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Industrial Policy: China’s always had it, the U.S. has rediscovered it, the EU now needs it too

October 10, 2022 by William Todts

China’s performance – both in and outside the energy sector – has always been driven by wide-reaching industrial policy. In the last few decades it has consistently delivered results. Meanwhile, the U.S. has kept shifting up the gears of its pro-U.S. interventionist industrial policy since Donald Trump: though socially right wing, he was a protectionist president whose ambition was to boost domestic industries. Today, president Biden’s “Inflation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Policies Tagged With: automotive, China, Energy, EU, EVs, funding, industry, investment, IRA, minerals, policy, transport, US

Critical minerals: price spikes are affecting Wind, Solar, Batteries, EVs

June 9, 2022 by Tae-Yoon Kim

A wide range of critical minerals are needed for the energy transition. Tae-Yoon Kim at the IEA summarises the reasons why we should expect this to be a year of price spikes due in the main to the Russia-Ukraine war and post-lockdown supply chain bottlenecks. So severe is the problem that the long record of declining costs in clean energy technologies like solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles is being reversed. Although these crises will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Resources Tagged With: aluminium, batteries, China, cobalt, copper, efficiency, EVs, innovation, lithium, minerals, nickel, palladium, prices, Russia, solar, Ukraine, uranium

Critical minerals and materials: supply bottlenecks and risks need international cooperation

February 25, 2022 by Dolf Gielen, Martina Lyons, Francisco Boshell and Peter Chawah

The growth in demand for minerals and materials needed for the energy transition is putting a strain on supply. Mining and processing are the two key bottlenecks. Dolf Gielen, Martina Lyons, Francisco Boshell and Peter Chawah at IRENA summarise the multiple challenges. New capacity is not the only problem: the geographical concentration of where the mining and, in particular, the processing is being done is the primary risk. China’s dominance in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Resources Tagged With: batteries, China, cobalt, critical, demand, EVs, grids, innovation, lithium, magnets, manganese, minerals, mining, nickel, prices, processing, solar, stockpiling, supply, wind

The 10 big problems with simply replacing fossil cars with electric

December 6, 2021 by Schalk Cloete

The planned rapid transition to electric vehicles has major challenges. Schalk Cloete compiles them into a list of ten, including: preserving our car-centric cities preserves its inefficiencies and societal costs; it works against much of the personal “behaviour change” we need; though BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are better in cities, when infrastructure costs are included they are less efficient than hybrids and modern ICEs for many driving … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Transport and energy Tagged With: BehaviourChange, BEV, charging, emissions, EVs, hybrid, ICE, infrastructure, investment, minerals, solar, transport, wind

Will Wind & Solar confront its 10 challenges? If not, we need Nuclear, CCS, and more

November 2, 2021 by Schalk Cloete

Wind and solar’s impressive cost declines have seen its welcome and rapid emergence. But currently they account for a mere 2–4% of global energy. So these variable renewable energy sources (VREs) must now address 10 big challenges if they are to dominate the energy sector, explains Schalk Cloete in this data-led review. Their cost declines will be confronted and even cancelled by new costs they’ve not yet faced during their low-hanging-fruit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: biomass, CarbonPrice, CCS, CCUS, CDR, hydrogen, industry, jobs, minerals, Nuclear, poverty, solar, storage, Transmission, transport, VRE, wind

Is China really eyeing Afghanistan’s mineral resources?

September 2, 2021 by Lukas TrakimaviÄŤius

Press reports of China hoping to strike deals with the Taliban to secure mineral rights in Afghanistan are very likely to be an exaggeration, explains Lukas TrakimaviÄŤius. It’s true that China wants minerals essential to the clean energy transition and other technologies. It’s also true that Afghanistan has an abundance (copper, cobalt, lithium, rare earths, etc.), and they’re worth something of the order of $1tn. But it can take a decade to get … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Resources Tagged With: Afghanistan, China, cobalt, copper, lithium, logistics, minerals, mining, rareearths, Taliban, transport

Biden’s major report on critical minerals supply: domestic mining + processing, innovation, EVs, global allies + more

July 2, 2021 by Reed Blakemore

In June, The White House issued its 250-page report on the global critical minerals supply chain, and how the U.S. can ensure continued supply as well as build up its own mining and manufacturing base. It is the fullest picture so far of how the U.S. is evaluating mineral access and supply chain resilience, says Reed Blakemore at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Here he reviews the report, in particular the section on energy which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage, Transport and energy Tagged With: australia, batteries, Canada, China, cobalt, EU, Japan, lithium, manufacturing, minerals, mining, nickel, processing, storage, US

The Energy Charter Treaty makes the transition easier. Don’t scrap it, reform it

January 12, 2021 by Frank Umbach

Energy and climate experts as well as national and EU parliamentarians are lining up to press their governments to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) if insufficient progress is made in its modernisation. Their main argument is that it gives protection to fossil investments in a world where policies are changing in order to constrain or phase them out. Here, Frank Umbach at EUCERS sternly warns against abandoning the ECT. The treaty … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Investment, Policies Tagged With: coal, EnergyCharterTreaty, EU, gas, Germany, infrastructure, investment, Kazakhstan, minerals, oil, renewables, Russia

Electric metering should break its link with power consumed and create it directly with the costs of delivery

January 21, 2019 by Walt Patterson

In a world where electricity is generated from non-renewables (oil, gas, nuclear) our meters measure and charge us for electricity delivered, as if it was a fuel being consumed. Going forward, the cost should be measured against what is actually being consumed. In a renewables world – particularly 'run-of-the-river' hydro, wind and solar - that’s not the electricity. It’s the wear and tear on the infrastructure. Treating these types of renewable … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Policies, Renewables, Uncategorized Tagged With: electricity, Energy, hydro, investment, metering, minerals, policy, renewables, solar, wind

Report maps out the new geopolitical power dynamics created by renewables

January 15, 2019 by IRENA

A new report by the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation says the new energy age will profoundly reshape relations between states and regions. It will bring “A New World” of power, security, energy independence and prosperity. It will also reshape the geopolitical map, just as fossil-fuels have done over the last 200 years. No nation will be unaffected. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate policy, Energy, Oil, Gas & Coal, Renewables Tagged With: Africa, Americas, Asia, Energy, Europe, fossil-fuels, geopolitics, ghg, IRENA, minerals, renewable, solar, transition, wind

Most read this week

  • Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals by Dolf Gielen | posted on January 26, 2023
  • 10 Carbon Capture methods compared: costs, scalability, permanence, cleanness by Ella Adlen | posted on November 11, 2019
  • Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades? by David Chandler | posted on February 1, 2023
  • Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal by Daisy Dunne | posted on February 3, 2023
  • Micro-nuclear reactors: up to 20MW, portable, safer by Christina Nunez | posted on April 22, 2021
  • The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) by Joseph Majkut | posted on January 30, 2023
  • Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR by Dennis Wamsted | posted on January 27, 2023
  • EU Energy Outlook to 2060: how will power prices and revenues develop for wind, solar, gas, hydrogen + more by Alex Schmitt | posted on December 6, 2022
  • Biofuel is approaching a feedstock crunch. How bad? And what must be done? by IEA | posted on January 23, 2023
  • Can Aluminium-air batteries outperform Li-ion for EVs? by Helena Uhde | posted on September 8, 2021
  • EU ETS and CBAM: what the big update to emissions trading rules means for Europe’s key sectors by Simon Göss | posted on January 16, 2023
  • Steel decarbonisation: Australia must stop making excuses and follow Europe’s lead by Simon Nicholas | posted on February 2, 2023
  • What’s best for Hydrogen transport: ammonia, liquid hydrogen, LOHC or pipelines? by Herib Blanco | posted on May 5, 2022
  • Gravity Batteries: any nation can do it at scale using rocks by Simon Read | posted on July 27, 2022
  • Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks by James Kim | posted on January 31, 2023
  • Hydrogen production in 2050: how much water will 74EJ need? by Herib Blanco | posted on July 22, 2021
  • Why hydrogen fuel cell cars are not competitive — from a hydrogen fuel cell expert by Zachary Shahan | posted on June 17, 2016
  • Concrete: 8% of global emissions and rising. Which innovations can achieve net zero by 2050? by Ben Skinner | posted on January 24, 2023
  • The 10 big problems with simply replacing fossil cars with electric by Schalk Cloete | posted on December 6, 2021
  • Smart Glasses: experts can monitor and advise on power plant inspections anywhere in the world by Christoph Gatzen | posted on January 25, 2023

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        Recent Posts

        Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal

        Steel decarbonisation: Australia must stop making excuses and follow Europe’s lead

        Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?

        Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks

        The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

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