Policy Dispatch Podcast, Sam Morgan

Rebuilding the ‘infrastructure of our lives’

Europe has a leaky buildings problem. Work is underway to update the rules that govern efficiency standards, but politicisation and misinformation risk undermining their foundations. Adrian Joyce of the Renovate Europe campaign shares his concerns and also his hopes for the sector

Most read this month

District heating can support Europe’s decarbonisation efforts

Zero-emission cars and stripes

Neighbourhood watts

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Supporting the mission and journalistic principles behind FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

We face a fundamental change of the cost structure on the supply side and a need for a fundamental change.

Jochen Kreusel

- Market innovation manager in the power grids division at ABB Power

They [the European Commission] are looking at this stuff backwards. I still think they are convinced the short-term market model could work even though they are also starting to realise that you need something parallel, with long term price signals that give investors confidence to invest in infrastructure and allow them to see a decent market return.

Francesco Venturini

- Global head of renewables for Italian utility Enel

Despite tremendous cost decline of wind and solar technologies, electricity prices will probably remain too low to attract the level of investment needed.

Fatih Birol

- Executive director of the International Energy Agency

The greatest barrier to overcome is the integration of variable renewables into electricity systems. This will require developing power system flexibility and also a friendly deployment of variable renewables.

Fatih Birol

- Executive director of the International Energy Agency

Advantageous liaisons

There are many ways district heating systems could benefit from greater coupling with industrial processes. But barriers remain, meaning opportunities to decarbonise are being missed

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Markets brace for a storage storm

Decoupling the cost of clean energy from expensive gas prices is a difficult but achievable task, if there are enough green electrons in the right place. Storage has a substantial role to play in order for that to happen

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Gases from the greenhouse

Agriculture is arguably the most complex part of the energy transition and is faced with unique challenges that extend beyond just decarbonisation. Expert journalist Gerardo Fortuna joins the show to talk manure management, pesticide problems, cow burps and much more

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A contract makes all the difference

Finding the most efficient way to pay for the energy transition is not an easy affair—but lawmakers worldwide seem to be increasingly converging on contracts for difference as the mechanism of choice to fund emerging technologies

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Get used to AI supporting our daily lives

In an increasingly digital world, it is inevitable that artificial intelligence (AI) will support the energy transition. Companies and end-users need to become comfortable with it as soon as possible, says Dave Ferguson from SAS UK & Ireland

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Living on the edge

Seeking cheaper alternatives to expensive and time-consuming physical upgrades, grid operators are increasingly turning to digital solutions. While some projects are already underway, slow-changing regulatory frameworks mean the rollout is sluggish

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Neighbourhood watts

Tired of waiting for big energy companies to procure clean energy, energy communities are clubbing together to take advantage of the low prices renewable energy offers

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District heating can support Europe’s decarbonisation efforts

Two Parisian networks illustrate the old versus the new when it comes to district heating systems. Installing the next generation of district heating networks, while upgrading existing infrastructure, will accelerate the energy transition, says Sem Oxenaar from the Regulatory Assistance Project

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Policy Dispatch Podcast, Sam Morgan

Zero-emission cars and stripes

The United States aims to clean up its car fleet with strict standards, and although this new mobility plan has quietly passed under the radar, it can potentially cause a huge green shift in the transport sector. Stephanie Searle joins the show to explain why

The next industrial revolution

Governments bid to fix auction design

Grid operators should plug into the EV charger potential

The future for heat pumps

The rise of the flexers

Smoothing the waves: EVs enable significant peak shaving

Spring/Summer 2023

China’s carbon trading tribute act

Europe stands at a market design crossroad

A question of market control

What the wind sector could learn from automotive and aerospace

What our editors are reading

US needs to exploit Grid-Enhancing Technologies

Reports

The US needs to triple transmission investment and use Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) to support this goal, concludes a white paper by Brattle Group and the Watt Coalition. There are more than 10,000 projects adding up to over two terawatts of new capacity awaiting grid connection. When compared to major new transmission investments, GETs can be implemented much faster and often for a small fraction of the cost. GETs enhance transmission investments, acting more as a tool to augment, akin to a GPS or tire air pressure sensor making driving easier—not by themselves replacing the car.

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Offshore wind growth accelerates

Reports

Offshore wind capacity is expected to grow by 18.4 GW in 2023, a record, with China accounting for over half of this total. By 2030, the annual total will reach 45.7 GW, mainly due to the mature markets of China, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, but emerging markets such as the US, Taiwan, France, South Korea, Poland and Japan will also make significant contributions. From 2031 to 2035, the report says that installations will average 45.6 GW per year, peaking at 48.2 GW in 2035.

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Power sector emissions peak

Reports

After reaching an all-time high globally in 2022, CO2 emissions from power generation will stay steady through 2025. While the EU’s natural gas-fired power generation is forecast to fall, growth in the Middle East will partly offset this. Declines in coal-fired generation in Europe and the Americas will likely be matched by a rise in Asia-Pacific. More than 70% of the increase in global electricity demand through 2025 is to come from China, India and Southeast Asia. However, considerable uncertainties remain over China as it emerges from Covid restrictions.

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