The climate change challenge is not technical nor even economic, but a matter of enacting the right policies, writes Silvio Marcacci, Communications Director at San Francisco-based think tank Energy Innovation. Based on new research, Marcacci outlines the the types of policies that are the most effective. … [Read more...]
The IEA comes up short on climate (again)
The release of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2018 marks another missed opportunity for the International Energy Agency (IEA) to provide a roadmap to Paris, writes Greg Muttitt of NGO Oil Change International. According to Muttitt, even the WEO’s “sustainable development scenario” falls well short of the Paris goals. Policymakers and investors cannot rely on the WEO to guide their decisions in energy. … [Read more...]
Study says no way to decarbonise the gas sector by 2050
Gas industry advocates argue that expansion of gas infrastructure is justified because it will be possible to switch to low-carbon gases such as hydrogen and biomethane in future. But research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) predicts that biomethane production will remain modest, even with massive subsidies. … [Read more...]
Energy efficiency is more than saving energy: “We need to build a real marketplace”
Energy efficiency experts have come to the conclusion that “selling the business case of energy efficiency on the basis of cost savings is not enough.” If the potential of energy efficiency is to be realised, a real marketplace in projects needs to be built and the “non-energy benefits” of efficiency must be monetised writes Brussels-based journalist Clare Taylor. The European Commission has developed a number of instruments, including a unique … [Read more...]
A blacklist of the world’s top 120 coal plant developers
Nearly 1,400 new coal power plant developments are planned or under construction in 59 countries that would add 33% to coal power capacity. But the risks of investing in such projects are growing, and many banks and investors are looking to move away from coal. To help them, non-governmental organisation Urgewald has created a database of the world’s top 120 coal plant developers, says Kathy Hipple of the Institute for Energy Economics and … [Read more...]
Energy transition: The greatest switch capital markets have ever seen
Even the most engaged energy pundits tend to gloss over what may be one of the biggest changes of all in a clean energy transition: how we pay for and finance the energy we use, and what that may mean for the investors, industries and companies that provide that energy. David Nelson of Climate Policy Initiative explains why investment strategies, financial markets and business models also need to transform. … [Read more...]
Nuclear activist Shellenberger learns to love the bomb
For decades, the nuclear energy industry denied any connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. In recent years, however, writes Jim Green, nuclear campaigner with Friends of the Earth Australia, the industry has turned around and started openly acknowledging that there is a connection, hoping that this will secure political support. Prominent nuclear activist Michael Shellenberger has even gone a step further, notes Green: he welcomes … [Read more...]
Hydrogen is heading up the European policy agenda
Hydrogen’s momentum is building, as European ministers consider approving a new ‘Hydrogen Initiative’ this week that aims to “maximise the great potential of sustainable hydrogen technology.” With funding from the EU’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a consortium of industrial heavyweights in the H2FUTURE project is already ramping up production of hydrogen from renewable sources. But, as the International Renewable Energy Agency notes … [Read more...]
Smart cities: not enough projects make the grade
Despite the hype about smart cities, and the availability of EU funding, there are very few projects out there that qualify for funding, according to Lada Strelnikova, lead fund manager at the European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). An exception: Belgian bank Belfius has, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB), provided €1 billion to smart city projects involving more than 100 municipalities in Belgium. According to Joost Declerck … [Read more...]
An evening with ecomodernist Michael Shellenberger (or: a defence of nuclear power you have not heard before)
Pro-nuclear activist Michael Shellenberger, founder of the California-based global citizens movement Environmental Progress (“not paid by the nuclear industry”) was in Amsterdam recently, where he gave a very personal “Ecomodernist” defense of why nuclear power is good and how it should be supported. “It is about protecting the natural environment by concentrating human activity.” This article was first published on Energy Post Weekly. … [Read more...]
DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook shows massive shift of investment from oil and gas into power lines
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...]
Interview Ditlev Engel, CEO DNV GL Energy: “We have to rethink the mechanisms of the electricity market”
DNV GL’s new 2018 Energy Transition Outlook projects a massive investment shift from fossil fuels to renewables and grids – and this is based mainly on cost considerations. Yet, notes Ditlev Engel, CEO of DNV GL Energy, in an interview with Energy Post, this won’t be enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. He says policymakers will have to take additional actions. “Doing just a little more won’t be enough.” (See here for main … [Read more...]
European utilities have increased their activity in energy cloud platforms
The energy industry is experiencing a profound transformation as the sector moves towards a more intelligent, more distributed, and cleaner use of electricity, referred to as the Energy Cloud. According to digital innovation expert Alex Metz of Navigant, European utilities are increasingly recognising the value of integrated distributed energy resources (DER) and the potential of the Energy Cloud. In this article he looks at the activities of … [Read more...]
Exclusive – top energy influencer Jan Vrins, Navigant: “Europe not looking enough behind-the-meter”
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...]
Estonia needs a plan – and support – to get rid of its dirty oil shale
The need for a transition to sustainable energy is widely felt in Estonia, but after twenty years of talking, Estonia’s dirty oil shale industry is still carrying on. In fact, thanks to lower taxes, a boom in oil shale mining is expected. Estonian Green Movement, a member of Bankwatch, recently presented the national parliament with a proposal for a strategic oil shale exit plan. According to Teet Randma, national campaigner for Bankwatch in … [Read more...]
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