New Energy World Network reports that the European Investment Bank is providing two loans to finance energy efficiency measures in industry. These are for both small and medium-sized enterprises as well as larger companies with “middle capitalisation.” EIB issues €400m in loans for energy efficiency projects in Croatia The European Investment Bank (EIB) has … Continue reading New EIB support for energy efficiency in SMEs for newest EU member
Shale gas: four myths and a truth
E3G, the independent, non-profit organisation operating in the public interest to accelerate the global transition to sustainable development, has produced an important briefing note and infographic on shale gas. Some argue that the solution to rising energy prices and energy security concerns lies not in cutting demand for energy imports by improving energy efficiency whilst … Continue reading Shale gas: four myths and a truth
Renewable energy and the “old-guard” utilities
Renewable energy is not going away and in the US it is estimated that its market share could more than double between now and 2025. John Watling writes for The FInancialist, a digital magazine of Credit Suisse, about the increasing competitiveness of renewable energy and how it will affect the traditional electricity producers. He argues … Continue reading Renewable energy and the “old-guard” utilities
Linking behavioural economics and energy efficiency
Tim Harford writes a weekly column called the Undercover Economist for the Financial Times. He has recently written on behavioural economics and gives a good account of the views of Daniel Kahneman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in economics in 2002. In my circle of colleagues, Kahneman is often referred to and there is … Continue reading Linking behavioural economics and energy efficiency
Guaranteeing energy savings in Canada
According to BusinessWire, Canada has now its first warranty programme that removes the concerns about the initial costs for the building owner. This is an important innovation and it would be good to know of other such schemes in Europe or beyond. Energi Develops First Canadian Energy Savings Warranty Energi, a leading provider of … Continue reading Guaranteeing energy savings in Canada
Update on last week’s post on the need for more focus on implementation of the energy performance of buildings directive
There have been responses to the EiD discussion paper published last week, most of them directly by email. The number of downloads of the report and the responses to the related tweets were most encouraging. There is a great concern about implementation and many mention the number of infringement procedures underway that indicate the level … Continue reading Update on last week’s post on the need for more focus on implementation of the energy performance of buildings directive
This week’s briefs
There are some very interesting developments this week, together with some excellent publications. • European Council and energy efficiency Energy efficiency was a hot topic when heads of government met in Brussels this week. The Coalition for Energy Savings writes that the Council has asked the Commission to do its homework: “Following their first debate … Continue reading This week’s briefs
Quote of the week
This week the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK, George Osborne, presented this year’s budget. Here is a startling quote from his speech in the House of Commons: We need to cut our energy costs. We’re going to do this by investing in new sources of energy: new nuclear power, renewables, and a shale … Continue reading Quote of the week
Environmental policy can drone on . . .
We’ve been reading for months about the spying going on that affects us as we use our computers and carry on our daily life. As Jennifer Duggan writes in the Guardian, China is resorting to the use of drones to spy on environmental breaches. While we are looking for ways to improve compliance of our … Continue reading Environmental policy can drone on . . .
Update on renewable energy support in Romania
Romania-Insider.com writes about the issuing of green certificates in 2013 in Romania. This has to be seen in the context of the government cutting incentives in 2013. Romanian electricity distributor Transelectrica issues 10 mln green certificates for renewable energy producers in 2013 Romanian state – owned electricity distribution company Transelectrica issued 10.1 million green … Continue reading Update on renewable energy support in Romania
