A social tariff has shielded eligible households in Belgium from price fluctuations since 2002

While governments focus on how to protect consumers from escalating energy prices, Belgium shows an important way forward. Since 2002, eligible households have been shielded from price fluctuations in the energy market. People don’t have to struggle. Carl Packman discusses the approach taken by Belgium in an article on The Guardian website. There is … Continue reading A social tariff has shielded eligible households in Belgium from price fluctuations since 2002 →

Fuel poverty: new report compares approaches to energy affordability in the EU and Australia

The EU and Australia have important similarities when it comes to the energy sector, such as a vast grid that crosses jurisdictions and shared governance arrangements. A new report shows what the EU and Australia can learn from each other as they address fuel poverty. Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Research Council Centre of … Continue reading Fuel poverty: new report compares approaches to energy affordability in the EU and Australia →

Call for reform of EU power market rules

The ongoing electricity price hike fuelled by the gas crisis makes a reform of EU power market rules more urgent than ever, argue friends of EiD Mike Parr, director of PWR, and Simon Minett, founder of Challoch-Energy in an article on the EURACTIV website. High electricity prices, renewables and windfall profits – all paid … Continue reading Call for reform of EU power market rules →

Danish Energy Agency developed a new calculator to compare average costs of various energy sources

Vilhelm Carlström writes on the Nordic Business Insider website about a new calculator developed by the Danish Energy Agency to compare average costs of various energy sources. In the newest update of the calculator, which applies to facilities commencing production in 2020, the price of offshore wind has been slashed by 30%, onshore wind by … Continue reading Danish Energy Agency developed a new calculator to compare average costs of various energy sources →

Germany’s energy transition sees negative power prices become good for consumers

We have all been watching Germany’s energiewende – energy transition – with great interest because there should be important lessons for all of us. Stanley Reed writes in the New York Times about the impact of recent negative power prices. It should be added that negative power prices are not the norm in Germany, but … Continue reading Germany’s energy transition sees negative power prices become good for consumers →

An interesting reaction to low fuel prices

What do you do when energy prices fall? Binyamin Appelbaum writes an interesting article in the New York Times about the reaction of Americans that “don’t make much sense.” Is this your reaction too? When Gas Becomes Cheaper, Americans Buy More Expensive Gas When gas prices fall, Americans reliably do two things that don’t … Continue reading An interesting reaction to low fuel prices →

The role of taxes in promoting sustainability

The International Institute for Sustainable Development wrote about a new report from the International Monetary Fund on the role of taxes to provide the right price signals to promote sustainability. IMF Stresses Role of Taxes for Sustainable Energy Pricing The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released a book for policy makers on how to … Continue reading The role of taxes in promoting sustainability →

Treading water?

A new survey in the UK found that that while many companies have invested in energy efficiency, the savings have been erased by the energy prices they are paying. Andrew Bounds writes in the FT about the situation in the UK. What it fails to show is what would have happened if those companies had … Continue reading Treading water? →

Europe is losing out because of the wide energy price gap with the US

There is much discussion on Europe’s competitiveness and how the region is losing out to other countries with much lower energy prices. As Pilita Clark of the Financial Times reports, the IEA’s chief economist is of the opinion that Europe is going to have difficulties for the next couple of decades, because the price gap … Continue reading Europe is losing out because of the wide energy price gap with the US →

The European Commission in the news

This week, the European Commission presented its long-expected 2030 climate and energy policy framework, whereby there will be a binding target for GHG emissions, a modest binding EU (but not at the member state level) target for renewable energy and, once again, a non-binding target for energy savings. The purpose behind the policy framework is … Continue reading The European Commission in the news →