Originally published on EnergyPost. By Emil Dimantchev Last year for the first time many of the CO2 allowances in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) were auctioned rather than handed out for free. Surprisingly perhaps, the EU member states used much more of the ETS revenues for low-carbon development than … [continued]
Yesterday (Wednesday, December 17, 2014), at a year-end cabinet meeting in Albany called by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New York’s acting commissioner of health stated that he could not support high-volume New York fracking (technically, hydraulic fracturing) because the health issues of the practice outweigh the benefits. [If there is anyone … [continued]
European policy makers and leaders must “tear down” member-state barriers if the European Union is ever to transition into creating the longed-for “Energy Union” — “a fully functioning internal energy market delivering power and heating at favourable prices to citizens and private businesses across the continent.” These are the conclusions … [continued]
The European Environment Agency published a report recently stating that air pollution cost the EU up to $235 billion for the year 2012. Most of this air pollution is generated by coal-fired power plants. (In the US, the cost of coal-based pollution has been estimated to be $500 billion, but … [continued]
Originally published on Energy Post. By Sonja van Renssen Current events risk distracting governments “from recognising and tackling the longer-term signs of stress that are emerging in the energy system” says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2014 unveiled on 12 November in London. … [continued]
An analysis conducted by the energy consultancy PÖYRY has found that unsubsidized renewables may be possible fairly soon in Europe. Wholesale grid parity could materialize following initial retail grid parity (aka socket parity) in several countries, but wholesale prices are lower than retail grid prices, so renewable costs need to … [continued]
A new report from the European Commission has found that 14 European Union member states will fail to meet their 20% renewable energy target by 2020 based on current progress. The EU Tracking Roadmap released by the Keep on Track! monitoring body warned that Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, Greece, … [continued]
We just happened to drop by the UN General Assembly this morning when Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the UN Climate Summit with a bang, stating that “we are not here to talk, we are here to make history.” Actually, the gears of history were already churning away yesterday, when … [continued]
Italy’s recent move to introduce retroactive anti-solar measures is a form of robbery according Photon Energy’s CEO Georg Hotar. And while it’s to be expected that the Southern European country’s move would have investors and many in the industry foaming at the mouth, it’s still quite hard not to agree … [continued]
The Graphene Flagship initiative — already one of the biggest-ever European research initiatives — recently doubled in size, taking on 66 new partners from a variety of different organizations and universities spread out across the EU. The recent announcement — 66 new partners joining the consortium following a €9 million … [continued]
