The UK is rapidly coming to a pivotal point in its engineering policies. Will it exploit its massive potential of shale gas or will it let itself be steered away from a new gas revolution out of environmental fears? At a recent special summit organised by the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), engineers explained why the fears are overblown. They argued strongly that fracking can be done safely and with minimal impact on the … [Read more...]
Professor Ye Qi’s inside view on Chinese climate policy: “There is no way we can peak in 2015”
Although China is tackling climate change and air pollution in a serious way, there is no way the country’s greenhouse gas emissions will peak anytime soon, says the influential Chinese climate scientist Professor Ye Qi in an interview with Energy Post. Professor Qi, who is Director of China’s Climate Policy Institute School of Public Policy and Management – part of Tsinghua University – and responsible for the publication of an important annual … [Read more...]
The Age of Renewables has begun – as solar power continues to shoot down the cost curve
A new report by investment analysts from Citigroup says that in the US “the Age of Renewables” has begun. This is confirmed by the most recent public announcements from First Solar and SunPower, two of the largest solar power producers in the US, which both continue to see solar costs coming down rapdily. Analysts from McKinsey have become convinced that the developments in the solar power sector will have a seriously disruptive effect on the … [Read more...]
Interview Volker Quaschning: “Nobody can hold back the renewables revolution”
Volker Quaschning, a professor for renewable energies in Berlin and one of the most influential advocates of the “Energiewende” in Germany, is convinced that nuclear and fossil fuel power in Germany will be fully replaced by renewable energies in the not too distant future. The Energiewende, he says, does not even require the support of Germany’s EEG (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) feed-in law any longer. “The EEG is only needed to accelerate the … [Read more...]
EU, in search of an energy strategy, clutches at US “security”
European access to US liquid natural gas (LNG) exports would be “much easier” with a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in place, US President Barack Obama said at an EU-US summit in Brussels on 26 March, at which energy concerns took centre stage. But the real energy action is likely to take place next week at the EU-US Energy Council on 2 April, when the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Energy … [Read more...]
BP: “Optimistic for the world’s energy future”
The good news from the BP Energy Outlook 2035, presented on 15 January, is that there will be no problem meeting the world’s energy demand over the next two decades. When it comes to availability of energy, “there is no problem”, said BP’s Group Chief Economist Christof Rühl at the presentation of the report in London. BP’s CEO Bob Dudley said BP is “optimistic for the world’s energy future”. The fourth edition of BP’s annual Energy Outlook … [Read more...]
The greatest business opportunity of our time
Amory Lovins, the founder of the famous Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, has written a book in which he presents an energy future without coal, oil or nuclear power. Yet he insists his is not a green or left-wing vision. On the contrary, it will save money and create wealth. “The energy transformation is the greatest business opportunity of our time.” … [Read more...]
IEA: coal unsustainable but here to stay
Tougher Chinese policies aimed at reducing dependency on coal will help restrain global coal demand growth over the next five years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in its annual Medium-Term Coal Market Report released today. Despite the slightly slower pace of growth, however, coal will meet more of the increase in global primary energy than oil or gas - continuing a trend that has been in place for more than a decade. "Like it or … [Read more...]
Interview EU Climate Chief Connie Hedegaard: “Climate policy cannot be based on emission reduction alone”
The European Union should adopt EU-wide targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency for 2030, says Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard in an interview with Energy Post. She rejects pleas from the energy sector to base EU climate policy solely on CO2 emission reduction targets. She does note, however, that there has been a tendency to “overcompensate” renewable energy, i.e. too generous subsidies. “It was never the plan to subsidise … [Read more...]
Exclusive interview IEA-Director Maria van der Hoeven: “We cannot rule out new revolutions”
In its new World Energy Outlook (WEO), the IEA is cautious about the prospects of unconventional oil and gas outside the US. As regards shale gas, it notes that “uncertainty remains over the quality, the costs and public acceptance.” Yet in an interview with Energy Post, IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven notes that “the gas is there. All geologists are agreed on that.” Moreover, “there may be other surprises in store, for example with … [Read more...]
“France’s fracking ban to remain for foreseeable future”
The decision to uphold the ban on hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) in France by the constitutional court, preventing further exploration activities for shale gas reserves, is unlikely to change in the near future, despite the warnings of advocates that France will miss out on a significant source of cheap energy, says a new report from research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to the company’s latest report, France Upstream Fiscal … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel euphoria: oil and gas forever!
A European country like Germany may have embarked on an energy transformation away from fossil fuels - with major German energy companies like RWE following suit - worldwide there is no such trend, notes US energy expert and author Michael T. Klare. On the contrary, countries and companies, particularly in the US, are euphoric about all the new "unconventional" oil and gas coming on the market. "What we're seeing is a sea change in elite thinking … [Read more...]
How to turn Bulgaria into Eastern Europe’s energy hub and gateway
Bulgaria has become notorious for the failure of many big energy projects in recent years. Yet there is more going on in the Bulgarian energy sector than meets the eye, writes independent energy consultant Valentin Stoyanov. According to Stoyanov, Bulgaria could even become one of Europe’s main energy hubs. The country has strong and diverse energy assets to start with, ranging from coal and nuclear power to hydropower and renewable energies. It … [Read more...]
Interview Tyler Cowen: “The shale boom? It’s just getting started”
The shale boom in the US is only just beginning to affect the global economy, says famous US economist and New York Times best-selling author Tyler Cowen in an interview with James Stafford of Oilprice.com. The only question, says Cowen, is who will be the next to latch on to this revolution. Photo: shale oil production in Estonia, by WaronError1 … [Read more...]
European-Russian gas partnership threatens to unravel
As the areas of potential conflict are multiplying, the EU and Russia seem to be blundering into an increasingly fractious energy relationship that threatens to hurt both sides. Russia’s policies are even risking the whole future of gas in the European energy market, argues Frank Umbach, Associate Director at the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), King's College, London. Umbach, who also works for the Centre for European … [Read more...]
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