With the increase of variable renewables on the grid, the need for electricity storage will only grow. But what kind of storage? According to Philip Hiersemenzel of German battery manufacturer Younicos, business opportunties will for now lie in short duration services. Based on his company’s modelling, he says large-scale grid storage does not make sense – yet. Without storage, 40% renewables is max. Mike Stone of Energy Storage Report … [Read more...]
Global renewable energy at the cross-roads
Is the renewables glass half-full or half-empty? That’s the central question that appears to run through the International Energy Agency (IEA’s) new comprehensive market report on the state of renewable energy in the world. The answer is complex. Renewables have made “tremendous progress”, notes the IEA, but growth “falls short of global climate change objectives”. Karel Beckman reports. … [Read more...]
UBS and Citigroup expect massive solar-EV revolution
Analysts from UBS and Citigroup, two of the world’s largest investment banks, believe the growth of solar power, in combination with advances in batteries and electric cars, will cause a huge disruption in the energy industry. UBS believes centralised fossil fuel generation  will become “extinct” sooner than most people realise. Citigroup predicts renewables will replace coal and gas in power generation, which will free up the use of gas as a … [Read more...]
Do we need capacity markets? Do we need Russia?
There are two major issues on which the future of the energy sector hangs, notes EP editor Karel Beckman: 1) Â how far will the renewables revolution go in combination with climate policy; 2) how will growing geopolitical tensions, especially relations with Russia, affect markets? Karel asks whether we need capacity schemes, indicates how utilities could get back on a growth path and how (not) to deal with Russia. … [Read more...]
Four scientific breakthroughs that can take us to a new, clean energy world
Discussions on the energy transition usually focus on the economics of renewables and cost comparisons with fossil fuels and other energy sources. What is usually ignored, are innovations in materials and chemical processes, which are nonetheless increasingly important as agents of change in the energy sector. Innovation watcher Denis Kuznetsov discusses four scientific breakthroughs in materials research that could shake up the energy sector in … [Read more...]
Heat pumps: waiting for the final push
As gas faces a reputational challenge from Ukraine, electric heat pumps are emerging as a promising alternative source of heating. Heat pumps can also make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Oddly enough, although heating and cooling accounts for 45% of the EU’s final energy consumption there is no EU-wide heating and cooling strategy. Some countries such as UK and Italy are introducing support for individual … [Read more...]
Interview Fatih Birol, IEA: “Gradual change will not save us”
The latest major report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Energy Technology Perspectives 2014, states that “radical action is needed to actively transform energy supply and end use”. In an interview with Energy Post, the IEA’s renowned Chief Economist Fatih Birol notes that governments in particular have to take action. “You cannot change trends by giving some lectures or speeches. Policymakers should put in place real economic … [Read more...]
Ten take-home messages from the new European Energy Security Strategy
On 28 May the European Commission published a new energy security strategy for the EU that sets out a long list of short-, medium- and long-term actions to reduce dependence on Russian gas. These range from regional “stress tests” for supply disruptions to new priority gas infrastructure projects to serious examination of centralised gas purchases. For many however, it is energy efficiency that will make or break this strategy. Sonja van Renssen … [Read more...]
Experts warn: the “Great European Energy Transition” can still go wrong
The EU’s great power transition – the liberalisation and integration of its energy markets and the expansion of renewables – has reached a crucial stage. According to three seasoned energy experts, the EU's energy project - one of the greatest missions ever to be undertaken by the European Union - has delivered some positive results, but it is also faced with mounting challenges - political uncertainty being the most prominent one. The … [Read more...]
NEC commissions largest renewable energy storage system in Italy
NEC Corporation has announced the commissioning of an Energy Storage System (ESS) for Enel Group subsidiary Enel Distribuzione, Italy's largest distribution system operator. The ESS can store two megawatt hours (2MWh) of renewable power for release into the grid as required, making it the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe*. The ESS has been connected to the Chiaravalle primary substation in the region of Calabria, where renewable … [Read more...]
NEC acquires grid energy storage business of A123 Energy Solutions
NEC Corporation has acquired the A123 Energy Solutions business unit of A123 Systems. Â According to NEC, this acquisition, for approximately USD $100 million, "strengthens the energy storage capability of NEC's smart energy business, a core segment of its Mid-term Management Plan's commitment to social infrastructure." NEC reports that "A123 Energy Solutions will be integrated into the NEC Group of companies and operated globally as a key … [Read more...]
WWF: Action required now to ensure supply of critical materials for renewable energy infrastructure
The growing demand for renewable energy could put pressure on the supply of critical materials required in the production of renewable energy infrastructure, says WWF in new report released on 18 February. The report, Critical Materials for the transition to a 100% sustainable energy future, says supply chain bottlenecks can be overcome by applying the right technologies. It is possible for renewable energy to fuel the world reliably while … [Read more...]
Global clean energy investment falls for second consecutive year
Clean Energy Pipeline, the online daily financial news and data service dedicated to the clean energy sector, on 16 January released its preliminary analysis of venture capital, private equity, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and public markets activity during 4Q13 and 2013. New investment in the global clean energy sector totalled $58.2 billion in 4Q13, a 15% increase on the $50.7 billion invested in 3Q13 but a 21% decrease on the … [Read more...]
European venture capital firms support KIC InnoEnergy’s cleanteach startups
A number of top European venture capital companies have signed a collaboration agreement to support the most innovative clean tech start-ups in the EU. In a first-of-its-kind move for the industry, the community will provide KIC InnoEnergy’s 37 European startups with access to €3 billion in the next two years. “This agreement has exceeded our initial expectations. The idea of a VC [venture capital] community was new in this sector, and we did … [Read more...]
The greatest business opportunity of our time
Amory Lovins, the founder of the famous Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, has written a book in which he presents an energy future without coal, oil or nuclear power. Yet he insists his is not a green or left-wing vision. On the contrary, it will save money and create wealth. “The energy transformation is the greatest business opportunity of our time.” … [Read more...]