Hereās something very different for our readers today, and an opportunity for you to register for our Webinar and Q&A on Wednesday Feb 16th at 09:00 CET (register here). Itās to mark the book launch of āTouching Hydrogen Futureā, where 27 energy experts from around the world have written a chapter each. They are fictional accounts of what our world could like in the near future. The countries covered are the Netherlands (2029), Denmark … [Read more...]
Buildings: France and Flanders lead on decarbonising new builds
Buildings are responsible for 36% of total EU carbon emissions. So, since the start of 2021 European legislation requires all new buildings to be ānearly zero energyā. The frontrunners are France and Flanders in Belgium, according to a new report from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), writes Clare Taylor. Both jurisdictions have plans for phasing out fossil fuels in new buildings within five years. Taylor explains how Flanders … [Read more...]
Concern over auto job losses as Europe transitions to EVs
The state premier of Lower Saxony, home of Volkswagen, says he would not tolerate a large-scale reduction in staff at Germanyās largest carmaker. There is talk of axing 30,000 VW jobs nationwide, though messages have been mixed. Benjamin Wehrmann and Sƶren Amelang at Clean Energy Wire look at the latest news, then summarise the implications of the EV transition for the auto industry across Europe. Highlights include the observation that a Tesla … [Read more...]
Clean transport in Europe: key trends to watch out for
T&Eās quarterly trends series gives a snapshot of the key developments that will define the future of clean transport in Europe. And what Europe does ā given it wants to lead this field ā should influence what happens worldwide. T&Eās Thomas Earl brings attention to four issues. First, proven progress in this major sector makes it a contender for a significant role in Europeās new industrial strategy. It ranges from battery and … [Read more...]
Energy-efficient and affordable housing will increase public support for the Green Deal
Energy poverty ā the inability to afford basic household energy needs ā affects up to one-third of U.S and European households. The energy transition can be part of the solution, says Clare Taylor. Targeted energy-efficient retrofits and newbuilds for low-income households will cut bills and improve living conditions. This will not only cut emissions, but get the beneficiaries behind wider climate change policies like the Green Deals in Europe … [Read more...]
Case study Italy: Optimising emissions cuts means weāll need āgreyā and āblueā Hydrogen too
Europe is committing to hydrogen. The ideal is āgreenā hydrogen, produced from renewable energy alone. Carlo Stagnaro at Istituto Bruno Leoni analyses emissions and costs in Italy to make the case for policy-makers to consider including āgreyā and āblueā hydrogen in their strategies too. Because grids are far from green today, a new wind and solar plant will reduce more emissions by feeding the grid than by making hydrogen. āGreyā hydrogen, … [Read more...]
German Geothermal: from 1.2TWh to 100TWh by 2050?
The IEAās Sustainable Development Scenario sees the world's geothermal power generation tripling to almost 300 TWh by 2030. Thatās because thereās an almost unlimited supply that can provide power, heating and cooling. Itās also a continuous supply uninterrupted by the weather, unlike solar and wind. The plants are small and quiet. For heating, ground-source heat pumps use significantly less electricity than other technologies. Writing for CLEW, … [Read more...]
EU needs clear European Green and Solidarity Pact by September
Stark predictions around the unprecedented economic challenges facing Europe (and the world) are starting to take shape. The possible solutions must keep pace with them. Here, Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega at theĀ IFRI Centre for Energy & Climate lays out those challenges and robust policy answers that can keep us on a net-zero emissions track while stimulating economies, creating jobs, and maintaining social justice. Itās no surprise that there is … [Read more...]
Utilities can help their central banks, āloaningā electricity during the slump
The coronavirus slump is forcing governments around the world to inject large amounts of cash into the hands of consumers and businesses, until this is all over. In the U.S. itās $2tn. Catherine Wolfram at the Haas School of Business suggests a way to cut that bill, easing the pressure on central bankers. Utilities (electricity, water, gas) should allow customers to defer payment (instead of using valuable bailout money to pay the utilities). The … [Read more...]
EU policing of Member State gas plans not consistent
Elisa Giannelli at E3G explains why the European Commissionās assessment of Member Statesā natural gas plans is not consistent, on three fronts. Firstly, with its own EU climate targets: many nations are planning to increase their consumption of and investment in gas regardless of EU-wide targets to cut emissions. Secondly, the Commission is critical of some of these nations but actually supportive of others. Thirdly, even the EUās own policies … [Read more...]
Biogas and Biomethane in Europe: Denmark, Germany, Italy lead
Over and again, legislators worldwide are confronting the same question: which technologies do we subsidise and support, when, by how much, and for how long. Get it right and those costs will reduce and should disappear once scale is reached. Solar and wind are on their way to proving that. What about biofuels? Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega and Carole Mathieu of the Institut FranƧais des Relations Internationales (IFRI) look at the last 10 years. The … [Read more...]
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