We are familiar with the use of drones in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq but increasingly they are being used for better civil purposes as well. Todd Woody writes a good article in the New York Times of their use, amongst other things, to monitor renewable energy projects. Drones Are Becoming Energy’s … Continue reading Every little bit helps
Vehicle fuel economy in the spotlight
Undoubtedly, to achieve low carbon economy we need to seriously reduce consumption of vehicles. Everyone knows this but the road to achieving this is not simple. Henry Foy and Chris Bryant write in the Financial Times about the resistance of car manufacturers to even changing the fuel economy test. Carmakers clash with EU over … Continue reading Vehicle fuel economy in the spotlight
New efficient windows
H&V News describes new developments in windows. As the article states, windows are acknowledged to be a key weak point in terms of the building’s energy use and improvements can have a major impact. It would be good to hear the views of the glass industry. New technology set to improve the thermal efficiency … Continue reading New efficient windows
Focus on education
While we hear of the waxing and waning priority for climate change, there is steady progress in discussing it in our classrooms, according to Beth Gardiner in the New York Times. The classroom experience can have a strong, long-term impact on changing habits and attitudes. Setbacks Aside, Climate Change Is Finding Its Way Into … Continue reading Focus on education
Business needs to raise its voice
Recently, EiD has focused on the role of business to address climate change or sustainable energy concerns. This focus continues with an important article by Andrew Winston in Guardian Professional who writes about the dawning realisation of the threat of climate change to business but who cautions that there is not enough urgency when it … Continue reading Business needs to raise its voice
To nudge or not to nudge . . .
More and more we are hearing about more nuanced approaches to get us to take action in anything from climate change to whatever. There has been much discussion about “nudges”, a concept that is relatively new but has almost always been used. Some question whether there should be nudges or mandates when it comes to … Continue reading To nudge or not to nudge . . .
The impact of energy efficiency on Germany’s economy
We are always looking at the non-energy benefits of energy efficiency. This is a good example from The Local, Germany’s News in English, about the impact of energy efficiency on exports. It is good to see the priority given to energy efficiency at the Hannover Messe. My colleagues from Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes were … Continue reading The impact of energy efficiency on Germany’s economy
What they are saying
Letter to the editor in The Independent, April 15, 2014 Energy Secretary Ed Davey need not worry about having to persuade other European governments about the need to take Putin’s energy threat seriously (14 April). As it happens, the heads of EU Governments, all of whom met in Brussels last month, unanimously agreed to require … Continue reading What they are saying
In-depth IEA review of Austria’s energy policies and programmes
The International Energy Agency recently published its most updated review of Austrian energy policies. This covers everything from energy supply through to energy demand and includes R&D and links with climate change. The press release is available here. The following provides a quick snapshot of the sustainable energy aspects together with the key recommendations to … Continue reading In-depth IEA review of Austria’s energy policies and programmes
Guess what is missing?
Archie Prentice writes an important article in Business for Scotland about the role subsidies play in energy policy in Scotland. Interestingly, the subsidies for renewables gain more public attention but one has to be aware of the subsidies that are also given to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. It would have been good for the … Continue reading Guess what is missing?
