New report by Coolproducts: Impact of a ban of fossil heating technologies on NECPs and National Energy Dependency

Coolproducts coalition of European NGOs working to ensure that ecodesign and energy labelling truly work for Europeans and the environment. It recently published a report that investigates the potential impact of an EU ban on sales of fossil boilers on achievement of existing targets for heating decarbonisation and energy dependency of the individual Member States. … Continue reading New report by Coolproducts: Impact of a ban of fossil heating technologies on NECPs and National Energy Dependency →

Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies

Rihab Khalid, Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Consumption at the University of Cambridge writes on The Conversation website that energy policies that try to be gender neutral usually leave women’s energy needs marginalised and there is a need to think about how women use energy and space. If we want to build truly sustainable … Continue reading Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies →

Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’

Sufficiency is a field of action that seeks to enhance the material wellbeing of the world’s poorest but simultaneously supports a more just distribution of the scarce resources provided by the Earth. Sadhbh O'Neill, a lecturer in climate policy and member of Dublin City University Centre for Climate and Society, in an article on the … Continue reading Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’ →

“No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter”

With REPowerEU underway, Europe’s energy and climate strategy demands a rapid change of scenery. We must utilise the full palette of solutions available, including household flexibility, says Sophie Yule-Bennett from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) in an article on the FORESIGHT Climate & Energy website. House power: the hidden powerhouse of the new energy … Continue reading “No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter” →

New JRC report – Empowering vulnerable consumers in the energy transition

A new JRC paper examines ways to empower the energy poor and vulnerable consumers as active informed citizens and actors in the energy system, looking at exemplary practices from around Europe. Promising initiatives include energy advisors, trusted intermediaries, locally embedded innovative business models (like one-stop shops), trainings of energy actors, energy ombudsmen, energy cafés and … Continue reading New JRC report – Empowering vulnerable consumers in the energy transition →

New EEA briefing on how circular economy principles can enhance the benefits of building renovation

Building renovation is a key contributor to improving energy efficiency and to achieving a climate neutral European Union (EU) by 2050. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, investigates how circular economy principles can enhance the benefits of building renovation. It finds that, through 2050, circularity can significantly reduce the use of materials … Continue reading New EEA briefing on how circular economy principles can enhance the benefits of building renovation →

Clean energy funding to surge 12% in 2022, remains insufficient

Global energy investment is set to increase by 8% this year, the energy forum has estimated. Dimitris Mavrokefalidis discusses the IEA report on the Energy Live News website. The report is available here. IEA: “Capital spending is insufficient to tackle the energy and climate crises” The current level of global capital spending is still … Continue reading Clean energy funding to surge 12% in 2022, remains insufficient →

The pace of the transition is inadequate compared to the level necessary to address the worst risks of climate change

Today’s disruptive world, resulting from Covid-19 and the Ukraine-Russia war, presents the option to us – to gear up concrete actions on the ground to increase clean energy capacity and reshape end-use energy demand to phase down conventional energy sources and reduce external price shocks. Shafiqul Alam, an environmental economist, provides his views in an … Continue reading The pace of the transition is inadequate compared to the level necessary to address the worst risks of climate change →

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 →

“The energy transition is not happening” writes REN21

Fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy sector by a wide margin, despite the unprecedented increase in wind and solar energy generation capacity. Perrine Mouterde writes on the Le Monde website about the new global status report from REN21. Despite record growth in renewables, 'the energy transition is not happening,' says new report With … Continue reading “The energy transition is not happening” writes REN21 →