The clean energy economy is making its mark on global GDP, explain Laura Cozzi, Timur GĂźl, Thomas Spencer and Peter Levi at the IEA. It accounted for 10% of global GDP growth in 2023, primarily through three activities: manufacturing of clean energy technologies, deployment of clean power capacity, and clean equipment sales. Here, the authors present the in-depth results for four of the largest economies: the U.S, the EU, China and India, which … [Read more...]
Study: universities worldwide are still producing far more graduates for fossil fuels than for clean energy
Universities worldwide still produce more workers for fossil fuels than for renewable energy industries. Roman Vakulchuk and Indra Overland at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs summarise their new study on the energy transition in global higher education, published by the Energy Research & Social Science journal. The study is based on a review of 18,400 universities in 196 countries. 68% of the worldâs energy educational … [Read more...]
Hydrogen: most nationsâ plans to export to Europe donât match reality. The EU should make it itself
The EUâs RePowerEU plan, quickly made in response to Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine, aims to produce 20m tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030, with half coming from imports. Here, T&E summarise their report that concludes this is unrealistic. The report looks at six key countries with plans to export hydrogen to the EU: Norway, Chile, Egypt, Morocco, Namibia and Oman. T&E says these countries combined would only be able to deliver a quarter … [Read more...]
Geothermal Heat Pumps at scale avoid the cost of expensive long-distance transmission lines
A new analysis reveals that installing geothermal heat pumps in 70% of U.S. buildings can reduce the need for new long-distance transmission lines by 33%, explains Kelly MacGregor at NREL. The main message is that, though geothermal deployment is seen as expensive, the avoided costs are significant. Those transmission lines wonât be needed because geothermal is always local and can be deployed in both urban and rural places. Though the widespread … [Read more...]
Just Transition: UKâs Port Talbot steelworks are closing. What can be learnt from the Netherlands and Sweden?
A classic âjust transitionâ story is being played out in the UK, a high income nation and Europeâs second biggest economy. Tata Steel plans to cut almost 3,000 jobs at the UKâs largest steelworks. The location, Port Talbot, is one of the most deprived places in the UK and the steelworks there are its largest private sector employer. Tata is under pressure to decarbonise its steel production, so will switch to an electric arc furnace that recycles … [Read more...]
Clean energy is driving job growth, but skills shortages are a major barrier
The second edition of the IEAâs annual World Energy Employment report measures energy sector employment by region, fuel, technology, and value chain. Globally, energy employment rose to 67m people in 2022. Over half of employment growth since before the pandemic was in just five sectors: solar, wind, EVs, batteries, heat pumps, and critical minerals mining. In fact, clean energy jobs overtook fossil fuels in 2021. But skilled labour shortages are … [Read more...]
Jobs in the new clean energy economy: where are they, what are they, and how to find one
According to IEA figures, in 2019 the energy sector employed over 65m people, 2% of the global workforce. Half of that workforce is already in the clean energy sector, and demand for skilled employees is soaring. Whereas fossil jobs are heavily weighted to low skilled and very high skilled, most clean energy jobs are at the high end. Helena Uhde at Ea Energy Analyses looks at this new world, explains the differences, and notes that although … [Read more...]
U.S. Inflation Reduction Act: one year on, a summary of impressive progress in the energy transition
The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act has been described as unprecedented in its ambition for the nationâs energy transition. One year on from the passing of the bill in August 2022, Hannah Perkins and Adam Aston at RMI describe the progress on implementation as unprecedented too. The authors break their review down into categories: clean tech manufacturing, electrifying transport, greening buildings, decarbonising electricity, transforming industry, … [Read more...]
Russiaâs war has exposed France and Germanyâs energy policy differences. Can it also bring them together?
France and Germany combined account for 45% of EU GDP and 40% of energy consumption. No wonder they are the most influential EU members. But the Russia-induced energy crisis has forced both Paris and Berlin to expose and admit the differences in their national energy strategies, and that has made a search for a unified voice for Europeâs ambitious climate targets much harder to achieve, explain Camille Lafrance and Benjamin Wehrmann at CLEW. … [Read more...]
Poorly defined âefficiencyâ incentives birthed the SUV. Beware the same mistake with âclean energyâ jobs, âdomesticâ batteries + more
Financial support for the transition needs clear and carefully chosen definitions of what qualifies for that support. Getting it wrong leads to unintended consequences, some which may not reduce emissions, explains James Sallee at the Energy Institute at Haas. Ever wondered why SUVs and big cars proliferated after the 1970s in the U.S. (and are on roads all over the world now)? The 1970s oil crisis triggered new rules that penalised fuel … [Read more...]
âGreen Deal Industrial Planâ explainer: 40%+ of the top low-carbon technologies must be made in the EU by 2030
The ECâs new series of proposed targets and reforms, contained in its Green Deal Industrial Plan, aim to ensure that at least 40% of the EUâs low-carbon technologies will be made within its borders by 2030. The eight âstrategic net-zero technologiesâ are: Solar (power and thermal); Onshore and offshore wind; Batteries and energy storage; Heat pumps and geothermal; Electrolysers and fuel cells; Sustainable biogas/biomethane; CCS; Grid … [Read more...]
Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals
The new hydrogen economy will not just be global, it must be used as a major economic development opportunity for low income nations and promoting shared prosperity, explain Dolf Gielen, Silvia Carolina Lopez Rocha and Priyank Lathwal at the World Bank. They carefully lay out the obstacles and pathways for making hydrogen in developing countries. Itâs very capital intensive, but such projects â think of existing fossil fuels, mining, etc. â have … [Read more...]
What’s stopping even bigger Wind Turbines? Blade speed and flexing? More likely manufacturing and installation capacity
Bigger wind turbines make cheaper energy. The sectorâs unexpectedly rapid successes in designing and building bigger and bigger turbines has been one of the major success stories of the clean energy sector. In 2023, the biggest turbines in the world will start generating electricity off the coast of the UK. Each of General Electricâs Haliade X turbines stands 260m high from sea level and can generate 13MW at under ÂŁ50/MWh (âŹ56/$61). But how big … [Read more...]
IEA: The Energy Sector is failing Women in employment, pay, career progression and gender equality
A comprehensive report by the IEA is warning that gender wage gaps are greater in the energy sector than in the non-energy sector. Furthermore, the energy sector has a relatively low percentage of female workers compared to other parts of the corporate sector. There is also a lack of career mobility and advancement for women compared to other sectors, which will affect both their attraction and retention. As a consequence, there will be fewer … [Read more...]
The Mining industry should simultaneously be testing for Geothermal potential
In Nevada alone, the mining industry drills over 2,000 exploration holes per year. They do so to the depths needed to also verify whether the location is suitable for geothermal energy, so it makes sense for them to assess suitability not just for minerals but for geothermal, explains Ryan Horns writing for NREL. Leveraging that data, knowledge, and expertise will expand the geothermal exploration workforce, increase the rate of geothermal … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 5
- Next Page »