We need to shift investment from fossil fuels to other climate-friendly energy sources, but it must be done more intelligently than weâre doing it today, says Schalk Cloete. The rapid global economic development needed to uplift the 86% of the worldâs population currently living below $1,000/month is inextricably linked to the continued and timely growth in an abundant supply of affordable energy. It would be unjust â and probably futile â to … [Read more...]
All estimates of the âcostâ of climate action should include the savings and benefits
Too many climate mitigation scenarios calculate the cost of that transition without measuring the savings and benefits, explain Alexandre Köberle and Joeri Rogelj at Imperial College London, Toon Vandyck at the EC's Joint Research Centre, and Celine Guivarch at the Centre International de Recherche sur lâEnvironnement et le Developpement, writing for Carbon Brief. This leads to a pessimistic view of the challenges ahead, and public aversion to … [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...]
EU Taxonomy: labelling Gas âgreenâ is a gift to Putin
Many of todayâs clean energy technologies were given their first boost in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, explains William Todts at T&E. He now hopes the current confrontation between NATO and Russia over Ukraine will shake up and deepen Europeâs commitment to the energy transition. But entirely the wrong signal was sent over the New Year, says Todts. He describes the European Commissionâs inclusion of gas in the EU Taxonomy for sustainable … [Read more...]
Surging U.S. renewables on track to take 30% market share by 2026
While the U.S. Congress debates whether backing the transition is a winning strategy, the energy sector is clearly showing the nationâs direction of travel. Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster at IEEFA look at the impressive growth of the clean energy champions, wind and solar. Since 2019, wind and utility-scale solar generation has risen by 76 TWh â a 31% increase â while coal and gas has fallen by 1.6%. By 2026, wind and utility-scale solar will … [Read more...]
Energy professionals: do you understand how the media works?
We energy professionals spend most of our time talking to each other. But, more than ever, climate change and the energy transition are headline news. Thatâs not just in the mainstream media but also within our industry journals and the policy-maker press. So, we need to understand how the media works. More specifically for many, we need to know how to handle our PR providers. Sean Crowley says itâs up to us to work more effectively with the … [Read more...]
Will Norwayâs new government consider phasing out oil and gas?
A Labour-led left coalition won the Norwegian elections in September. The Socialist Left Party looks keen to limit new oil and gas exploration and production. The dominant Labour Party and the Center party, much less so. Still, it could be the moment when Norway starts to put the climate above its oil and gas policy, explains Silje Lundberg at Oil Change International. Until now â left or right - itâs definitely been the other way around. The … [Read more...]
The Energy Charter Treaty needs updating, but remains a valuable tool for the transition
Last Thursday we published this critique of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). Created in the 1990s, the ECT was designed to protect cross-border energy investments from political risk. Critics now say it is being used to protect fossil fuel investments in a world committed to phasing them out. Today, Andrei Belyi of energy consulting firm Balesene OU and Adjunct Professor in Energy Law and Policy at the University of Eastern Finland, who was named … [Read more...]
NDC reporting: making the Paris Agreement Transparency Framework work
For the system of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be effective, every countryâs reporting processes need to be appropriate to their economic level, honest and accurate. That means the Paris Agreementâs Transparency Framework, including the Common Reporting Tables (CRT) for greenhouse gas inventories, and Common Tabular Formats (CTF) to track progress on their NDCs, needs to be finalised and agreed upon, and fast, says the IDDRIâs … [Read more...]
EU plans first satellite fleet to monitor CO2 in every country
The speed and policies required for a successful transition depend on our ability to measure emissions accurately and globally. Thatâs why Europe is readying a new fleet of three satellites to monitor CO2 emissions at every point on earth, creating the first worldwide system capable of measuring at city and even power plant level in close to real time, reports Karl Mathiesen at Climate Home News. It will mean, for example, a city can measure how … [Read more...]
UK oil & gas keeps rising. Clean Energy blueprint can reverse it
In the UK the ÂŁ2.3bn (=$2.9bn / âŹ2.6bn) in new oil and gas subsidies introduced since 2014 will state-fund the addition of twice as much carbon as its coal phaseout saves, says a new report âSea Change: Climate Emergency, Jobs and Managing the Phase-out of UK Oil and Gas Extractionâ. Can the UK call itself a climate leader if its existing policies push it over its emissions limits? It can, if you consider this: the UK took 16 years to become the … [Read more...]
36bn GWh: the âlimitlessâ Geothermal from old UK coal mines
The Earth gets hotter by 2.5C to 3.5C with each 100m depth. Itâs what makes geothermal energy possible, anywhere. In the UK geothermal could meet the nationâs heat demands for at least 100 years, say Jon Gluyas, Andrew Crossland and Charlotte Adams of the Durham Energy Institute. Properly managed it could last indefinitely. Given that heat does not travel well, geothermal must be developed locally. Fortunately, accessible heat lies beneath or … [Read more...]
Thereâs a limit to raising CO2 taxes. Re-focus on energy innovations to reverse emissions
Stop obsessing about raising CO2 taxes, says Severin Borenstein at the Energy Institute at Haas. Itâs good, but not enough. Why? Textbook economics says if you tax something bad, innovators are incentivised and rewarded for coming up with something better. Thatâs true for cigarettes (vaping), plastic wrapping (recyclables, biodegradables), traffic (public transport). But thereâs a limit with CO2 taxes, says the author. In developing countries … [Read more...]
Less politically centralised, can the EU remain a transition leader?
As a region the EU is a transition leader. Its primary energy consumption increased by only 0.2% in 2018 (globally it rose by 2.6%) and its CO2 emissions dropped by 1.7% (globally, up 1.7%). But the EUâs move towards greater âsubsidiarityâ and devolution of power, to counterbalance too much centralisation, has made it harder for the EU to act quickly and act big, says Lucien Chabason, Senior Advisor at the IDDRI. One example: how easily can … [Read more...]
UK: Despite progress, 100% low-carbon is still a long way off
The UK transition is often cited as a success story. Coalâs contribution has dropped from 40% to 6%. Wind, solar and hydroelectric now generates more electricity than nuclear. Demand for electricity has also fallen. The carbon intensity of Britainâs electricity has almost halved, from over 500g of COâ per kilowatt-hour in 2006 to under 270g in 2018. The National Grid now expects to be able to operate a zero-carbon electricity system by 2025. But … [Read more...]
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