Copenhagen is going to miss its 2025 net-zero target. The reason can be taken as a template for other failing pledges we may soon see by governments and corporates. Kirstine Lund Christiansen at the University of Copenhagen and Inge-Merete Hougaard at Lund University explain that Copenhagenâs emissions overspill stems from an unrealistic dependence on technology when the promise was first made in 2012. As the target date got closer, other … [Read more...]
Event Summary: Building GW-scale Offshore Wind in the Baltic Sea
Here we provide a written summary of the panel discussion âWind of Change or Change of Wind? The future of Baltic Sea offshore investmentsâ held on 12th September 2022 in Brussels. Itâs a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights. The Baltic Sea has the potential to develop over 90 GW of offshore wind capacity. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has delivered … [Read more...]
Reactor shutdowns in Nuclear-dependent France expose the need for a diversified mix of Renewables
Events are showing that a nationâs heavy reliance on a single source of energy is unwise. Itâs not just gas. The heatwave is causing problems for Franceâs nuclear fleet, where the use of water for cooling has had to be restricted. All compounded by routine and unexpected maintenance shutdowns. As nuclear typically delivers well over 60% of its power, and also made it Europeâs biggest power exporter (until now), France is feeling the consequences. … [Read more...]
Do e-bike subsidies lift sales, change habits and cut emissions?
What happened when Sweden introduced a 25% rebate on the cost of an e-bike for 12 months over 2017-18? Lucas Davis at the Haas School of Business reviews a study that digs into the consequences. Sales increased by 70%. E-bike prices remained steady, so the sellers didnât simply raise prices to eat up the rebate. The study estimates that although a third of those sales would have âhappened anywayâ (i.e. no additionality) the remaining two-thirds … [Read more...]
Biomethane for decarbonising transport: the Swedish example
Biomethane has a critical role to play in the decarbonisation of transport, particularly long-distance trucks and ships, where electrification is more difficult and expensive. Angela Sainz Arnau at the European Biogas Association explains that biomethane represents one of the lowest greenhouse gas intensive pathways when the whole emissions lifecycle is measured. However, when nations implement bans on internal combustion engines to cut the use … [Read more...]
Our Hydrogen future: 27 authors imagine the world in 2030-2050
Hereâs something very different for our readers today, and an opportunity for you to register for our Webinar and Q&A on Wednesday Feb 16th at 09:00 CET (register here). Itâs to mark the book launch of âTouching Hydrogen Futureâ, where 27 energy experts from around the world have written a chapter each. They are fictional accounts of what our world could like in the near future. The countries covered are the Netherlands (2029), Denmark … [Read more...]
Redesigning UK electricity taxes to boost Heat Pump sales
In the UK, consumer prices for electricity are five times more expensive than for gas. It is a disincentive to adopt electric heat pumps. To make things harder, 23% of the electricity price comes from climate and social levies. Itâs just 2% for gas. No wonder the UK continues to install about 1.7 million gas boilers a year. Jan Rosenow and Richard Lowes at RAP call for changes that will incentivise customers to buy heat pumps while having a … [Read more...]
Climate Neutral Cities can be the key to winning public support for the European Green Deal
The EC is currently considering a mission proposal to achieve â100 climate neutral cities by 2030 â by and for the citizensâ. Arguing for its endorsement and the proposed umbrella governance, Simon Skillings and Eleonora Moro at E3G explain why cities are an ideal laboratory for tackling the big unanswered question: which European Green Deal (EGD) pathways will win genuine public support. No one should doubt that the EGD will be disruptive. So … [Read more...]
HYBRIT project: Sweden goes for zero-carbon steel
Europeâs largest iron ore producer, LKAB of Sweden, plans to invest almost âŹ40bn over the next two decades in emissions-free steel production. LKAB, along with Vattenfall and SSAB, are behind the HYBRIT project which intends to grow, fossil-free, Swedenâs steel industry. They will use hydrogen instead of coal as the âreducing agentâ to remove the oxygen from the iron ore. Thomas Koch Blank at RMI runs through their strategy and the implications … [Read more...]
Swedenâs new âprosumersâ: electricity generation at the city, village and residential level
54% of Swedenâs power already comes from renewables â the target is 100% by 2040 - and more and more is being generated locally on a small distributed scale, says Harry Kretchmer writing for the World Economic Forum. âDistrict Heatingâ plants are today using excess heat to warm over 75% of Swedish homes. Residential generation is happening too, creating âprosumersâ who both produce and consume. In Ludivika, 1970s flats have been retrofitted with … [Read more...]
German Geothermal: from 1.2TWh to 100TWh by 2050?
The IEAâs Sustainable Development Scenario sees the world's geothermal power generation tripling to almost 300 TWh by 2030. Thatâs because thereâs an almost unlimited supply that can provide power, heating and cooling. Itâs also a continuous supply uninterrupted by the weather, unlike solar and wind. The plants are small and quiet. For heating, ground-source heat pumps use significantly less electricity than other technologies. Writing for CLEW, … [Read more...]
Latest data shows lifetime emissions of EVs lower than petrol, diesel
Critics of the rapid roll out of electric vehicles correctly say that their factory door emissions (i.e. CO2 emitted during manufacture) are higher than those for standard petrol and diesel cars. Then you have to add the emissions of the local grid (how renewable is it?!) thatâs charging your EV. But the numbers behind those calculations are always changing. Eoin Bannon at Transport and Environment describes the findings of their new tool that … [Read more...]
Why a Carbon Border Tax? Because existing tariffs favour dirty over clean imports
Carbon border adjustments are carbon taxes imposed on carbon intensive imports that have not been carbon-taxed at source. Itâs a good way to penalise âdirtyâ goods and remove any competitive advantage the exporter gains from not paying for its pollution. Regions across the world are trying to figure out the best way â how, when, if at all - to roll them out. But Joseph Shapiro, writing for the Energy Institute at Haas, points out that the … [Read more...]
100% renewables by 2050: a technology, market, system, business model toolset for your nation
A growing number of countries are announcing increasingly ambitious renewable energy targets. But how do you deliver the results? IRENAâs Elena Ocenic explains that they have developed a toolset for countries to plot their unique pathway to success. Those tools range widely across technology, market design and regulation, system operation practices, and business models. The article lists the tools, and runs through some notable successes. Ocenic … [Read more...]
More nuclear means more waste disposal: the options, science, engineering
Public concern about nuclear power goes beyond an accident at a live plant. What do we do with the nuclear waste? If nuclear is to grow to become a major replacement for oil and gas the question must be answered. James Conca reviews the different methods that have been seriously considered: shooting it into space, burying it in deep sea trenches or under ice sheets, transmutation, or simply digging it even deeper underground. … [Read more...]
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