Nils Torvalds MEP (ALDE) - the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC) – joins journalist Sonja van Renssen on viEUws.eu to discuss the future of biofuels. … [Read more...]
Global Calculator shows how the world can ‘prosper’ while tackling climate change
The world's population could live a prosperous, European-style lifestyle by 2050 at the same time as avoiding dangerous climate change, according to a new Global Calculator developed by the UK's Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Â Simon Evans tests the Calculator against scenarios of Shell and Friends of the Earth and comes to some surprising (or, perhaps not so surprising) conclusions. … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: Top 5 Environment – All you need to know for the Latvian EU Presidency
In this special briefing for viEUws.eu, Brussels-based journalist Sonja van Renssen identifies the top 5 environment issues that will be discussed by the European institutions under the Latvian EU Presidency. … [Read more...]
The new China-Europe connection: how China’s new Silk Road strategy will change the face of the world
China’s “New Silk Road” strategy is intended to connect the Chinese industrial powerhouse first with Eurasia and then Europe. This will be done through a gigantic, intricate network of road and rail transport lines and energy pipelines, which will cut overland travel time from China to Europe to just two days. It is the greatest trade story in the world, writes reporter Pepe Escobar, even though we hear little about it in the West. Europe, notes … [Read more...]
New German legislation will shake up EU biofuels market – but how?
New German legislation, which will become effective in 2015, has resulted in a drastic improvement of the climate performance of biodiesel produced in Germany. But the effects the new rules will have on the German and wider EU biofuels market are still highly uncertain, says Elmar Baumann, Managing Director of the VDB, the Association of the German Biofuel Industry, in an interview with Energy Post. “All we know is that they will be profound.” … [Read more...]
Global renewable energy at the cross-roads
Is the renewables glass half-full or half-empty? That’s the central question that appears to run through the International Energy Agency (IEA’s) new comprehensive market report on the state of renewable energy in the world. The answer is complex. Renewables have made “tremendous progress”, notes the IEA, but growth “falls short of global climate change objectives”. Karel Beckman reports. … [Read more...]
UBS and Citigroup expect massive solar-EV revolution
Analysts from UBS and Citigroup, two of the world’s largest investment banks, believe the growth of solar power, in combination with advances in batteries and electric cars, will cause a huge disruption in the energy industry. UBS believes centralised fossil fuel generation  will become “extinct” sooner than most people realise. Citigroup predicts renewables will replace coal and gas in power generation, which will free up the use of gas as a … [Read more...]
EU deeply divided over 2030 climate and energy policy
Thirteen member states want the EU to agree on the broad outlines of a 2030 climate and energy policy as soon as possible. But at least four call for the EU not to “rush” into anything – they argue all decisions should be put on hold until UN climate talks in Paris in 2015. That was the main outcome of the EU environment and energy ministers meeting this week. European Heads of State and government will meet in Brussels on 20-21st March to talk … [Read more...]
An investor speaks: the oil party is almost over
The fact that environmental activist Bill McKibben is waging a relentless “fossil fuel divestment campaign” may not worry established oil and coal companies too much. But he is joined by an increasing number of mainstream investors and analysts. The latest investor to warn that fossil fuel assets may be overvalued is the famous hedge fund manager Jeremy Grantham, owner of the major US asset-management firm GMO. In a thoughtful piece for the GMO … [Read more...]
Why utilities should embrace electric cars
Navigant Research has recently published an interesting article by Scott Shepard on what the growth of electric vehicles in the US means for utiltiies. Shepard concludes that they represent more opportunities to utilities than problems. Schepard notes that "according to the Energy Information Administration’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), the average U.S. household consumed 11,321 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in … [Read more...]
Exclusive report – Boeing reveals “the biggest breakthrough in biofuels ever”
Oil companies watch out. Biofuels are on the verge of a breakthrough that will transform the oil market. Not only that: it will also green the planet. In an exclusive interview with CleanTechnica.com and Energy Post, Darrin L. Morgan, Director Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Environmental Strategy at Boeing, reveals that researchers at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, funded by Boeing, Honeywell and Etihad Airways, may have achieved "the biggest … [Read more...]
Brussels confines climate policy to emission reduction and emission trading
The European Commission’s 2030 climate and energy package unveiled on 22January confines itself to two main proposals: a 40% binding greenhouse gas emission reduction target and legislative reform of the EU Emission Trading Scheme. Significantly, it does not include post-2020 national renewable energy targets or new energy efficiency targets. It also drops the fuel quality directive which underpins the use of biofuels in the transport sector. The … [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 RĂĽhl 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...]
Smart grid and smart city predictions for 2020 (part 2)
Last week, Silicon Valley-based boardroom consultant and smart grid expert Christine Hertzog made five predictions for trends likely to occur in the smart energy sector, including the prediction that “Consumer intermediation threats would abound for utilities”. And wouldn’t you know it, on Tuesday Google announced it is expanding into “smart homes” with the acquisition of Nest Labs for $3.2 billion. One down for Christine! This week she follows … [Read more...]
Dutch green gas initiatives launched
The Groningen based gas trading company GasTerra closed the largest Green Gas deal of the Netherlands. GasTerra will buy 23 million m3 renewable gas annually , sufficient for 15,000 households. The gas comes from a company called BioRights that develops a production location in Hardenberg to convert biomass into second generation biofuels. The biogas produced is upgraded to natural gas quality and fed into the gas grid of Gasunie. Also bioethanol … [Read more...]