The renewable flood is creating havoc in wholesale electricity markets. And this will only get worse, as storage and zero net energy buildings expand, writes Fereidoon Sioshansi, editor of the newsletter EEnergy Informer. According to Sioshansi, the solutions applied today to keep the lights on do not address the fundamental flaws in market design. New solutions are needed. Courtesy EEnergy Informer. … [Read more...]
The growing risks of offshore wind: can we rely on the sea for our power supply?
Countries in North Western Europe are becoming increasingly dependent on offshore wind as an electricity source. At the same time, risks are growing as the industry is “pushing the boundaries” by reducing costs while going further out to sea for more complex projects in deeper waters. Experts from DNV GL, the largest international independent advisor in offshore wind, talk about what they see as the major risks going forward – from cable failures … [Read more...]
South Australia makes fresh power play in bid to end blackouts
Blackouts in South Australia have focused the world’s attention on this state which has lots of renewable energy. South Australia’s government has now unveiled a keenly anticipated new energy plan, with the aim of making itself more self-sufficient. Hugh Saddler of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at Australian National University explains what it is about. Courtesy of The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Energy efficiency needs “historic level of public-private cooperation”
From a banking perspective, energy efficiency is difficult to classify in terms of business opportunities because its benefits are so widely dispersed,  writes Stephen Hibbert, global head of Energy & Carbon Efficiency at ING Wholesale Banking. For this reason, to close the “investment gap” in energy efficiency, “a historic level of public-private cooperation” is needed, according to Hibbert. He sees many signs that this is happening. … [Read more...]
UK’s French Connection shows: cross-border links are the way to go
Few people realise that despite Brexit, the UK is embarking on a large expansion of its electricity interconnections with the European mainland. Is this a good idea, asks energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn? Wynn, who has just co-written a report on the Electricity Grid Transition in the UK, points out that the UK-France interconnector came under tremendous pressure last year, but in the end proved its usefulness. Courtesy Energy & Carbon … [Read more...]
How Germany’s plan for 100% electric cars could backfire
Germany has ambitious plans for both electric cars and renewable energy. But as things stand,  writes DĂ©nes Csala of Lancaster University, Germany’s well-meaning but contradictory ambitions would actually boost emissions by an amount comparable with the present-day emissions of Uruguay or the state of Montana. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
How to get the Visegrad Group to sign up to the EU’s Clean Energy Package
This year European energy ministers will have to come to a decision on the European Commission’s legislative package “Clean Energy for all Europeans”. Many observers expect the alliance between Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia (known as the Visegrád Group), to try to rein in European ambition on clean energy. But this year may be the start of something different, writes Manon Dufour, head of the Brussels office of independent think … [Read more...]
Here comes the end of the Energiewende again
Yet again, an expert – this time, a German – has announced that Germany’s energy transition cannot succeed. He has a surprising insight for Energiewende proponents: the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. How could we have missed that, wonders award-winning energy author Craig Morris? Courtesy Energy Transition/Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
Energy Union should shift focus from energy to climate
The EU is trying to improve its energy security by building more infrastructure to facilitate gas imports, but the concentration of its gas suppliers keeps increasing, write Stefan Bößner and Douglas Fraser of the Stockholm Environment Institute. According to Bößner and Fraser, it makes more sense to shift the focus of EU energy policy to creating a low-carbon energy system. That will not only help Europe meet its climate targets, but also … [Read more...]
New President, new electric grid?
As the new Trump administration considers measures to enhance roads and bridges, they should also focus on America’s ageing electricity infrastructure, writes Dick Munson of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The U.S. electricity system is shockingly unreliable compared to every other developed nation, notes Munson, and the regulation of the industry is “byzantine”. By focusing on investment, efficiency, and markets, the U.S. could have a … [Read more...]
France can’t meet its own power demand
France was heavily dependent on power imports from Germany during the first cold spell of this winter, despite the fact that most of the country’s nuclear reactors are back online, writes Craig Morris from the Energy Transition blog. As the US is now also investigating 17 nuclear reactors with parts from reactor producer Areva, just rescued by the French state, it shows the perilous state the French power sector is in. Courtesy Energy Transition. … [Read more...]
What is holding renewable energy back?
For all the enthusiasm about renewables, there are glaring weaknesses being overlooked, writes Todd Royal, an independent strategic consultant, researcher and author based in southern California. According to Royal, for renewable energy to truly break through numerous obstacles such as costs, back-up generation power, storage, and – above all – grid modernization will need to be solved. Article courtesy of OilPrice.com. … [Read more...]
Dutch government: only EVs and hydrogen cars from 2035, phase-out natural gas
The Dutch government has presented a long-term energy plan that stipulates that no new cars with combustion engines may be sold from 2035 on. In addition, in the Netherlands – for over 50 years the largest natural gas producer in the EU – all houses will be disconnected from the gas grid by 2050. The plan has broad parliamentary support – in fact, many political parties believe it does not go far enough. … [Read more...]
DNV GL on risks of renewables: “We need new tests and standards to prevent major failures”
The transition to renewable energy is accompanied by the widespread use of power electronics, such as inverters, which require a whole new way of testing smart equipment, says Theo Bosma, Program Director Power Systems & Electrification at DNV GL, one of the largest technical consultancies in the world. According to Bosma, the new power electronics are not adequately tested at the moment. “New technologies such as solar, wind, batteries and … [Read more...]
Victory: Ukraine doesn’t need Russian gas anymore – and puts transit at risk
Ukraine has completely “eliminated” its dependence on Russian gas, Ukrainian national gas company Naftogaz has declared in an open letter. Last year it stopped importing Russian gas for its own consumption altogether. At the same time, according to a paper written by Thierry Bros, Senior Research Fellow from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), Naftogaz is putting the future of the transit of Russian gas at risk by demanding higher … [Read more...]
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