The German energy transition takes many interesting twists. A military bunker in Hamburg has been transformed to provide heat for 3000 homes and electricity for a thousand. Plus, it includes a visitor centre and a war memorial. The project is described by Diarmaid Williams for the Cogeneration & On-site Power Production website. Hamburg Energie … Continue reading Who would think a wartime bunker could be transformed into a green energy power plant
Exploring the dynamics of the 21st century energy industry
Sometimes we complain that the low carbon transition is not happening fast enough. This week I was in Brussels and many people I met were worried that we may be going to fast and that the repercussions on our electricity system may lead to fewer long-term investments for both generation and transmission. And there are … Continue reading Exploring the dynamics of the 21st century energy industry
Quote of the week
Willem Post recently wrote in The Energy Collective about how high energy costs are damaging the German economy. Gabriel has previously argued that Germany's energy transition poses a serious threat to the country's economy even though he was an early promoter of the International Renewable Energy Agency. More and more we are reading about the … Continue reading Quote of the week
Global markets in fossil fuels are curbing the development of renewable energy in Africa
Fossil fuels have dominated energy markets for decades and the industry has no intention of changing that. While there are efforts to transform our energy systems to low carbon energy sources, the road is not easy or straightforward. The Business Standard in India reports on the message from a UN official from the Economic Commission … Continue reading Global markets in fossil fuels are curbing the development of renewable energy in Africa
Dealing with uncertainty has its drawbacks
Uncertainty can be a constant headache writes Adam Corner for Guardian Professional as spreading uncertainties by sceptics has a direct impact on policies and future action. As Mr. Corner writes, uncertainty – real or manufactured – is a well-rehearsed reason for inaction. How uncertainty is communicated is fundamental and the human aspect cannot be overlooked … Continue reading Dealing with uncertainty has its drawbacks
Reaping the benefits of energy efficiency
Barbara Vergetis Lundin writes a good article in Fierce Energy about the economic rewards from energy efficiency investments in US programmes. It will be good to see whether other studies are finding similar results in Europe and abroad. Energy efficiency investments reap three times the economic rewards The Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) has … Continue reading Reaping the benefits of energy efficiency
Commission’s 2030 energy efficiency strategy under attack
Energy efficiency is considered one of the pillars of energy and climate policy but it is far from obvious when there are binding targets for GHG emissions and renewable energy but not for energy efficiency. That was the case for 2020 targets and remains the case, from the European Commission’s recent proposal, for 2030 targets. … Continue reading Commission’s 2030 energy efficiency strategy under attack
Brief notes
There are several short briefs that should be of interest. • Jan Rosenow and Nicholas Howarth have published a new academic report on banning the incandescent lightbulb in Germany. Much academic attention has been directed at analysing energy efficiency investments through the lens of ‘behavioural failure’. These studies have challenged the neoclassical framing of regulation … Continue reading Brief notes
Showing urban leadership – part 2
Continuing on an urban theme, there was a recent survey of 300 cities on energy efficiency and technologies that provides very interesting evidence on investments in energy-efficient technologies. This article comes from the Buildings.com website. Separately, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a new role as U.N. envoy on cities and climate change. … Continue reading Showing urban leadership – part 2
Showing urban leadership – part 1
Many US cities are working very closely together to increase the energy performance of large buildings. Sarah Kollmorgen writes on Northwestern University’s Madill Reports website about the City Energy Project that includes Chicago from where she is writing from. 10 cities, one energy-efficient goal Chicago is one of 10 cities that have joined the … Continue reading Showing urban leadership – part 1
