Author: Rod Janssen

This week’s briefs

There are some good brief news items this week.   • WSED Young Researchers Conference Only a few days remain to submit a paper. The deadline is October 9th. The annual World Sustainable Energy Days [http://www.wsed.at/en/world-sustainable-energy-days/] in Wels, Austria has grown from strength to strength over recent years. The World Sustainable Energy Days are organised … Continue reading This week’s briefs →

Industrial energy efficiency gets a boost in Turkey

Turkey is a major industrial economy. As anywhere, the energy transition also includes improving how energy is used throughout the entire production cycle. While there are many policies being implemented to help such improvements, it is good to see how the international financial institutions are helping. Olga Rosca writes on the EBRD website about a … Continue reading Industrial energy efficiency gets a boost in Turkey →

How climate change has moved beyond theoretical scientific debates to the start of practical planning

There was much discussion after the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney gave his views on the impact of climate change. While the audience was British, the message went global. Barrie McKenna wrote in Canada’s Globe and Mail: “Think of it as a sobering climate-change wake-up call for Canadians. . . . For Canada, the … Continue reading How climate change has moved beyond theoretical scientific debates to the start of practical planning →

Should investors be worried about stranded assets related to climate change?

Any transition is going to lead to stranded assets. In the news recently has been the concern that climate change policies will lead to stranded assets in the fossil fuel industry. Nick Butler provides a good blog on the Financial Times website that there is a need to step back from the emotion of the … Continue reading Should investors be worried about stranded assets related to climate change? →

Reflecting on what Volkswagen’s errors means in human terms

We cannot just take enforcement lapses casually. What Volkswagen did to deceive the enforcement system has serious implications to our health, as discussed by Margot Sanger-Katz and John Schwartz in the New York Times.   Assessing the Human Toll of Volkswagen’s Diesel Deception Volkswagen’s diesel deception unleashed tons of extra pollutants in the United States, … Continue reading Reflecting on what Volkswagen’s errors means in human terms →

Even a Prime Minister gets involved in discussing renewable energy

You know the low carbon transition is underway when a Prime Minister takes an active role chairing a meeting on renewable energy. The Hindustan Times reports on a recent roundtable in India chaired by Prime Minister Modi. This is certainly a welcome development.   Modi chairs roundtable on renewable energy with top CEOs Prime Minister … Continue reading Even a Prime Minister gets involved in discussing renewable energy →

Debating the financial issues surrounding renewable energy

Financing sustainable energy is always a hot topic. Laura Singleton writes on the Imperial College London website about a recent panel debate at the college’s Business School.   The end of fossil fuels? Investors debate the future of renewable energy Investors, staff and students gathered at the Business School last week to debate the financial … Continue reading Debating the financial issues surrounding renewable energy →

Trying to better understand the importance of energy efficiency

We cannot find enough reasons to appreciate the importance of improving energy efficiency. Jake Rozmaryn, CEO & Founder of Eco Branding wrote a good article on the Huffington Post website about the four reasons that he raises why we should care. Do you agree?   4 Reasons You Should Care About Energy Efficiency It's easy … Continue reading Trying to better understand the importance of energy efficiency →

Taking some leaps forward to ensure consumers benefit from smart energy systems

We seem to be moving in a million directions at once. All of us are excited by new technologies and this is certainly true concerning our energy systems. Increasingly the “smart grid” is coming into being and many of us stare in wonderment what is happening next. Yes, we have the smart grid now and … Continue reading Taking some leaps forward to ensure consumers benefit from smart energy systems →