John Tagliabue writes in the New York Times about the efforts underway to ensure there is sufficient waste for Oslo’s cogeneration plants. A City That Turns Garbage Into Energy Copes With a Shortage This is a city that imports garbage. Some comes from England, some from Ireland. Some is from neighboring Sweden. It even has … Continue reading Is importing waste the solution?
The ETS policy conundrum
It is now more than a week since the European Parliament voted to reject some changes to the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) that would have propped up the price of carbon. The EU ETS has had a difficult time during this current financial crisis. Does the vote in Parliament mean that people are turning … Continue reading The ETS policy conundrum
H2 – the strongest link in the energy chain? From the research community to the policy world
It is an important step when technologies move along the deployment continuum. Many remain in the research world, struggling to find their place in the market place. When I started in energy policy, there was always discussion about hydrogen and its potential to be a major form of sustainable energy. We are still waiting. This … Continue reading H2 – the strongest link in the energy chain? From the research community to the policy world
New survey tries to come to grips with “deep” energy efficiency in buildings in Europe
The Global Buildings Performance Network and its European Hub, the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, have just released a survey undertaken by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to better understand what the “buildings community” is thinking on the importance and feasibility of going “deep,” achieving very ambitious savings, compared to past performance. Are Businesses Ready … Continue reading New survey tries to come to grips with “deep” energy efficiency in buildings in Europe
Energy company worries that energy efficiency is hurting its financial position
Scott Wright wrote in the Herald Scotland that Iberdrola’s finances dropped because of costs involved in meeting UK energy company obligations. The new Energy Companies Obligation was considered the single most important factor on overall performance. Energy efficiency costs take toll on Iberdrola results Energy giant Iberdrola felt the weight of legislative measures to improve … Continue reading Energy company worries that energy efficiency is hurting its financial position
Quote of the week
Jeb Bush, brother of former US President George W Bush and a potential candidate for the 2016 Presidential elections, spoke at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library last month in Simi Valley, Calif. Mr Bush called for a bipartisan agreement on natural gas development that came with a direct reference to what that can … Continue reading Quote of the week
CHP in Spain suffering by lack of adequate policy framework
The Gas to Power Journal has recently reported that the Spanish Cogeneration Association (Acogen) is quite concerned that cogeneration will suffer unless there are new energy efficiency measures in place to ensure that the full potential for cogeneration capacity is achieved. It also states that the current Emissions Trading System is “harmful for CHP.” … Continue reading CHP in Spain suffering by lack of adequate policy framework
Climate and health
There are many public health issues relating to climate change, as recently explained by Adam Corner, a research associate of the School of Psychology of the University of Cardiff, in The Guardian. Climate change isn't just about the environment – it's a health problem Framing climate change as a public health risk may be … Continue reading Climate and health
India looks to energy efficiency in buildings
Radhika Khosla recently wrote for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s blog on the aftermath of the Clean Energy Ministerial recently held in New Delhi. Importantly, India is looking to improved energy performance of high rise buildings and NRDC launched an important new report on the importance of energy efficiency in buildings. These are all important … Continue reading India looks to energy efficiency in buildings
Short notes
This week there were some interesting news items: Green building concept gets cold shoulder in Madhya Pradesh Despite government incentives, concept of green buildings has failed to catch fancy of real estate developers in Madhya Pradesh. This is much in contrast to booming real estate markets like Gurgaon (Haryana), Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad where 'green' … Continue reading Short notes
