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Energy Post

The best thinkers on energy

8 things you need to know about the IPCC 1.5˚C report

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In its landmark report released today on global warming, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to stop global temperatures from rising by over 1.5˚C – but it is possible. The report makes it clear to governments and businesses that limiting warming to 1.5˚C is imperative, says Kelly Levin of World Resources Institute: “Now it’s time for them to step up to the challenge.” … [Read more...]

DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook shows massive shift of investment from oil and gas into power lines

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The global energy transition will lead to a massive expansion of power lines at all voltage levels as well as a steep growth in the number of transformers and substations in the electricity system. This is one of the major new findings of the second edition of the Energy Transition Outlook, the annual flagship publication of global technical consultancy DNV GL. As a result, grid costs will triple, yet this cost explosion is offset by cost … [Read more...]

Exclusive – top energy influencer Jan Vrins, Navigant: “Europe not looking enough behind-the-meter”

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Europe is focused too much on expanding renewable energy generation, and is threatening to miss out on the huge opportunities in the energy market that are emerging behind-the-meter, says top influencer Jan Vrins, Managing Director at the U.S.-based global consultancy Navigant, in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. According to Vrins, who is leading a practice of 600 energy experts, North America is forging ahead of Europe. “We are seeing a … [Read more...]

Trading platforms and VPPs find profitable niches – and this is only the start

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Trading platforms and virtual power plants are growing rapidly in advanced electricity markets in Europe, writes energy expert and author Fereidoon Sioshansi. According to Sioshansi, the first successful platforms may be able to make enormous profits as they corner the market. Courtesy EEnergy Informer.  … [Read more...]

The Electric Power Struggle

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The world is undergoing a dramatic electricity transition, and the global struggle for power over this transformed electric system is set to profoundly shape our future, argues Walt Patterson, Associate Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resource Department of Chatham House in London. According to Patterson, politics, not economics, will determine the outcome of this struggle. Article courtesy Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy. … [Read more...]

Energy Community sets stage for clean energy transition in South-East Europe

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While the European Union has been busy with the new Clean Energy Package and discussing full decarbonisation by 2050, some important developments are also taking place in its closest neighborhood - in South-East Europe, where the Energy Community Treaty operates. Journalist and energy expert Oleg Savitsky attended the  Energy Community Sustainability Forum in June and explains how policymakers are trying to transform the energy markets of the … [Read more...]

Uneconomic coal could be squeezed out of European Union power markets by 2030

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Coal’s time is running out in Europe: deteriorating economics and stronger climate policies will soon make coal uneconomic, writes Silvio Marcacci of think tank Energy Innovation. Many European countries have already set an end date for coal power, utilities and investors are shifting away from it. The question is not if coal will lose, but when, and how well-managed its exit will be. … [Read more...]

Europe needs a fresh approach to climate strategy

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The EU needs a new approach to long-term climate strategy to ensure that EU climate policy is brought in line with the goals of Paris and takes into account recent technological and political changes, write Andrei Marcu of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and Georg Zachmann of think tank Bruegel. According to Marcu and Zachmann, climate policy can only succeed if it does not come out of a bureaucratic ‘black … [Read more...]

Decarbonising heavy industry can’t be done without large-scale CCS effort

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The decarbonisation will require a profound transformation, writes David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell. Shell’s Sky climate scenario shows it can't be done without large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS). A new initiative should boost progress on CCS. … [Read more...]

11 ways the Paris climate deal is working in the real world

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As climate talks stall, it’s clear the UN process is no longer the major driving force of the climate transition, write Soila Apparicio, Megan Darby and Karl Mathiesen of Climate Home News. While diplomates are negotiating the complex rules of the Paris deal, businesses, researchers, governments and citizens are coming up with new ways to move the climate to a safer place. Courtesy: Climate Home News  … [Read more...]

‘Tsunami’ of hydropower dam building threatens Europe’s last wild rivers – campaigners

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The transition to low-carbon energy sources in the Balkans could cause irreversible environmental damage, environmentalists fear. Proposed hydropower dam constructions endanger Europe’s last wild rivers and some diversity hotspots, writes Umberto Bacchi of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Courtesy: Thomson Reuters Foundation. … [Read more...]

How the European Commission, European Court of Justice and Member States are scaring away investors in the energy sector

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Both EU institutions and member states are actively undermining the investment climate in the energy sector, writes Alan Riley, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Statecraft in London. The European Commission is undermining investor protection by its determination to apply EU state aid law to arbitration awards. Member States are disrupting investor expectations through arbitrary political interventions in the energy sector. Worst of all, the … [Read more...]

Boosting green investment: EU wants ecolabel for financial products

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The European Commission’s recently adopted Sustainable Finance Action Plan aims to boost investment in green projects, mainly by providing more reliable information for investors, writes David Thorpe, consultant and author of books on energy efficiency. An EU "ecolabel" for financial products is in the works. … [Read more...]

UK will legislate net-zero carbon emissions target, says minister

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The UK will draft new laws that will cut emissions to net-zero, climate minister Claire Perry announced on Tuesday. Under the UK's 2008 Climate Change Act, the country has committed to 80% emission cuts, but this may prove inadequate to meet the Paris limit in 2050, writes Megan Darby, deputy editor of Climate Home News.  Article courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]

India slashes plans for new nuclear reactors by two-thirds

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India has decided to cut its planned nuclear power plant construction by two-thirds. This will further expand the country’s use of coal for electrical power generation, writes Dan Yurman, nuclear energy specialist and author of the Neutron Bytes blog. … [Read more...]