Norwegian oil giant Statoil, owned 67% by the Norwegian State, readily acknowledges the need to take drastic measures against climate change. But it nevertheless persists in a strategy aimed at expanding its oil and gas production globally. According to Anders Bjartnes, editor of the website Energi og Klima, the company cannot forever embrace these opposing views, âwhere verbal concerns go in one direction while strategy and cash go in the … [Read more...]
IEAâs projections for renewables continue to look way too low
The IEAâs projections for wind and solar capacity look much too low, continuing a history of vastly underestimating renewables growth.  Their projections are not a reliable basis for projecting the worldâs future power generation mix, argues energy expert Adam Whitmore on his blog On Climate Change Policy. … [Read more...]
Meet the worldâs number 1 R&D player in sustainable energy: the Chinese Academy of Sciences
In a global study of top academic and research centers in a wide range of sustainable energies, the surprising winner is the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Among industrial innovators the number 1 is engineering company ABB. The in-depth study, conducted by KIC InnoEnergy and Questel Consulting, shows that Chinese research institutions are considerably ahead of their European and US peers in sustainable energy innovation, including wind, ocean and … [Read more...]
In the oil heartlands of the planet, solar now beats oil and gas
One of the biggest banks in the Middle East and the oil-rich Gulf countries says that fossil fuels can no longer compete with solar technologies on price, and that the vast bulk of the $US48 trillion needed to meet global power demand over the next two decades will come from renewables. Meanwhile, in Dubai, Saudi Arabiaâs ACWA Power, has won the worldâs largest ever solar tender with the cheapest ever price: one-third below the cost of gas-fired … [Read more...]
Here’s what will send oil prices back up again
Oil's rapid decline since August of last year has been dramatic. To listen to some commentators you would also think it is unprecedented and irreversible. Those claiming that oil will continue to fall from here and remain low for evermore, however, are flying in the face of both history and common sense. The question we should be asking ourselves is not if oil prices will recover, but when they will. … [Read more...]
IRENA pushes for 160 GW energy storage plan
A group of experts is expected to finalise details this week of a road map to install 160 Gigawatts (GW) of battery storage worldwide in 2030, reports Jason Deign of Energy Storage Report. The plan, being developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), would see nearly four times as much battery storage being deployed in the next 15 years as all the solar power installed worldwide to date. … [Read more...]
Interview Johannes Teyssen, CEO Eon: âFuture energy world has drifted far apart from the classical oneâ
In the first in-depth interview given by Johannes Teyssen, CEO of Eon, after the company announced its radical new strategy in December last year, Teyssen says that âthe energy world of the futureâ and âthe classical energy worldâ have âdrifted so far apart that they require different entrepreneurial approachesâ. He notes that the companyâs new strategy is not based on German or even European politics, but âon more fundamental, global trendsâ. … [Read more...]
Study: Local electricity can meet half UK needs â if consumption is cut by half
Research conducted by nine leading UK universities has found that up to 50 per cent of electricity demand in the UK could be met by distributed and low carbon sources by 2050. This does require a reduction in demand of over 50% as well as increased regional, national and international connection. … [Read more...]
âSupersonic electrons could produce future solar fuelâ
Researchers from institutions including Lund University have taken a step closer to producing solar fuel using artificial photosynthesis. In a new study, they have successfully tracked the electronsâ rapid transit through a light-converting molecule. … [Read more...]
Offshore wind in the Kattegat: a unique opportunity for Europe
New figures show that the Anholt offshore wind farm in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden had an impressively high capacity factor of 50% last year. This is all the more impressive since, as Mike Parr, Director of energy consultancy PWR points out, 2014 was a year with unusually low wind speeds. In an average year the capacity factor would have been more like 75%. This means, writes Parr, that if just 10% of the Kattegat region were … [Read more...]
Experts from World Energy Council highly critical of Energiewende
The German Energiewende cannot serve as a model for other countries. It is a threat to European security of supply, will have a negative impact on German growth prospects in the short term and is too costly. Thatâs the opinion of a majority of experts from 35 member organisations of the World Energy Council from across the world. … [Read more...]
Back to a nuclear future: the Abe government restarts Japanâs energy policy Â
The renewed mandate Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received from voters in the snap election in December will have big implications for the Japanese energy industry. Abe is set on re-starting closed nuclear reactors - and scaling back renewables subsidies. A recent report from the Institute of Energy Economics in Tokyo backs him up, saying that ârenewable power generation capacity has increased too rapidlyâ. But a majority of Japanese are … [Read more...]
Highlights from the Energy Union package – and responses
The European Commission announced its plans for a far-reaching Energy Union for Europe on 25 February, with a work package full of legislative and non-legislative actions for the next two years. Brussels also presented a strategy for the UN climate talks in Paris in December and a paper on how to meet electricity interconnection targets inside the EU. We present the highlights plus some responses. For a detailed analysis, see the accompanying … [Read more...]
EU turns up the heat: finally, a policy push for heating and cooling (half our energy use) Â
Heating and cooling accounts for almost half of primary energy consumption in Europe, yet it has been largely ignored in the EUâs climate and energy policies. This is now starting to change. At the end of this year, member states in the EU must submit an assessment of the low-carbon potential provided by co-generation and district heating systems. Clare Taylor looks at some of the EU-funded district heating and co-generation projects that are … [Read more...]
DNV GL: 60% integration of renewables in European distribution grids feasible by 2030
The integration of approximately 60% of renewables into the European electricity system will be feasible by 2030, but will come with an extensive expansion of infrastructure, including transmission and distribution networks as well as conventional backup generation. The challenges of grid integration of renewables can be mitigated by a number of technical and regulatory measures. These are the findings of a DNV GL study for the European … [Read more...]
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