More than 1,000 fuel cell micro-cogeneration units have been installed in homes and business in ten countries over the last several years by the ene.field project. Its successor, the PACE project, aims at bringing costs further down, although manufacturers and users say the technology is market-ready. … [Read more...]
Ukraine: energy transition could work wonders, but policies are “the least ambitious in the world”
Ukraine can reduce its energy dependence and build a strong economy on clean and safe renewable energy, a new study shows. Unfortunately, the latest Energy Strategy adopted by the government in August shows a complete lack of ambition to pursue a low-carbon transition. Ukraine’s “nationally determined contribution” under the Paris Agreement is the least ambitious in the world, according to an independent analysis. … [Read more...]
After Bonn, 5 things to watch for in the coming year of global climate policy
Five things that should have happened at the recent climate conference in Bonn, didn’t happen, write Marc Hudson and Matthew Paterson of the University of Manchester. But there is life beyond the UNFCCC process. They identify five things to watch for in climate policy in the coming year – if it isn’t too late already to save the world from climate change. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The German electricity market in 2016: more gas, renewables stable, higher emissions, higher tariffs
Whereas gas-fired power grew strongly in Germany in 2016, the output of renewables declined slightly. CO2 emissions went up, as did network tariffs and consumer prices. Renewables were funded 70% through auctions and just 30% through feed-in tariffs. An overview by Marius Buchmann. … [Read more...]
Poland may be ready for energy turnaround
The Polish conservative government has been trying (and failing) to bail out coal, and maintain energy independence, writes journalist MichaĹ‚ Olszewski. But according to Olszewski, these expensive and polluting practices could be coming to an end. Slowly but surely, the energy transition emerges in Poland. Courtesy Energy Transition – the Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
UK government overlooked lower costs of renewables in Hinkley nuclear deal
Two of the UK’s main public bodies overseeing public spending have now criticised the government’s deal with EDF to support a new nuclear power plant, showing how Britain  (and the United States today?) failed to heed the falling cost of renewables, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. According to Wynn, the findings should be a warning for other countries planning to build new nuclear power plants. They also raise the question why the … [Read more...]
The Polish energy problem – the Ukrainian nuclear solution
Poland can’t continue to rely on coal, because it’s dirty, inefficient and increasingly has to be imported from Russia. But is there an alternative? Yes, there is, writes Mike Parr of consultancy PWR: Poland could import excess nuclear power from Ukraine. In fact, the interconnections for this have been in place for years. But Polish politicians have not taken action. … [Read more...]
Keeping coal plants open: the Spanish government’s costly intervention in the power market
After power producer Iberdrola announced the closure of their last coal plants, on 10 November, the Spanish government has said it might intervene to keep them open. Such an intervention, write energy experts Gerard Wynn and Paolo Coghe, is taking a page out of Donald Trump's book. It is costly, bad for the investment climate, and for the planet’s climate. … [Read more...]
The next generation of European nuclear talent: where will it come from?
Life isn’t easy for nuclear power in the EU. Member States pursue totally contradictory policies, existing nuclear generation gets little or no public support, and France’s flagship third-generation EPR design is struggling to become competitive. At the same time, the EU is expecting the industry to maintain its generation capacity until 2050, which will require substantial new construction. Under these circumstances, can the sector find the next … [Read more...]
Green Gold: a documentary filmmaker unearths the shocking story behind biofuels
On 22 November, the impressive documentary “Green Gold” by veteran filmmaker Sergio Ghizzardi premieres at the Aventura cinema in Brussels. Over a period of nearly ten years Ghizzardi travelled to all corners of the globe, interviewing politicians, farmers, oil industry representatives, biofuel producers and NGOs to understand “a political project” that began in Brussels and kicked up a worldwide storm that is still getting bigger every day. … [Read more...]
The Gas Directive and its application to EU-Third Country pipelines
The existing EU Gas Directive regulates issues pertaining to the transmission of gas from third countries to the Union, but is ambiguous. It can be interpreted in such a way that gas pipelines from these countries are not covered by EU energy regulations, leaving room for abuse. The European Commission’s proposal to clarify  the application of the Gas Directive to these pipelines is therefore to be welcomed, writes Szymon ZarÄ™ba, international … [Read more...]
The European Commission’s last-ditch effort to stop Nord Stream 2: how likely is it to succeed?
The European Commission’s proposal to extend the Gas Directive to so-called import pipelines is an obvious attempt to try to block Nord Stream 2, writes Karel Beckman, editor-in-chief of Energy Post. According to Beckman, it is not likely to succeed: the opposition to Nord Stream 2 is political in nature and cannot be stopped through legal means. (This article is part of a two-part response to the Commission’s proposal of 8 November to amend the … [Read more...]
How MEPs misuse energy poverty to water down efficiency legislation
On 28 November, the Industry committee of the European Parliament will deliver a crucial vote on the EU 2030 energy efficiency target. According to ClĂ©mence Hutin, who works for the Climate Justice and Energy Programme of Friends of the Earth Europe, there is cross-party support for an ambitious 40% target, but she warns that two key rapporteurs on the file are no friends of energy efficiency. Both, she says, have incorrectly argued that higher … [Read more...]
COP23: ramping up ambition
In a timely reminder for the national negotiators at the Climate conference in Bonn (COP23), PwC recently released their annual Low Carbon Economy Index, which showed yet again that current emission reduction plans for the global economy do not match the goal of the Paris Agreement, writes David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell. According to Hone, the task that confronts the negotiators is to turn the Agreement into a set of effective … [Read more...]
Lost in regulation: the EU and Nord Stream 2
The European Commission has proposed changing the Gas Market Directive to include import pipelines from third countries. This would make EU regulations, such as unbundling and third-party access rules, applicable to Nord Stream 2. According to Severin Fischer, Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, the Commission’s approach to Gazprom’s pipeline project risks getting lost in legal inconsistencies. Fischer … [Read more...]
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