European carmakers are required to reduce their CO2-emissions, but the Volkswagen affair has shown they find it increasingly difficult to do so. There is a way out, however, writes energy consultant Mike Parr: they could follow the example of Audi and invest in power-to-gas systems. This would kill two birds with one stone, argues Parr: it would help decarbonise the transport sector and could enormously help the integration of variable renewables … [Read more...]
Jean-Luc Dormoy, IT expert and innovator: âEnergy companies should disrupt their own business before others do itâ
Energy companies can turn the threat of new rivals into an opportunity by taking charge of their own disruption, believes energy and IT entrepreneur Jean-Luc Dormoy. With a background in software, artificial intelligence and energy, Dormoy sets out a model for disruptive innovation inspired by the likes of Google and Uber in this exclusive interview with Energy Post. Dormoy: âIT is changing almost all industries. But IT on its own is not enough. … [Read more...]
Solar finance wizard David Arfin: âWhy should people have to prepay their electricity bill for 30 years?â
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. âWhy … [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Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid: “The idea of large power stations for baseload is outdated”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 âoutdatedâ. "From a consumerâs 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...]
Ad van Wijk: âThe energy sector has nothing to do with energy companies anymoreâ
There are many developments in the world today that have far more influence on the energy sector than the energy sector itself, says technology visionary Ad van Wijk in this exclusive interview with Energy Post. The Professor in âFuture Energy Systemsâ at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands explains how LED lighting, a DC grid, fuel cell cars, the Internet of Things and 3D printing are upending our energy system as we know it. âThe … [Read more...]
Warren Buffett and Elon Musk to spark lithium boom
The growth in electric cars, the solar panel revolution, and Tesla's battery gigafactory are igniting a battle for the cheapest battery. This will transform lithium into a boom-time mineral and the hottest commodity on the energy investor's radar, writes James Stafford of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
A primer on rare earth minerals: not just about price anymore
There has been a lot of discussion about ârare earthâ or âcriticalâ minerals in recent years. The Gold Report interviews Simon Moores, managing director of London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, and the firm's analyst, Andrew Miller. They explain how minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite, all of which go into batteries, are evolving from commodities to specialist, niche, products. They also note that sustainability and âsupply chain … [Read more...]
Energy storage megashift ahead, battery costs set to fall 60% by 2020
The key role energy storage will play in the electricity grids of the future â and the vital importance of investing in and testing the various emerging battery storage technologies â has been highlighted in a major report published by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The report predicts a 40-60 per cent price plunge for certain battery technologies by 2020. Sophie Vorrath of Reneweconomy has the story. … [Read more...]
Summer greetings – we’re taking a break!
Energy Post would like to thank all of our readers and contributors for a terrific first half of the year. Your contributions and sharing via social media has helped drive the debate we seek to stimulate about Europe and energy. Weâre taking a short break now but weâll be back on Monday 17 August with new content. In the meantime, please keep reading, sharing and telling us what you think. Enjoy the summer! Â … [Read more...]
Dean Oskvig, CEO Black & Veatch: physics not policy will dictate energy future
âWe can make all kinds of policies and laws and regulations, but no legal system is powerful enough to violate the laws of physics,â says Dean Oskvig, President and CEO Black & Veatch Energy, part of Black & Veatch, the US-based global engineering and consulting company. In this exclusive interview, he urges policymakers to focus on infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity and responding to distributed and off-grid electricity generation. … [Read more...]
The grid will not be disrupted: why Teslaâs Powerwall wonât catalyze a solar revolution
When Tesla Motors debuted the Powerwall home storage battery at a glitzy launch at the end of April, the press and blogosphere hailed CEO Elon Musk as the inventor of the Holy Grail of renewable energy storage â and the nail in the coffin for the centralized grid. But does all the messianic talk of battery-powered âdisruptionâ and solar triumphalism stack up? Hardly. For all their ballyhooed price reductions, Tesla batteries are still too … [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...]
Tesla batteries: just the beginning of how technology will transform the electric grid
The spread of cost-effective batteries, such as Teslaâs new Powerwall, will fundamentally change the way the electric grid operates, writes Michael McElfresh of Santa Clara University. Combined with other innovations, batteries in homes and businesses will transform how people and businesses treat electricity. Along the way, these batteries will improve the efficiency and reliability of the grid overall. … [Read more...]
Why the Tesla battery heralds the beginning of the end for fossil fuels
The introduction of the Powerwall, Teslaâs new battery, will change the global energy equation fundamentally, writes John Mathews, Professor of Strategic Management, at Macquarie University in Australia. This is because it will make renewable energy âthe new normalâ and will put fossil fuel companies on the defensive. Instead of asking âcan we have our own energy system?â communities will be asking âwhy canât we have it?â … [Read more...]
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