Month: April 2019

More demand than supply of white certificates in France

A recent article on the EURACTIV.fr website, translated by Daniel Eck, explains some of the recent developments in the white certificate market in France.   Price of energy saving certificates causes friction in France Energy saving certificates, or white certificates, were meant to be the answer to France’s slow progress in reducing energy consumption. However, … Continue reading More demand than supply of white certificates in France →

Wider use of heat pumps is important for the energy transition

A recent study in the US describes heat pumps for home heating and cooling as “the low hanging fruit when it comes to saving customers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions." John Fialka explains in an article on the Scientific American website.   Heat Pumps Gain Traction as Renewable Energy Grows A cluster of new … Continue reading Wider use of heat pumps is important for the energy transition →

Britain’s the Orkney Islands being used as a laboratory to learn how to make all the components of a fully renewable energy network function together

Steve Hanley writes on the CleanTechnica website that there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle to fit together before we can be completely dependent on renewable energy. Well, they are trying on the Orkney Islands. What are your views?   Orkney Islands Are Key To Renewable Energy In The UK There’s theory and … Continue reading Britain’s the Orkney Islands being used as a laboratory to learn how to make all the components of a fully renewable energy network function together →

Thoughts on the low-carbon energy transition

If the world is to quit coal and gas for renewable energy sources, they have to be reliable and affordable. Is that realistic? Researchers have crunched the numbers and come up with some surprising answers. Gero Rueter explains in an article on the Deutsche Welle website.   How to make the world affordably carbon-free How … Continue reading Thoughts on the low-carbon energy transition →

Ireland falls short in its level of ambition for the low-carbon energy transition

EU member states have submitted their draft national energy and climate plans and the one from Ireland gets bad marks in an assessment made by the Climate Action Network. The report concludes Ireland’s plan “does not demonstrate high ambition on energy savings and renewable energy, indicating a lack of focus in their actions for the … Continue reading Ireland falls short in its level of ambition for the low-carbon energy transition →

Manhattan looking to have congestion charge by 2021

John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County writes on The Conversation website about the plan for a congestion charge in Manhattan, an approach already used in London, Singapore and Stockholm.   New York gets serious about traffic with the first citywide US congestion pricing plan After years … Continue reading Manhattan looking to have congestion charge by 2021 →

Renewable energy versus carbon capture technology in the energy transition

Ben McAllister writes on the Naked Scientists website that Renewable energy combined with power storage offers a better pathway to tackle climate change than implementing carbon capturing technologies at fossil fuel plants, according to a new study. What are your views?   Renewable energy trumps carbon capture Renewable energy combined with power storage offers a … Continue reading Renewable energy versus carbon capture technology in the energy transition →

Understanding the energy transition in Texas

Texas is one of those interesting regions where there are competing views of the energy system and the energy transition. Steve Hanley discusses latest developments in an article on the CleanTechnica website.   Renewable Energy Advocates Learn To Not Say “Climate Change” In Texas Renewable energy, particularly wind power, has been hugely successful in Texas, … Continue reading Understanding the energy transition in Texas →

There are plenty of economic reasons to change our gas-guzzling habits

Electric vehicles are in the news almost daily. Are they a game changer? Gail Broadbent and Graciela Metternicht from the University of New South Wales write about the economic benefits that are already there. Do you agree?   Don't trust the environmental hype about electric vehicles? The economic benefits might convince you With electric cars … Continue reading There are plenty of economic reasons to change our gas-guzzling habits →