Author: Rod Janssen

Concerns about French plans to retrofit homes

Tara Patel of Bloomberg News writes about the controversy in France about the government’s plans to “encourage” homeowners to undertake energy efficiency actions. French plan to reduce energy bills prompts Big Brother outcry Heating a French home could soon require an income tax consultation or even a visit to the doctor under legislation to force … Continue reading Concerns about French plans to retrofit homes →

Save these dates . . .

There are some excellent workshops/conferences coming up that you should consider: The next World Sustainable Energy Days conference will present the work and achievements of young researchers in the field of biomass and in the field of energy efficiency.  It will be held as one of the conferences of the World Sustainable Energy Days 2013 from … Continue reading Save these dates . . . →

Committing to a low-carbon economy

Lord Nicholas Stern, author of the provoking 2006 study on the economics of climate change, wrote this week in the Financial Times about the importance of the government fully committing itself to a low-carbon economy.  While the focus is on the United Kingdom, it provides important lessons for all countries. Cameron must commit to low-carbon … Continue reading Committing to a low-carbon economy →

EU revisiting biofuels

Reuters news agency provides a good description of the changes underway to renewable energy policy which has given a high priority to the deployment of biofuels.  The new proposals have been watered down in a way that have not pleased many stakeholders.   Biofuels: EU weakens proposals to reduce indirect climate impact Fuel suppliers will … Continue reading EU revisiting biofuels →

Walt Patterson’s website

One of the truly thoughtful experts in Europe about energy matters is Walt Patterson.  He is trained as a nuclear physicist and has published thirteen books and hundreds of papers, articles and reviews, on nuclear power, coal technology, renewable energy, energy systems, energy policy and electricity. Since 1991 he has been a fellow of what … Continue reading Walt Patterson’s website →

Are we thinking “deep”? New survey uncovers important findings

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) surveyed real estate and construction executives in the European Union, India, China and the USA commissioned by the Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN).  423 senior executives from the real estate and construction industries. Over half (51%) were C-level executives or above and nearly half (49%) came from organisations with more … Continue reading Are we thinking “deep”? New survey uncovers important findings →

Cost of the German transition to a non-nuclear future

Juergen Baetz of AP news service provides an important look at the costs for the phasing out of nuclear energy.  The phase out is to be complete by 2022.  It shows that the policy will definitely cost in the coming years, although once complete, it should ensure that Germany is on a sustainable foundation that … Continue reading Cost of the German transition to a non-nuclear future →

Energy efficiency jobs on the line

In an open letter to Energy Secretary Ed Davey, the Insulation Industry Forum, which represents 70pc of the UK’s insulation industry, warned that it is “extremely concerned about the Government’s plans for its implementation” because of the gap between the ending of the existing schemes for cavity wall and loft insulation and the Green Deal … Continue reading Energy efficiency jobs on the line →

Energy company obligations in Britain – two important papers

Energy savings obligations in the UK – a history of change: Jan Rosenow of the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford has produced a paper for a special issue of the journal Energy Policy that looks at Energy Savings Obligations in the UK. More specifically, it discusses how the policy instrument changed over time and … Continue reading Energy company obligations in Britain – two important papers →