Category: financial instruments

Energy companies in the UK facing difficulties promoting energy efficiency

Mat Hope wrote for Carbon Brief about some of the difficulties that energy supply companies are having to meet their obligations. The costs to consumers could be higher than initially estimated.  This has important lessons for all of Europe as they start to develop and implement their own obligation schemes.  This blog follows an article … Continue reading Energy companies in the UK facing difficulties promoting energy efficiency →

EBRD considers keeping coal option open

Terry Macalister writes in The Guardian about the efforts of senior management at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to keep coal from being caught in the ideological energy and climate change battles.  Affordability is one of the main arguments.   European energy chief puts forward case for funding coal EBRD chief Riccardo Puliti … Continue reading EBRD considers keeping coal option open →

UK’s Green Investment Bank supports new energy efficiency initiative

Louise Downing writes for Business Week about an investment by the GIB for an energy innovation centre for hospitals in Cambridge.   U.K. Green Bank Backs Energy Efficiency Center for Hospitals The U.K. Green Investment Bank provided 18 million pounds ($27 million) to build a facility in Cambridge, southeast England, that will include a biomass … Continue reading UK’s Green Investment Bank supports new energy efficiency initiative →

Even China is having problems financing energy savings

Charlie Zhu of Reuters news service provides an excellent review of the situation in China today and the effect of the financial credit crunch.  There is a big impact on energy service companies that are used for both energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.   Credit crunch stifles Chinese energy savings sector A credit crunch … Continue reading Even China is having problems financing energy savings →

New report on private green investments

The year 2013 promises long strides away from the fossil-fueled Industrial Era as illuminated by the Ethical Markets Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS) which tracks private investments growing the green economy worldwide since 2007, finding $4.1 trillion invested or committed as of Q4 2012. The year 2012 was an inflection point for the green transition worldwide.  … Continue reading New report on private green investments →

Two important new reports

Estimating potential additional energy savings from upcoming revisions to existing regulations under the ecodesign and energy labelling directives, by CLASP and eceee  In the new discussion paper, CLASP has identified an additional 40-70 TWh per annum by 2030 from eleven existing ecodesign and energy labelling regulations covering seven product groups. All eleven regulations are scheduled … Continue reading Two important new reports →

More on UK’s VAT issue with European Commission

In the recent post on Britain's taxing issue, EiD quoted Andrew Warren, Director of the UK Association for the Conservation of Energy.  Following other comments that EiD has received, Andrew has kindly provided the following extended note.  As all Europeans are trying to address how to finance energy efficiency investments, this is an important issue … Continue reading More on UK’s VAT issue with European Commission →

Innovative financing for solar energy systems

Diane Cardwell writes in the New York Times about how the Honda car company has now linked with a major solar energy installer to provide solar incentives to encourage customers in the US to buy their hybrid and electric vehicles.  It will be interesting to know if such support for renewables will be provided in … Continue reading Innovative financing for solar energy systems →