Understanding the EBRD’s Regional Energy Efficiency Programme

The OECD has recently prepared a case study of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s REEP. It is available on the OECD website.   The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Regional Energy Efficiency Programme Energy efficiency is key to both climate change mitigation and adaptation, and is relevant to all end-users (households, corporates, … Continue reading Understanding the EBRD’s Regional Energy Efficiency Programme

Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025

It was certainly disappointing that the UN negotiations for a global treaty on plastics pollution collapsed without an agreement. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a number of other petrostates would not budge from their long-standing refusal to agree measures that address the production of plastic, agreeing only to waste management. It is not clear when negotiations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025

The benefits of improved energy efficiency for the nonprofit sector

Tina Bennett, CEO of Power Options, writes on the facilitiesnet website about the benefits of improved energy efficiency for nonprofits. By taking a proactive approach to energy management, nonprofits can continue fulfilling their missions, even in uncertain financial environments.  Energy should no longer be treated as a fixed cost, but as a variable that should … Continue reading The benefits of improved energy efficiency for the nonprofit sector

Trump’s EPA cancels $7 billion in funding for solar projects

A Le Monde news item reports that the US Environmental Protection Agency has terminated the grant that was intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income US households − a Biden-era attempt to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and to lower energy bills for American consumers.   EPA … Continue reading Trump’s EPA cancels $7 billion in funding for solar projects

China has updated its green taxonomy as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen its net-zero transition ambitions

In an article on the Green Central Banking website, Moriah Costa writes about latest developments in China to update its green taxonomy, which comes into effect in October. The catalogue defines which economic activities and investments qualify as green or environmentally sustainable across a wide variety of industries.   China updates green taxonomy to increase … Continue reading China has updated its green taxonomy as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen its net-zero transition ambitions

Energy in Demand News, August 3-4, 2025

The EU and US agreed to a new trade deal in recent days, to a distinctly mixed reaction. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Europe’s largest network of environmental NGOs, warns that the centrepiece of the deal, a €700 billion pledge to buy U.S. fossil fuels and nuclear energy over the next three years, is fundamentally … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 3-4, 2025

The Science Based Targets initiative says that, to be 1.5C-aligned, financial institutions must stop funding firms that are expanding fossil fuel production and use

This week, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) launched a net zero standard for banks, asset managers and insurance companies, which requires them to end financing for firms that are expanding coal projects immediately and for those expanding oil and gas projects by 2030. In an article on the Climate Home News website, Joe Lo … Continue reading The Science Based Targets initiative says that, to be 1.5C-aligned, financial institutions must stop funding firms that are expanding fossil fuel production and use

New report from SciencesPo on the EU taxonomy in practice

Titouan Chalavon, Clara Klint and Barbora Rapantova have written a report for the SciencesPo European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition on how the EU taxonomy has helped drive energy efficiency investments. The following is the abstract for the report.   The EU taxonomy in practice: driving energy efficiency investments? Mapping insights from stakeholders … Continue reading New report from SciencesPo on the EU taxonomy in practice

Energy in Demand News, July 13-14, 2025

Almost three-quarters of all solar and wind power projects being built globally are in China, according to a new report by Global Energy Monitor, a non-governmental organisation based in San Francisco. In its account of the report, the Financial Times notes that of the 689GW  of utility-scale solar and wind projects under construction globally, China … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 13-14, 2025

Energy in Demand News, June 8-9, 2025

Global energy investment is set to increase in 2025 to a record $3.3 trillion despite headwinds from elevated geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, a new IEA report says. Clean energy technologies will attract twice as much capital as fossil fuels. Investment in clean technologies – renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency and electrification – is on … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 8-9, 2025