Important steps towards a reliable grid system

Sara Hastings-Simon and Binnu Jeyakumar from the Pembina Institute in Alberta write on their website about the role of baseloads in our grid management. They argue that a different approach may prove more sustainable.   Baseload myths and why we need to change how we look at our grid As the mercury climbed in Alberta … Continue reading Important steps towards a reliable grid system →

Re-thinking the energy market in Britain

Keith Baker, Research Associate in Sustainable Urban Environments from the Glasgow Caledonian University expresses his frustration with how the British electricity market has evolved with a call for a more radical approach. Keith Baker provides this article on The Conversation website.   Electricity is a rip-off – we need a truly radical intervention in the … Continue reading Re-thinking the energy market in Britain →

India and the energy transition

Mukta Patil from IndiaSpend writes a good article on the Business Standard website about India’s ambitions in its energy transition. You should enjoy this.   India's ambitious new energy policy draft tries to bridge dreams, reality By 2040, India’s electricity demand will rise 4.5 times over 2012 levels. While clean energy (like renewables, nuclear and … Continue reading India and the energy transition →

What is happening to America’s climate and energy policies?

With the Trump administration’s budget proposals, we are seeing some dramatic cuts in agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Yes, the EU and the G7 are trying to get Trump to reverse his position on climate change but how that gets resolved is hard to know at this point. … Continue reading What is happening to America’s climate and energy policies? →

Reviewing the issues in the upcoming Swiss referendum on energy

We get so involved in EU energy and climate policies that we often miss out on important developments in neighbouring countries. Le News provides a good assessment of the issues in the upcoming public vote in Switzerland to approve the draft energy act.   Some numbers behind the divisive Swiss vote on energy On 21 … Continue reading Reviewing the issues in the upcoming Swiss referendum on energy →

New review of Poland’s energy policies

The International Energy Agency has recently published its 2016 review of Poland’s energy policies and programmes. Energy policy is complicated because of the country’s dependence on domestic coal. While Poland has made some progress on improving energy efficiency and installing renewable energy, it is obvious that much more is needed, even if the IEA’s executive … Continue reading New review of Poland’s energy policies →

Keeping energy affordable and financing the growth of the energy sector are two critical challenges for India

Rangan Banerjee, is Head, Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, provides a good article in the EnergyWorld section of India’s Economic Times to first look at what America is now doing under the new administration and then comparing it to the challenges in meeting India’s long-term energy security.   India shouldn't replace … Continue reading Keeping energy affordable and financing the growth of the energy sector are two critical challenges for India →

Turkey: IEA publishes in-depth review of energy policies and programmes

Since the in-depth review in 2009, the International Energy Agency believes Turkey has made significant progress in reforming its energy sector. The report states that completing the reforms will allow Turkey to tap into its renewable and energy efficiency potentials. The review is available as a free download here. Meanwhile, it is good to see … Continue reading Turkey: IEA publishes in-depth review of energy policies and programmes →

Energy transition in Europe includes removing energy-gobbling halogen spotlights

There have been many important improvements in our lighting systems in recent years. Now, as explained by Arthur Neslen in The Guardian, new European ruling bans any new orders on GU10 spotlights and PAR30 floodlights, which can waste up to 10 times more energy than LEDs   Halogen spotlights to be phased out across Europe … Continue reading Energy transition in Europe includes removing energy-gobbling halogen spotlights →