundrum
What do we do with coal? It provides cheap and reliable energy around the world, but is also the main cause of the most serious problem facing the world, writes Allan Hoffman. According to Hoffman, there are no easy answers, but we have no choice but to move to a clean energy society as quickly as possible. … [Read more...]
What Volkswagen and the EU’s climate models have in common
The European Commission’s climate and energy modelling, based on intransparent models from the National Technical University of Athens, is based on ludicrous assumptions, writes Brook Riley of the Friends of the Earth Europe. The consequences for the climate are deadly: energy efficiency targets would be much higher if proper models were used. Riley calls for a reform of current practices. On Wednesday 21 October there will be a hearing at the … [Read more...]
Failure of Energy Community Treaty: if EU can’t make its neighbours clean up, can it be climate leader?
The Ministerial Council of the Energy Community – a Treaty between the EU, the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine – is expected to decide on far-reaching reforms this week. According to Dragana Mileusnic of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, the Energy Community Treaty has failed to bring progressive climate policies to Southeast Europe. Countries that have signed the Treaty have made practically no effort to live up to its obligations and … [Read more...]
Are EU leaders about to shy away from effective climate and energy governance?
On 26 November the EU's Energy Ministers will decide on a new climate and energy governance mechanism. This will be crucial to delivering the outcomes that these leaders agreed on last year in climate and energy policy. However, the draft of the Energy Council’s Conclusions, already published on 30 September, is a cause for concern, writes Oliver Sartor of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). Sartor … [Read more...]
RWE’s Head of Innovation Inken Braunschmidt: “We want to be the Uber for energy”
Big energy companies are looking to the sharing economy, digitisation, big data, and mega-cities to inspire future revenue streams. In this exclusive interview with Energy Post, Inken Braunschmidt, leader of RWE’s “Innovation Hub” talks about her unique role at the helm of a department that’s not a department. Her job? To think non-utility ideas. Braunschmidt:”We’re really going to the edge of what energy has meant for 100 years.” … [Read more...]
China and US: new climate commitments, common vision
US President Obama and Chinese President Xi announced far-reaching new climate policy proposals on 25 September during Xi's state visit in Washington DC. Ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP21) in Paris in December, they came out with several new pledges in areas such as climate finance and energy efficiency standards. Moreover, China announced the launch of a national emission trading system in 2017 and the implementation of a new green dispatch … [Read more...]
Solar finance wizard David Arfin: “Why should people have to prepay their electricity bill for 30 years?”
With his invention of the SolarLease for SolarCity, he revolutionised the US residential solar market. Now, David Arfin, CEO of First Energy Finance, wants to take his business model to other parts of the world, including Europe, and apply it to other technologies, like wind, energy efficiency and geothermal heat pumps. In an exclusive interview with Energy Post, he explains his approach and what future financial innovations he sees coming. “Why … [Read more...]
When fuels compete: the new dynamics of global energy markets
For a long time global energy markets were relatively stable, dominated by long-term investment in asset-intensive fuel businesses that rarely competed with one another. Now, rapid change is sweeping across the energy world: fuels are increasingly encroaching on each other’s territory and the silos of regional markets are breaking down, write Christophe Brognaux and Nicholas Ward of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As a result, fundamentally … [Read more...]
Standardising energy efficiency: US initiative aims to transform European market
Energy efficiency remains one of the most intractable transition challenges. There are now finally plenty of funds available, yet progress remains slow. To overcome the last hurdles, major new initiatves have started up aiming to standardise energy efficiency processes to make it easier to invest in them. One of these is the Investor Confidence Project (ECP), originated by the Environmental Defense Fund. Goal: to turn energy efficiency projects … [Read more...]
Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid: “The idea of large power stations for baseload is outdated”
Steve Holliday, CEO of National Grid, the company that operates the gas and power transmission networks in the UK and in the northeastern US, believes the idea of large coal-fired or nuclear power stations to be used for baseload power is “outdated”. "From a consumer’s point of view, the solar on the rooftop is going to be the baseload. Centralised power stations will be increasingly used to provide peak demand", he says, in an exclusive … [Read more...]
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