The disruption and the opportunities being offered by solar PV and battery storage are likely to be accelerated massively by the introduction of new software such as the âblockchainâ system that has already taken root in financial systems, writes Giles Parkinson of the leading Australian energy website Reneweconomy. Courtesy: Reneweconomy.com. … [Read more...]
Why the future belongs to decentralised renewables, not centralised hydrogen and giga-scale nuclear
What the future of our energy system will look like continues to be a subject of heated debate. According to one well-established tradition, writes Professor John Mathews of Macquarie University in Australia, the route to decarbonisation will run via massive nuclear power systems to the hydrogen economy. But China and to some extent India are emerging as the principal practitioners of an alternative vision of energy growth, underpinning their … [Read more...]
Lumenaza creates regional electricity markets: âWe want to connect up all 1.4 million solar PV producers in Germany with consumers locallyâ
A new software platform in Germany lets utilities buy and sell âregional electricityâ by connecting up small producers with consumers. Start-up Lumenaza, founded three years ago, meets a growing demand for transparency, explains CEO and founder Christian Chudoba in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. Unlike a typical virtual power plant, Lumenaza targets tiny producers such as owners of rooftop solar. Its goal is to connect up all of … [Read more...]
Peter Carlsson, business angel (ex-Tesla): âBattery breakthrough 5-8 years awayâ
Europe is behind the US and Asia in battery development, but it can catch up if it sets aggressive goals and tough standards, says  California-based entrepreneur and investor Peter Carlsson. After leaving Tesla Motors last year, the supply chain expert is helping a host of cleantech start-ups profit from the energy transition. Within 5-8 years, batteries will break through big-time, he predicts. Grid storage will be done in stationary batteries … [Read more...]
Hereâs how to build 100% clean renewable energy in the US before 2040
There really is a feasible way to build our way out of the climate crisis in time to avoid the worst effects of global warming, writes Tom Solomon of 350 New Mexico. We do it by rapidly replacing all fossil fuel-based energy with renewable energy built with current technology, installed in a smart grid. We pay for it without damaging the economy and actually save money vs. our current reliance on fossil fuels. The âside benefitsâ include cleaner … [Read more...]
The Energiewende is running up against its limits
German transmission system operator Tennet recently announced an 80% increase in its transmission fees because of the high construction costs of new power lines to accommodate renewable energy. A study of the DĂŒsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics found that by 2025 costs of the Energiewende could exceed âŹ25,000 for an average four-person household. Jeffrey Michel concludes that the Energiewende is running up against its limits â but may … [Read more...]
Demand response can drastically lower energy bills â if suppliers donât get âcompensatedâ
New research commissioned by the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) finds that demand flexibility can save many billions of euros in electricity costs. As the European Commission is pondering the design of a new and interconnected energy market for Europe, it needs to make sure these benefits are realised, writes Phil Baker, Senior Advisor at RAP. Brussels should resist calls to âcompensateâ energy suppliers for perceived losses as a result of … [Read more...]
Interview Jean-Bernard LĂ©vy, CEO EDF: âOur future lies in combination nuclear and renewablesâ
EDF, one of the largest electricity producers in the world, has embarked on a â2030â strategy focused on renewable energy and customer solutions in addition to its large nuclear business. According to CEO Jean-Bernard LĂ©vy, "EDFâs future lies in a generation mix that combines nuclear and renewable energies.â LĂ©vy says EDF will tackle the problems with its EPR nuclear reactor design by introducing a "New Model" Â EPR that will be cheaper. He also … [Read more...]
The new EON, the new Johannes Teyssen: âThe future is state-led renewables, stop dreaming of perfect Energy Union and Emission Trading Systemâ
In one of his first in-depth interviews since the restructuring of EON, CEO Johannes Teyssen sets out a completely new vision of where he sees European energy markets and policies going. The future according to Teyssen is: distribution much more than transmission; state-led renewables auctions and capacity markets, not wholesale energy-only markets; carbon taxes or floor prices, not carbon trading or emission trading; higher energy efficiency … [Read more...]
The economic and moral bankruptcy of UK energy policy
With its choice for Hinkley Point C - a ÂŁ100 billion boondoggle â its enthusiastic support for expensive and environmentally harmful fracking, and its relentless attack on renewable energy, the UK governmentâs energy policy is both morally and economically bankrupt, write Peter Strachan, Professor of Energy Policy at the Robert Gordon University, and Alex Russell, Professor and Chair of the Oil Industry Finance Committee. Westminster must … [Read more...]
Energy prices, not capacity mechanisms, are key to ensuring reliability at the lowest cost
Electricity generators often claim that prices cannot fully reflect the value of the reliability they offer the market. Hence they insist they need separate capacity payments to justify investments. But according to Mike Hogan of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), the current energy market design is fully able to reflect the value of reliability, even if it doesnât always do so in practice. In a new report, he describes a smarter approach, … [Read more...]
IEA sees âmajor shiftâ â but not major enough
âA major shift in investment towards low-carbon sources of power generation is underwayâ, according to a first-ever detailed analysis of investment across the global energy system from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Yet, in non-OECD countries, âinvestment in conventional generation remains strongâ, with over 75 GW of coal-fired power plants starting operation in 2015 in âdeveloping Asiaâ â âas much as all renewable capacity additions in … [Read more...]
China’s continuing renewable energy revolution – can it save the world?
China has made strategic choices favouring renewables over fossil fuels that are still not widely understood or appreciated, writes John A. Mathews, Professor of Management, Macquarie University, Australia. In this article he gives an overview of the latest trends in Chinese eletric power generation, which shows that the system is still "greening" faster than it is becoming black. But whether it is changing fast enough to save the world, is still … [Read more...]
100% solar?
Some argue that the world can be 100% powered by solar energy, but this is too simplistic, writes David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor for Royal Dutch Shell. He points out that solar PV delivers only electricity, which makes up just 20% of final energy use, and argues that other energy demands are better served by other low-carbon options, such as hydrogen and synthesis gas. A recent Shell publication indicates that 30% solar power by 2100 is … [Read more...]
Britain is only just beginning to exploit its vast resources of offshore wind
A new study finds that the UK can install up to 675 GW of economically feasible offshore wind, writes Simon Watson, Professor of Wind Energy at Loughborough University. This could provide more than six times the UKâs present national electricity demand. Â As current capacity is only 5 GW, there is ample room for growth. Yet there are also still major challenges to overcome. Article courtesy of The Conversation. … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- …
- 12
- Next Page »