Will there be a new approach to Germany’s energy transition?

Jeanette Seiffert writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the views from the new economics minister on what it will take to reform Germany’s energy transition. Now that Germany has a new coalition government, it will be interesting to watch how the country’s energy policies evolve. Germany's economics minister Gabriel seeks reform for renewable … Continue reading Will there be a new approach to Germany’s energy transition? →

Is California dreaming?

Matthew Wald reports in the New York Times about the impact of the rapid increase of solar power in California. Interestingly, California utilities are taking a new approach by using a massive array of batteries in the afternoon to store surplus power when the sun’s rays are strongest and then using the power in the … Continue reading Is California dreaming? →

Romania takes new approach to renewables

EurActiv and Reuters report that Romania is cutting support for renewable energy projects. Importantly, the government sees this as an important measure to cut price increases to consumers, both residential and industrial. It is difficult to know what this means for Romania to meet its 2020 objectives. Romania slashes renewable energy subsidies Romania will cut … Continue reading Romania takes new approach to renewables →

Happy Birthday

On 15 December 2012, 16 environmental NGOs from 14 countries decided to join forces in the EKOenergy network. At the same time, they adopted the name EKOenergy. 10 weeks later, on 23 February 2013, the members of the Network approved the criteria for the first pan-European eco-label for electricity. Both the EKOenergy network and the … Continue reading Happy Birthday →

German farms taking advantage of renewable energy

These are strange days when farmers are making more money from producing electricity than growing crops or raising animals. But these days, many German farmers are taking advantage of renewable energy policies and financial incentives to supplement their incomes. Jeevan Vasagar writes an excellent article in the Financial Times about the situation in Reussenköge in … Continue reading German farms taking advantage of renewable energy →

Spain worries about lawsuits on renewable energy

Jose Elías Rodríguez and Andrés González write for the Reuter’s news service about the changes that the Spanish government is making to its renewable energy laws in order to avoid lawsuits because of the cuts in subsidies.Spain revising renewable energy laws to avoid lawsuits - sourcesSpain's government is rewriting planned new rules on renewable energy … Continue reading Spain worries about lawsuits on renewable energy →

Take note . . .

There are many interesting brief new reports or news items that should interest EiD readers. • New Germanwatch report: The End of EU Climate Leadership The EU is no longer the world leader on climate policies. Other major countries have caught up or even outpaced the EU, a new study conducted by Germanwatch says. Even … Continue reading Take note . . . →

Starting to see the full range of benefits from solar energy in Europe

Diana Powers writes in the New York Times about how solar energy is coming into the mainstream in Europe and that it is bringing many environmental benefits. It is good to see an American news service giving such attention to these developments in Europe. Solar Power Begins to Shine as Environmental Benefits Pay Off Amid … Continue reading Starting to see the full range of benefits from solar energy in Europe →

Music maestro!

When we listened to the Beatles singing Here Comes the Sun, little did we know how important music would be to the effectiveness of our solar panels. Steve Williams writes on the Care2makeadifference website about the role of music to help solar panels. Interesting to see the research going on at Imperial College in London. … Continue reading Music maestro! →

Where are subsidy policies going?

Following the numbers of the week Agence France Presse writes that the EU is having a re-think about the level of subsidies for renewable energy. Hopefully, whatever happens, there will be a level playing field, as they say. The numbers of the week show the extent of the subsidies for fossil fuels. Last week, the … Continue reading Where are subsidy policies going? →