Energy in Demand News, January 14, 2024

EiD welcomes that the IEA published Renewables 2023 this week.  It is encouraging to see that the world  added 50% more renewable capacity in 2023 than in 2022 and next 5 years will see fastest growth yet. The IEA says that the world’s capacity to generate renewable electricity is expanding faster than at any time … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 14, 2024

Ghana’s energy transition – Ghana’s electricity conundrum

In an article on The Conversation website, Naaborle Sackeyfio, Associate Professor of Global and Intercultural Studies, Miami University discusses the electricity crisis in Ghana and what it will take to put it on a sustainable foundation.   Ghana’s electricity crisis is holding the country back - how it got here For well over a decade … Continue reading Ghana’s energy transition – Ghana’s electricity conundrum

Britain’s energy transition is more complex than meets the eye

The UK government is pursuing an uneconomic nuclear programme in large part so as to maintain and renew military nuclear capabilities, argues Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, in an article on the BusinessGreen website.   Submarine thinking: A 'lock-in' of nuclear power would be reckless for the economy and the climate … Continue reading Britain’s energy transition is more complex than meets the eye

Energy in Demand News, January 7, 2024

With the devastation of floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, forest fires and more, we know much more needs to be done to mitigate GHG emissions. Many commentators were concerned after COP28 last year that there was no sense of urgency. Read once more the comment from Fiona Harvey, published on EiD in December, on the need for … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 7, 2024

Bringing off-grid, pay-as-you-go power to Africa

Mansoor Hamayun, the co-founder and chief executive of Bboxx, started out with a university project to bring solar power to a few villages in Rwanda. Now he is set to expand tenfold across sub-Saharan Africa. In an article on the Guardian website, Jillian Ambrose discusses what Mr. Hamayun is trying to achieve.   ‘Electricity is … Continue reading Bringing off-grid, pay-as-you-go power to Africa

Motorists are increasingly opting for large electric SUVs but the environmental impact of these vehicles should not be underestimated

Laura Lander, Lecturer in Engineering, King's College London and Grazia Todeschini, Reader in Engineering also at King's College London, write on The Conversation website about the environmental impact of large electric vehicles.   Why surging sales of large electric vehicles raises environmental red flags Electric cars are getting bigger and heavier. In 2019, 30% of … Continue reading Motorists are increasingly opting for large electric SUVs but the environmental impact of these vehicles should not be underestimated

Power companies in the US are turning to virtual power plants

In an article on The Conversation website, Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, discusses the growing role of virtual power plants as electricity demand is surging.   What is a virtual power plant? An energy expert explains After nearly two decades of stagnation, U.S. electricity demand is surging, driven … Continue reading Power companies in the US are turning to virtual power plants

Solar mystery from early 20th century

In article on The Conversation website, Sugandha Srivastav, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Economics at the University of Oxford unravels a mystery “what if.” You should enjoy this little-known story.   If the first solar entrepreneur hadn’t been kidnapped, would fossil fuels have dominated the 20th century the way they did? One argument put forward … Continue reading Solar mystery from early 20th century

High temperatures to affect France’s nuclear energy output

Euronews provides a news item on its website about the concerns in France that the high temperatures is affecting water quality in rivers and this will have an impact on its nuclear energy output. With France wanting to build new nuclear power plants in the future, leaving aside the question whether they should be built … Continue reading High temperatures to affect France’s nuclear energy output

France will reach the level of electricity consumption expected in 2050 as early as 2030-2035

Assuming France achieves its decarbonisation and reindustrialisation targets, electricity consumption could rise to 580-640 TWh by 2035, equivalent to what the grid operator had forecasted for 2050 in its “Future Energy 2050” report published at the end of 2021. In an article on the EURACTIV website, Paul Messad discusses the recent report from France’s electricity … Continue reading France will reach the level of electricity consumption expected in 2050 as early as 2030-2035