If the One Planet Summit in Paris on 12 December is to meet its expectations, it must lead to a new cost- and carbon-efficient instrument to support decentralised renewable electricity generation across Africa, writes Terje Osmundsen, Courtesy Energi og Klima blog. … [Read more...]
Donald Trump, Unfounding Father: he’s not an aberration, he is the zeitgeist
It’s time to start thinking of Donald Trump in a different light, writes Tom Engelhardt, author of many books and chief editor of Tomdispatch.com. Trump is not an aberration – he represents the zeitgeist – and removing him from office won’t solve the problems the U.S. is facing. Courtesy Tomdispatch.com. … [Read more...]
Trump’s tax bill: big win for oil and gas, profound threat to renewables and environment
The Republican Party (GOP) tax proposal, if it is adopted unchanged, would slash tax credits for solar and wind power, slap a big tax on projects of “multinational” renewable developers, while leaving tax credits for oil and gas unchanged or even lowering them. It would also open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas exploration. Courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
China is still on track to become the world’s leading nuclear power
Is there a slowdown in the Chinese nuclear sector, as some observers have argued, ending nuclear power’s “last hope for growth”? No, says François Morin, Director China of the World Nuclear Association. Nuclear has experienced a temporary setback but is still set for strong growth the coming years.  … [Read more...]
Trump’s coal and nuclear subsidy could cost U.S. economy over $10 billion a year
The U.S. Department of Energy's new initiative to subsidize coal and nuclear generation could cost U.S. businesses and households up to $10.6 billion annually, writes Silvio Marcacci, Communications Director at think tank Energy Innovation. This money would go to about 10 companies.  … [Read more...]
The German electricity market in 2016: more gas, renewables stable, higher emissions, higher tariffs
Whereas gas-fired power grew strongly in Germany in 2016, the output of renewables declined slightly. CO2 emissions went up, as did network tariffs and consumer prices. Renewables were funded 70% through auctions and just 30% through feed-in tariffs. An overview by Marius Buchmann. … [Read more...]
Poland may be ready for energy turnaround
The Polish conservative government has been trying (and failing) to bail out coal, and maintain energy independence, writes journalist MichaĹ‚ Olszewski. But according to Olszewski, these expensive and polluting practices could be coming to an end. Slowly but surely, the energy transition emerges in Poland. Courtesy Energy Transition – the Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
Looking ahead to 2018 for nuclear energy
Dan Yurman, author of the Neutron Bytes blog, presents a “realist’s perspective” on the state of affairs in the global nuclear industry and discusses what we might expect to happen next year. His account shows there is more going on in the nuclear sector than many people might realize.  … [Read more...]
UK government overlooked lower costs of renewables in Hinkley nuclear deal
Two of the UK’s main public bodies overseeing public spending have now criticised the government’s deal with EDF to support a new nuclear power plant, showing how Britain  (and the United States today?) failed to heed the falling cost of renewables, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. According to Wynn, the findings should be a warning for other countries planning to build new nuclear power plants. They also raise the question why the … [Read more...]
The net cost of using renewables to hit Australia’s climate target? Nothing
Australia can meet its 2030 greenhouse emissions target at zero net cost, according to a new analysis of a range of options for the National Electricity Market, write Andrew Blakers, Bin Lu and Matthew Stocks of Australian National University. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Jet fuel from sugarcane? It’s not a flight of fancy
Through genetic engineering, researchers from the University of Illinois have produced a new form of sugarcane, called lipidcane, whose leaves contain 12 percent oil, instead of the natural level of 0.05 percent. They are working to produce a variety they call energycane, with 20 percent oil. The new plant variety could produce enough oil to produce biodiesel and jet-fuel economically, they write. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
The Polish energy problem – the Ukrainian nuclear solution
Poland can’t continue to rely on coal, because it’s dirty, inefficient and increasingly has to be imported from Russia. But is there an alternative? Yes, there is, writes Mike Parr of consultancy PWR: Poland could import excess nuclear power from Ukraine. In fact, the interconnections for this have been in place for years. But Polish politicians have not taken action. … [Read more...]
Will Donald Trump take down the Arctic Refuge?Â
The U.S. Department of the Interior is preparing a five-year strategic plan that never once mentions climate change, but is likely to open up the Arctic Refuge for oil and gas exploration. U.S. Interior Secretary has already told the Alaska Gas and Oil Association that “Alaska is open for business”. According to author and professor of ecology Subhankar Banerjee, the plans of the Trump Administration are the beginning of a war against … [Read more...]
Keeping coal plants open: the Spanish government’s costly intervention in the power market
After power producer Iberdrola announced the closure of their last coal plants, on 10 November, the Spanish government has said it might intervene to keep them open. Such an intervention, write energy experts Gerard Wynn and Paolo Coghe, is taking a page out of Donald Trump's book. It is costly, bad for the investment climate, and for the planet’s climate. … [Read more...]
Should EPH, betting on a coal power future, have its cake and eat it too?
EPH, the Czech energy company that bought Vattenfall’s German lignite assets, has joined a legal action against new pollution limits, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. Although EPH acquired the plants at a steep discount, and has profited from a sharp rise in wholesale power prices, the company apparently is still not satisfied, notes Wynn. It wants to be able to disregard EU-wide rules that protect people from air pollution and … [Read more...]
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