Finally putting a price on nature

Until now, no one has developed a good way to estimate the monetary value of natural resources. Chelsea Harvey writes in the Washington Post that a group of scholars may have finally come up with a solution. Economists keep saying we should put a price on nature. Now they’ve finally done it Putting a … Continue reading Finally putting a price on nature →

New report from eceee assesses how setting interest rates affects the Commission’s energy modelling

Increasingly, the European Commission is being challenged that its energy modelling is undervaluing the full set of benefits of energy efficiency. The modelling, many are saying, has faulty assumptions, particularly on discount rates. There have been concerns for years but as the review of current energy efficiency policies is set to take place to see … Continue reading New report from eceee assesses how setting interest rates affects the Commission’s energy modelling →

The problems with tracking energy savings

Stephen Lacey, Senior Editor at Greentech Media writes a good article about the concerns about tracking energy savings in Massachusetts. This is a global concern. What are your views? Lies, Damned Lies and Modeling: Energy Efficiency’s Problem With Tracking Savings The efficiency industry grapples with the lack of transparency in monitoring and verification of … Continue reading The problems with tracking energy savings →

A must read

There are few people who think so thoughtfully and clearly about energy in its fullest sense as 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 … Continue reading A must read →

How governments can help transform our energy systems

Walt Patterson never stops challenging us to think through the essence of energy policy, where it should be and how we should get there. Walt recently wrote this excellent piece for the RenewEconomy website. It should give you much to think about. Since 1991 he has been a fellow of what is now the Energy, … Continue reading How governments can help transform our energy systems →

This week’s briefs

There are some good brief items for you this week. • New eceee report This week the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee) launched an analysis paper entitled “What we will gain from more ambitious energy efficiency goals in the EU”. The analysis presents and explains the findings of the Commission’s 2030 … Continue reading This week’s briefs →

Assessing the German energy transition

The Economist news magazine usually does not hesitate to express its views. This is certainly true in this article that analyses what it belives has gone wrong with Germany’s energy transition. What has gone wrong with Germany's energy policy On December 3rd the German government announced plans to redouble its Energiewende, or “energy transition”, … Continue reading Assessing the German energy transition →

World Energy Council Sustainable Energy Index

The World Energy Council (WEC) has recently released its 2014 Energy Sustainability Index. The index ranks countries in terms of their likely ability to provide sustainable energy policies through the 3 dimensions of the energy trilemma: Energy security: the effective management of primary energy supply from domestic and external sources, the reliability of energy infrastructure, … Continue reading World Energy Council Sustainable Energy Index →

New report from European Environment Agency: Industrial air pollution has high economic cost

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has come out with an important new study on industrial air pollution. Air pollution and GHG emissions from industry cost Europe between €59 and €189 billion in 2012, the report shows. The upper estimate is approximately equivalent to the GDP of Finland or half the GDP of Poland. Over the … Continue reading New report from European Environment Agency: Industrial air pollution has high economic cost →

Assessing the cost of energy efficiency

Merriam Borgeson writes an excellent blog for Switchboard, Natural Resources Defense Counsel Staff Blog, on a recent study comparing the cost of energy efficiency and the cost of building coal power plants. New Analysis: The Cost of Energy Efficiency is Under Half the Cost of Building Dirty Coal Power Plants After mining the results … Continue reading Assessing the cost of energy efficiency →