The introduction of the Powerwall, Tesla’s new battery, will change the global energy equation fundamentally, writes John Mathews, Professor of Strategic Management, at Macquarie University in Australia. This is because it will make renewable energy “the new normal” and will put fossil fuel companies on the defensive. Instead of asking “can we have our own energy system?” communities will be asking “why can’t we have it?” … [Read more...]
What the new Conservative government means for UK energy policy
The new Conservative government is unlikely to change UK climate and energy policy radically, writes Stephen Tindale, the new CEO of the pro-nuclear Alvin Weinberg Foundation and a former Executive Director of Greenpeace UK. According to Tindale, David Cameron will build on the considerable achievements of the previous coalition government with the Liberal-Democrats, although there will be some changes, such as less support for onshore wind and a … [Read more...]
ExxonMobil gets a cold reception in Brussels
William Colton, Vice President Corporate Strategic Planning at ExxonMobil, came to Brussels this week, to the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), to present ExxonMobil’s view of our energy future to representatives from EU institutions. It was a clash of two worlds. Brussels failed to be impressed. Mike Parr of the independent consultancy PWR was there. … [Read more...]
IEA: Clean energy progress falls well short of what is needed
It is “realistic and economically sensible to pursue a clean energy agenda”, states the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a new edition of its annual Energy Technology Perspectives. But, it adds”: “clean energy progress is failling well short of the levels needed to limit the global increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius”. Governments must do much more to stimulate the uptake of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies. … [Read more...]
UBS: closures coal and gas fired power plants in Europe accelerating
The influx of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar into energy markets is forcing coal and gas fired generation out of the market even quicker than most analysts expected, according to a new market report from investment bank UBS. According to UBS, policymakers may have to take measures to prevent widespread bankruptcies in the European electricity market, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com.au. … [Read more...]
Quo Vadis RWE? A power giant’s struggle with the Energiewende
The German government has proposed new regulations for penalising the country’s most inefficient coal and lignite power plants. This would particularly hit the troubled power giant RWE. What future is there for RWE in a low-carbon economy? Can it engineer its own energy transition? A lot will depend on whether the German government is willing – and even more so: able – to push through its climate legislation at the expense of the existing power … [Read more...]
The exciting changes taking place in Scotland’s energy system
Scotland, despite having some of the EU’s largest fossil fuel reserves, is moving rapidly to an energy system based predominantly on renewable energy, notes energy expert Allan Hoffman, a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy, who lives in Scotland part of the time. Renewables are already the biggest single source of electricity – and “there is no reason requiring conventional fossil and nuclear generation in Scotland” in the … [Read more...]
New clean energy investment falls in first quarter 2015
New investment in the global clean energy sector totalled $61.0 billion in Q1 15, a 14% decrease on Q4 14 ($71.3 billion) and a 5% decrease on the corresponding quarter in 2014 ($64.4 billion). … [Read more...]
French government study: 95% renewable power mix cheaper than nuclear and gas
A new French government study shows that the cost to the French consumer of a 100% renewable scenario is more or less equal to a scenario close to today’s, with only 40% renewables. It is yet another instance of leading energy experts asserting that a 100% renewable future is possible, writes Terje Osmundsen, Senior Vice-President of Norwegian independent solar power producer Scatec Solar. … [Read more...]
Interview André Merlin: “Europe needs regional System Operators like in the US”
Developing electricity interconnectors should be a shared competence of the EU and individual Member States, with costs shared out at least across regions, says AndrĂ© Merlin, President of Medgrid, a consortium looking to facilitate the exchange of electricity across the Mediterranean, in an interview with Energy Post. Merlin, former Chairman of both RTE, the French transmission system operator (TSO) and ERDF, the main French distribution system … [Read more...]
Clean Disruption: how Silicon Valley will make oil, nuclear, gas, coal obsolete (book review)
In his new book “Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation”, famous author, lecturer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Seba predicts that by 2030 all power generation will be solar and wind and all cars will be self-driving electric vehicles. The existing energy industry will be “obliterated”. In a review of the book, JosĂ© Cordeiro, founding energy advisor at Singularity University and Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: Brussels Briefing on Environment – biofuel compromise, carbon trading clash
In this Brussels Briefing on Environment for viEUws.eu, Sonja van Renssen provides an overview of the latest EU environment and climate policy developments. Highlights: the European Parliament is heading for a compromise deal on new biofuel legislation, but for a clash with Member States on the reform plan for the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). … [Read more...]
“Solar and wind most competitive energy sources in United Arab Emirates”
Solar and wind may now be the cheapest sources of new energy supply in the United Arab Emirates, according to a new report by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. In January, a tender for a solar park in Dubai was awarded for under six cents per kilowatt hour for a 25-year fixed contract, the lowest solar price ever achieved worldwide. … [Read more...]
Scotland’s moratorium on shale gas has no real intention to stop fracking
A moratorium on the planning permits for shale gas in Scotland has been hailed as a victory by opponents of fracking. But according to energy analyst and journalist Lorenzo Colantoni, the true intention of the Scottish government is political. The Scottish National Party, he says, wants to secure votes for the May 2015 elections. It has no intention to really stop fracking or other unconventional gas activities. This is partly confirmed by … [Read more...]
Spain’s generation mix: almost 70% carbon-free
Spain gets 69% of its electricity generation from zero-carbon sources, reported the country’s grid operator, Red Electrica de Espana (REE), on the 31st of March. The largest source of carbon-free electricity is nuclear power (23.8%), followed by wind (22.5%). The figures apply only to March 2015. … [Read more...]
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