This is the week that many of the world’s institutions received a lecture from the new US administration on changes that should be made. The Financial Times reports: “US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent has accused the IMF and World Bank of “mission creep”, calling for them to step back from “their sprawling and unfocused agendas” … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, April 27-28, 2025
Author: Rod Janssen
Hydro-Québec is launching a new $10 billion plan this week to help Quebecers save electricity
Hélène Baril writes on the La Presse website about the new energy efficiency drive led by Hydro-Québec, the provincial utility. The plan includes free smart thermostats for residential customers but there are also measures for commercial and industrial customers. Free smart thermostats for everyone The plan, presented as the most ambitious in Hydro-Québec's history, … Continue reading Hydro-Québec is launching a new $10 billion plan this week to help Quebecers save electricity
America’s energy transition: “nothing in the energy world is easy these days”
Though early Trump policies have been broadly unfavorable to utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage, experts are bullish on distributed generation and flexible loads. Brian Martucci writes on the Utility Dive website about recent developments. As Trump targets clean energy, will utilities embrace DERs and VPPs? Amid stiff headwinds for utility-scale renewables and gas, … Continue reading America’s energy transition: “nothing in the energy world is easy these days”
Energy sector leaders usher in a new era of energy security
The high-level gathering of governments and industry, co-hosted by IEA and UK, concludes with shared understanding of a broader and more resilient approach to energy security. But it also concluded that fossil fuels will continue to play an important role and questions the net zero energy transition objectives. Joe Lo writes on the Climate Home … Continue reading Energy sector leaders usher in a new era of energy security
Germany’s energy transition: “We want to both remain an industrialised country and become climate-neutral”
The incoming Christian Democrat-led government now has much work to do if Germany hopes to make progress on the energy transition and the country's 2045 net-zero targets, which remain enshrined in law. Jasper Steinlein discusses latest developments in Germany in an article on the Euractiv website. Germany’s climate conservatives give ‘green’ a patriotic rebrand … Continue reading Germany’s energy transition: “We want to both remain an industrialised country and become climate-neutral”
Two scientists say they’ve built a tool that can calculate how much damage each oil company’s planet-warming pollution has caused
Nicolás Rivero writes on the Washington Post website about a new tool that two scientists have built to calculate damage from carbon emissions. Climate advocates hope this sort of model could result in court rulings that make polluters pay. The oil and gas industry contests the science. Scientists say they can calculate the cost … Continue reading Two scientists say they’ve built a tool that can calculate how much damage each oil company’s planet-warming pollution has caused
Revisiting the benefits of appliance efficiency standards
David J. Vogel, Professor Emeritus of Business Ethics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley explains why energy efficiency standards for appliances are important in an article on The Conversation website. Interestingly, the first appliance standards were issued over 50 years ago in California and yet, with all the benefits that have been derived from … Continue reading Revisiting the benefits of appliance efficiency standards
Large-scale renovation projects prioritising circular materials and energy efficiency must become the norm
In an article on the Circular website, Fabrizio Leonforte, Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, explains how RE-SKIN is using circular renovations to improve energy efficiency in the built environment. How to tackle energy inefficiency through circular renovations Our buildings need a serious upgrade to keep up with our changing planet. Winters are colder, … Continue reading Large-scale renovation projects prioritising circular materials and energy efficiency must become the norm
Motivations, preferences, and social values are shifting the mobility transition in Europe quickly
In an article on The Conversation website, Javier Turienzo, Lecturer in Business organization and marketing, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela writes about the mobility transformation taking place in Europe. Social attitudes are driving Europe’s mobility transformation, not tech Mobility is evolving rapidly, especially in Europe, and this transformation is not only reflected in the … Continue reading Motivations, preferences, and social values are shifting the mobility transition in Europe quickly
EEA briefing supporting the EU’s biodiversity strategy
This briefing describes how the value of nature can be viewed differently by different societal groups. It highlights the need for more collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society to strengthen and scale up efforts to encourage greater engagement with nature. The briefing supports the implementation of the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 and Nature Restoration Regulation. … Continue reading EEA briefing supporting the EU’s biodiversity strategy
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 