Electric motors in Europe: a no brainer for accelerating replacement

When one hears that one technology uses about 70% of a factory’s electricity consumption and that about half of those deployed are over 10 years old with a quarter over 20 years, one wonders why the market to replace them is sluggish at best. Yes, it is time for a shake-up. The technology under discussion … Continue reading Electric motors in Europe: a no brainer for accelerating replacement →

Energy in Demand News, February 8-9, 2026

There is mixed news on climate-related philanthropy this week. Michael Bloomberg’s donations on climate action have topped $3 billion over a decade, “including a recent boost to contributions to the UN’s climate body, as broader financial support slides in the Trump era,” reports the Financial Times. “The 83-year-old pledged nearly $270mn to two climate initiatives … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, February 8-9, 2026 →

Reflections on an industrial energy efficiency conference this week

The European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee) held a three-day conference this past week in Rome. The gathering brought together about 150 experts from various technical and non-technical fields related to industry. Timing was perfect because industry is at a crossroads with increased concerns about costs and competition not to mention long-term climate … Continue reading Reflections on an industrial energy efficiency conference this week →

Energy in Demand News, February 1-2, 2026

Prof. Steve Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich wrote in a letter to the editor published in the Financial Times this week about the impact small modular reactors (SMRs) to be a major source of low-carbon energy. He questions the length of time to build SMRs. Even new ones in Russia have … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, February 1-2, 2026 →

Tough times for the chemical industry in Europe

A news item on the Cefic website discusses a new report that highlights the sharp slowdown in the chemical industry. Cefic is the forum for the EU chemical industry. This has to be quite worrying for all of us. Chemical plant closures rate surges six-fold in Europe since 2022, new report findsA new report … Continue reading Tough times for the chemical industry in Europe →

Leaked EU Industrial Accelerator Act puts low-carbon steel at centre of clean industrial push

Julia Bolotov writes on the eurometal.net website about details from the leaked draft EU industrial accelerator act. Leaked EU Industrial Accelerator Act seeks to unlock green steel demand, stalled investments A leaked draft of the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IIA), seen by Fastmarkets on Thursday January 22, sets out plans to accelerate decarbonization across … Continue reading Leaked EU Industrial Accelerator Act puts low-carbon steel at centre of clean industrial push →

UNECE launches new study calling for systemic efficiency to accelerate a resilient, affordable, and just energy transition

A new UNECE publication “Energy efficiency and decarbonization measures in end-use sectors” calls for rethinking how countries design their energy systems: from “Which energy efficiency technologies should be deployed?” to “How to design the system, so that proven measures scale, persist, and stay affordable?” Built on the body of work of the Group of Experts on Energy … Continue reading UNECE launches new study calling for systemic efficiency to accelerate a resilient, affordable, and just energy transition →

Industrial heating practices in UK manufacturing: survey results

Star Refrigeration has published the findings of its nationwide Industrial Heat Pump Research Survey, uncovering significant opportunities for UK manufacturers to cut energy costs, reduce carbon emissions and modernise ageing heating infrastructure through heat pumps and heat recovery technologies. However, the survey also found that most UK manufacturers cannot say how much heat they use … Continue reading Industrial heating practices in UK manufacturing: survey results →

Upcoming events

There are several upcoming events that you should plan for: World Sustainable Energy Days World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) will be held this coming week in Wels, Austria on February 24-27, 2026, with dedicated conferences on pellets, energy efficiency, energy communities, industrial energy transition, young energy researchers and smart e-mobility. You can register here. … Continue reading Upcoming events →

Energy in Demand News, January 18-19, 2025

This week, the Washington Post reported that the US Environmental Protection Agency will no longer consider health costs in pollution regulations. “The EPA can effectively manage the balance between protecting the environment and spurring economic growth without misleading the public and assigning arbitrary dollar amounts to human health,” said West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 18-19, 2025 →