Citizens are at the core of the EUâs most ambitious energy strategy to date, the Energy Union, according to the European Commission. But how exactly could they get involved? Since 2012 social scientists with the R&Dialogue project have been working on processes to engage citizens, NGOs and industry in the energy transition. Their conclusion: citizens and companies should cooperate in participatory, âdemocraticâ structures to create a … [Read more...]
State of the Energy Union: the political work has yet to be done
The European Commission appears to be making a valiant effort at getting the Energy Unionâs goals internalised into an institutional process that does not scare off Member States wary of âmore Europeâ. However, writes Oliver Sartor of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), the key test for the Energy Union will be how well it can succeed at getting Member States to buy into its objectives. The Energy Union … [Read more...]
The curse of lignite: the long-term underdevelopment of Germany´s second largest mining region
The government of the German State of Brandenburg wanted to buy the lignite mines and power plants from Vattenfall in the Lusatia region to keep them open. The left-far-left coalition was motivated by economic reasons: to prevent job losses and de-industrialisation. But statistics show that Lusatia is actually worse off both economically and socially because of the presence of lignite mining, write Conrad Kunze and Anika Zorn, Social Scientists … [Read more...]
The case against Nord Stream 2
By opening up an additional route for cheap Russian gas to Germany, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project may look like a good deal for Europe. However, its advantages are primarily short term, writes Agata Loskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland. In the longer term the pipeline increases the possibilities for Russiaâs excessive influence on the European gas market, undermines the policy goals of the Energy Union, and … [Read more...]
EU’s first State of the Energy Union report: how it will deliver on climate and energy goals for 2030
The EUâs first-ever âState of the Energy Unionâ 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...]
Security alert: Europe needs more grids, more power plants â say grid operators and generators
Under any decarbonisation scenario, whether dominated by fossil fuels or renewables, centralised or decentralised, âŹ10 to âŹ20 billion  in annual investments in grid infrastructure will be needed in Europe in the decades out to 2050, concludes a multi-stakeholder consortium led by European Transmission  System Operators in a landmark report. In another report, the European technical association for electricity and heat generation VGB PowerTech, … [Read more...]
Why Ukraine should phase out coal
As a result of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the government has lost control over the coal heartlands of the country. But regardless of the outcome of the conflict, there is no reason for Kiev to restore or maintain coal mining the way it has operated before, writes Oleg Savitsky of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine in a new report. As the mines are only able to survive with subsidies, the government should develop a phase-out strategy … [Read more...]
The biggest sticking point in Paris: money
In the run-up to the Paris climate change conference, there is much focus on countriesâ voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (their so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions). But much less attention is paid to a part of the negotiations that is just as important, writes Henrik Selin of Boston University: how to finance the efforts of developing countries at mitigation and adaptation. … [Read more...]
Interview Marko Delimar, IEEE: âTechnologists need to demystify energyâ
âRight now renewable energy is still in the single digits in Europe. Thatâs a disasterâ, 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: âWe need to … [Read more...]
Bottlenecks for energy storage in Europe â and how to address them
Energy storage is important for achieving Energy Union goals such as the expansion of renewable energy, decarbonisation, energy security, energy market integration and increased competitiveness. But its deployment is hindered by existing regulations that do not provide a level playing field, write Vincent Swinkels, Bart van der Ree and Sergio Ugarte of SQ Consult. They note that the European electricity system was not designed with energy storage … [Read more...]
Anil Srivastava, CEO LeclanchĂŠ, Europe’s battery leader: âPublic transport should take the lead in electrificationâ
LeclanchĂŠ, the oldest battery company in the world and the largest lithium battery manufacturer in Europe, has embarked on a special strategy to drive the electrification of transport forward. âWe are giving priority to the electrification of buses, ferries, and other mass transport systemsâ, says CEO Anil Srivastava. âElectrification is much easier to manage for buses that follow regular routes than for passenger cars. And once a standardised … [Read more...]
Klaus Schäfer, future CEO of E.ON spin-off Uniper: “EU should set a target for gas”
The EU should define how much gas it wants by when, and recognise that Nord Stream 2 can provide additional security of supply, argues Klaus Schäfer, the incoming CEO of E.ON spin-off Uniper in this exclusive interview with Energy Post. Schäfer, who is currently Board member of the E.ON Group, says Europe is further away than ever from a single market for electricity and calls on policymakers to recognise that security of supply has a cost. He … [Read more...]
The new Polish governmentâs energy policy: expect more State, less market
The new Polish government will not just resist ambitious EU climate targets, it will also increase the role of the State in the energy sector, write researchers Kacper Szulecki (University of Oslo) and Andrzej Ancygier (Climate Analytics) . The conservative Law and Justice Party that has been swept into power intends to create a Ministry of Energy, which will take control of the major Polish energy companies, note the authors. The likely new … [Read more...]
A quiet gas revolution in Central and Eastern Europe
Turkish Stream, Nord Stream, South Stream, Nabucco - the discussion about the European gas market centres on big gas pipeline projects which are supposed to make Europe either more or less dependent on Russia. However, unnoticed by most observers, Central and Eastern European countries have been carrying out numerous smaller projects that together are radically transforming the European gas market, write Colin Harrison and Zuzana Princova of … [Read more...]
Most countries need to at least double their efforts on climate
Developed nations need to double or triple their current efforts to limit global warming to a âsafeâ level of 2â°C, write Anita Talberg and Malte Meinshausen of the University of Melbourne. Thatâs the finding of a study published on 26 October in Nature Climate Change assessing countries' post-2020 climate pledges ahead of Decemberâs international climate summit in Paris. … [Read more...]
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