The US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made on 11 November, has given rise to a lot of commentary in the media worldwide. In this article, Mat Hope of The Carbon Brief provides an excellent critical overview of some of the most significant analyses. Energy Post chief editor Karel Beckman adds some insights of his own. … [Read more...]
Wishing away lignite – EU climate policy ignores elephant in the room
While mining and combustion of lignite impose high burdens on the environment, Europe’s least expensive fuel remains impervious to climate policies or market trends. Poland remains committed to lignite power generation. In Germany, the world’s largest lignite industry provides backup electricity for nuclear phase-out and renewable power intermittency. Mediterranean sunshine has not kept Greece and Turkey from relying on lignite rather than … [Read more...]
Five take-home messages from the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2014
Current events risk distracting governments “from recognising and tackling the longer-term signs of stress that are emerging in the energy system” says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2014 unveiled on 12 November in London. Just like a year ago, it warns that long-term oil supplies are far from secure, with the Middle East re-establishing itself as the main supplier in the long-term. Moreover, while … [Read more...]
Interview Joe Phillips, DNV GL: “For offshore wind there is only one way forward: together”
“Offshore wind offers great promise but the industry is at a very delicate stage now. We can’t afford to make mistakes in construction that lead to cost overruns,” warns Joe Phillips, Head of Strategy & Policy for Renewables at DNV GL, one of the largest technical energy consultancies in the world. DNV GL has recently issued an “offshore wind cost reduction manifesto” that commits the company to help reduce costs in the sector by 25% and … [Read more...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: here are the gamechangers of the future
At a “business booster” event in Barcelona, sixty European cleantech startups supported by KIC InnoEnergy, presented themselves to the world. They offered an impressive variety of new technologies and market innovations, ranging from new storage devices and solar chips to energy saving techniques, financing models and consumer engagement platforms. In this article we present to you some of the gamechangers of our future energy system – all made … [Read more...]
What Slow Food can teach Clean Energy
The food and energy sectors are alike in many ways: security, waste, local production, labelling, environmental impact and access are key issues for both. In each case, there is a movement underway taking a holistic value chain approach to create a more secure, sustainable, affordable system. Sonja van Renssen takes away four lessons from the recently held Slow Food Fair in Turin, Italy for the energy sector. … [Read more...]
South Australia's renewable energy future
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...]
Don’t get too excited, no one has cracked nuclear fusion yet
Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s recent announcement that it could make small-scale nuclear fusion power a reality in the next decade has understandably generated excitement in the media. Physicists, however, aren’t getting their hopes up just yet, writes Matthew Hole, Australia’s representative on the IAEA International Fusion Research Council of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Chair of the Australian ITER Forum. … [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...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: the pace is picking up
The pace of innovation in the European energy sector is stepping up. “Energy is no longer seen as a commodity that simply needs to be there. It is perceived as a challenge for which solutions need to be found”, says Elena Bou, Innovation Director of KIC InnoEnergy, a top European company in the field of sustainable energy innovation, in an interview with Energy Post. According to Bou, successful innovation begins with “asking the right … [Read more...]
The great EU climate and energy test: European leaders need deal that will convince the world
On 23 October EU leaders will meet to agree the foundations of an EU climate and energy policy for 2030. They need to settle on four targets: greenhouse gas emission reductions, renewables, energy efficiency, and – the most recent addition – interconnections. But even more: they will have to convince markets and policymakers across the world that the EU has a credible climate and energy strategy to offer. Sonja van Renssen explains the ins and … [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...]
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