We have a lot of work cut out for us to get the energy efficiency improvements we need

Minimum energy performance standards for buildings coupled with generous tax rebates for renovations – 110% in Italy – could unlock the energy service company market in Europe. Sonja van Renssen discusses the main issues with Jessica Stromback in an article on the Energy Monitor website. Expect a “seismic shift” on energy efficiency – Jessica … Continue reading We have a lot of work cut out for us to get the energy efficiency improvements we need →

Scotland provides important lessons in how to implement energy efficiency

Devolution has freed the Scottish government to come up with innovative publicly funded energy-saving schemes. Whitehall should take note of their success according to Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, writing in the July/August issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. Scotland can show England the way There has been much … Continue reading Scotland provides important lessons in how to implement energy efficiency →

The options in Germany’s accelerated energy transitions

Without Russian natural gas, Germany will be facing an energy crisis. In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Jeannette Cwienk discusses what the most realistic and climate-friendly options are. How can Germany realistically replace gas? As Germany scrambles to find a way to lower its reliance on Russian natural gas, the country has announced a … Continue reading The options in Germany’s accelerated energy transitions →

While spending on renewables is going up globally, the increase is due to rising prices rather than investments in new clean energy capacity

The International Energy Agency projects that spending on renewables in 2022 will exceed the record $440 billion invested last year. Despite the accelerated spending on green technologies, the world still is not on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, IEA said. Benjamin Storrow from E&E News discusses latest developments in an article on the … Continue reading While spending on renewables is going up globally, the increase is due to rising prices rather than investments in new clean energy capacity →

The UK is in a strong position to lead efforts on developing an international carbon border adjustment mechanism

A ‘carbon border adjustment mechanism’ on imported goods from polluting factories overseas could help to address the thorny issue of carbon leakage, argues Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation in the June issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. It’s not a tax, it’s just an adjustment mechanism Cheap imports of … Continue reading The UK is in a strong position to lead efforts on developing an international carbon border adjustment mechanism →

The challenges to reduce independence on Russian gas while ensuring Europe’s clean energy transition meets the long -erm climate and energy objectives

The recipe for independence from Russian gas is the acceleration of the clean energy transition; its success depends on the use of the right ingredients, write Megan Anderson, Bram Claeys and Jan Rosenow in an article on the EURACTIV website. Is REPowerEU the right energy policy recipe to move away from Russian gas? With … Continue reading The challenges to reduce independence on Russian gas while ensuring Europe’s clean energy transition meets the long -erm climate and energy objectives →

Need for a community-based climate approach in Australia to ensure any new infrastructure integrates with people’s lives, values, and aspirations

Bjorn Sturmberg, Hedda Ransan-Cooper, Johannes Hendriks and Pierrick Chalaye, all from the Australian National University write on The Conversation website that a techno-fix is not enough to address climate change. The climate and environmental crises demand innovations in our everyday infrastructures. If these changes are to be accepted and adopted en masse, we must find … Continue reading Need for a community-based climate approach in Australia to ensure any new infrastructure integrates with people’s lives, values, and aspirations →

The Supreme Court limited the EPA’s authority on emissions, dealing a blow to efforts to address climate change

The EPA ruling means it may now be mathematically impossible through available avenues for the US to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions goal. Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution, provides his views in an article on The Guardian website. The US supreme … Continue reading The Supreme Court limited the EPA’s authority on emissions, dealing a blow to efforts to address climate change →

Modernisation of Energy Charter Treaty seen as “a real threat” to the landmark Paris climate agreement

The members of the Energy Charter Treaty on Friday struck a deal to “modernise” the energy charter treaty. The 1994 agreement allows investors to sue governments for changes in energy policy that harm their profits. The compromise agreement, which was largely designed by the EU, reduces the protection afforded to companies that have invested in … Continue reading Modernisation of Energy Charter Treaty seen as “a real threat” to the landmark Paris climate agreement →

Message from recent IEA global energy efficiency conference: with the potential to provide one-third of the emissions reductions needed for net zero, energy efficiency has a key role to play

Jonathan Spencer Jones writes on the Smart Energy International website about the important message that came loud and clear from the recent IEA global energy efficiency conference. Energy efficiency – the dark horse for reaching net zero In the day-to-day businesses of utilities, as reflected in the comments and stories that reach our desk, … Continue reading Message from recent IEA global energy efficiency conference: with the potential to provide one-third of the emissions reductions needed for net zero, energy efficiency has a key role to play →