The âDefrost for Hydropowerâ project combines SLFâs snow expertise with satellite imagery from Wegawâs cutting-edge geospatial technology and Hydrique Engineers advanced modelling skills, in order to more accurately predict water flow into hydro dams up to 4 months in advance as well as hydrological inflows on a regional scale. … [Read more...]
Norwayâs power markets, storage and CCS plans can make it a decarbonisation hub for Europe
Though still heavily reliant on oil and gas, Norway can claim to be a central piece in Europeâs decarbonisation puzzle, explains Tshin Ilya Chardayre writing for the IFRI Centre for Energy & Climate. Norwayâs substantial hydropower infrastructure gives it a reservoir storage capacity that could account for 10% of EU-wide energy storage needs by 2050. That would require international transmission cables and power markets, the development of … [Read more...]
‘Tsunami’ of hydropower dam building threatens Europe’s last wild rivers â campaigners
The transition to low-carbon energy sources in the Balkans could cause irreversible environmental damage, environmentalists fear. Proposed hydropower dam constructions endanger Europeâs last wild rivers and some diversity hotspots, writes Umberto Bacchi of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Courtesy: Thomson Reuters Foundation. … [Read more...]
Indiaâs green shift to renewables: How fast is it happening?
India is moving at a rapid pace to adopt a green shift in its power sector, across industry and in transport, aiming to reduce dependence on the black fossil fuelled energy economy, write Simran Talwar and John A. Mathews. But finance remains a problem: many banks are complacent in their lending to fossil fuel projects. Attempts in the international trade arena to curb Indiaâs strategies of building green power industries using the tools of local … [Read more...]
Want energy storage? Here are 22,000 sites for pumped hydro across Australia
Three researchers from Australian National University have conducted a study into the possibility for new pumped hydro storage capacity in Australia â with remarkable results. They have identified more than enough sites to provide all the energy storage Australia needs for an energy system based on renewables. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Energy wonks have a meltdown over the US going 100 percent renewable. Why?
In the U.S. a furious debate has erupted among academic energy experts about whether the country could run 100% on renewable energy. Joshua D. Rhodes, Postdoctoral Researcher of Energy at the University of Texas, Austin, explains what is going on and offers some thoughts of his own. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Costs of electricity generation compared: beware of simple metrics
With the rapid growth of renewables, comparing costs of different forms of power generation has become important for policymakers, investors and analysts. In these comparisons, the metric of LCOE (levelized cost of energy) is often used, but the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) warns that this metric does not cover all the complexities involved. The EIA has written a short primer on comparing power generation costs. … [Read more...]
With gas and hydro plans, Australian government is looking at whole picture
The Australian government has ambitious plans to expand hydropower capacity in Tasmania â and to restrict gas exports so they can be reserved for domestic use. Cle-Anne Gabriel, Lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Queensland, argues these policies are going in the right direction. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
A short guide to greening your energy supply
A growing number of companies are committed to greening their energy supply. But is it better for businesses to buy clean energy or to invest in producing it themselves?  Benedict de Meulemeester, Managing Director of Brussels-based E&C Consultants, discusses the pros and cons of different options and concludes that it may be a good idea to go all the way. … [Read more...]
Chinaâs renewable energy revolution continues on its long march
In one year China added almost as much generation from renewable power as Germanyâs total renewable energy generation, according to the end of January statistics for 2016 by the National Energy Administration of China and the China Electricity Council. Yet the countryâs electricity supply still relies strongly on coal, notes Simon Göà of Berlin-based consultancy Energy Brainpool. … [Read more...]
Energy sector is one of the largest consumers of water in a drought-threatened world
The implications of the global water footprint of energy generation are phenomenal, writes Gary Bilotta of the University of Brighton. He warns that if policy makers fail to take into account the links between energy and water, we may come to a point in many parts of the world where it is water availability that is the main determinant of the energy sources available for use. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Has China’s coal use peaked? Here’s how to read the tea leaves
As the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, how much coal China is burning is of global interest, writes Valerie J. Karplus of the MIT Sloan School of Management. According to Karplus, an expert on Chinese energy, China's reported leveling off of coal use may be both real and sustainable. Nevertheless, there is one scenario in which coal use could easily go back up again: high oil and natural gas prices. In addition, it is likely that … [Read more...]
The looming Nordic energy crisis
Sweden is faced with the possible shutdown of its entire nuclear generating capacity. This could result in grid instability, price hikes and much higher greenhouse gas emissions, writes Rauli Partanen, an independent analyst and author on energy and the environment. Partanen calls on policymakers to take action to avoid a Swedish nuclear phaseout. … [Read more...]
China pushes global renewable capacity beyond 900 GW
China was the worldâs leading market across a number of renewable energy technologies in 2015 and helped to drive global renewable installed capacity to an estimated 913.48 Gigawatts (GW), says research and consulting firm GlobalData. … [Read more...]
IEA sees âharsh realityâ for gas industry
From a Golden Age of Gas to a âharsh realityâ in just a few years - the 2015 âGas medium-term market reportâ released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 4 June in Paris sounded a warning note to anyone who believes gas is bound to conquer the world. That can still happen - but only if gas drastically improves its competitiveness, said the IEA. … [Read more...]
