The small problems in the way of big energy projects

Clean Hydrogen: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

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As we wait for green hydrogen production to reach commercial scale, hydrogen of a different hue can pave the way

Imagine a world where buses, boats, trucks, trains and planes are all fueled by hydrogen; where hard-to-abate industries like steelmaking are burning it in their furnaces; where electricity grids are using it to store surplus electrical power from temperamental renewable sources.

Now imagine that all the hydrogen is carbon neutral, produced via electrolysis fed by green electricity. That is the perfect hydrogen scenario.

However, it could be a long time coming. Although rising at an impressive relative pace in recent years, the absolute share of green hydrogen in the global production mix only currently amounts to around one-tenth of one per cent.

According to the International Energy Agency’s Global Hydrogen Review 2022, today’s demand for the gas is met “almost entirely by hydrogen production from unabated fossil fuels”.

On a more positive note, it states that the “rapid scale-up in electrolyser capacity is expected to continue and accelerate in coming years.” Of course, that is only one side of the equation.

The commercial viability of green hydrogen production is also dependent on a scale-up of green power production. The question then becomes: “What can we do in the meantime?”

 

COLOUR-AGNOSTIC HYDROGEN

Let us revisit the realm of imagination once again and say that the hydrogen stars align overnight, rendering the perfect scenario possible. Could the industry immediately fuel-switch and integrate hydrogen into their processes? Not quite.

The green hydrogen economy would rely on more than just production technologies: processing technologies and well-networked distribution infrastructure will also be vital.

Grounded firmly back in reality, it is true to say that such technology and infrastructure exist and are not dependent on green hydrogen. It is what we refer to as colour-agnostic and is something that we can and should keep developing today so that when green hydrogen does scale, we are ready to realise its full potential.

 

LOW-CARBON HYDROGEN

The aphorism “perfect is the enemy of good” is often attributed to French philosopher Voltaire. It captures the idea that as noble as striving for perfection is, it can all too often impede the implementation of something “good”. And “good” can be taken to mean something already much better.

This a useful way to frame the emergence of the hydrogen economy: green hydrogen is the “perfect” but blue hydrogen—low-carbon hydrogen obtained when the CO₂ from steam methane reforming (SMR) or auto-thermal reforming (ATR) is captured, stored underground or reused—is a “good” solution in the meantime.

Not only can it already go some way to decarbonising operations in various sectors, but it allows the necessary hydrogen infrastructure to be built out at scale.

 

 

COLOUR OR CARBON

Remember, be it liquefaction technology, pipelines, or compressors, infrastructure is colour-agnostic—and perhaps we all need to be a bit more colourblind too.

There is the potential for the colour spectrum of hydrogen to distract us from what is the ultimate goal: reducing carbon intensity so we stay on track for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Green hydrogen is at the end of the spectrum because its local production is carbon neutral. But that is not to say it remains so in use—for instance if it is transported in a diesel truck to its end-use location.

This concept is widely understood in the mobility space. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions; but if fueled with grey hydrogen, the carbon footprint is still there. At the end of the day, unless green hydrogen is produced on-site, it will need to be transported.

 

TRANSPORT IS KEY

While the global hydrogen pipeline network for gaseous hydrogen is still nascent, there are local pockets of more developed infrastructure.

Transporting liquid hydrogen over land or sea is another matter: not only does liquefaction capacity need to ramp up by similar orders of magnitude as electrolysers, but vessels equipped with the required cryogenic technology are also needed at scale too. Again, we can turn to what is available in the meantime.

There is ongoing work, exploring the practical aspects of converting natural gas pipelines where the purity of hydrogen remains the challenge. But that is a challenge that ammonia might just be able to overcome.

As a globally traded commodity, there is an existing supply chain to move ammonia around the world. And since green ammonia can essentially act as a (green) hydrogen vector, this could become a ready-made hydrogen network—provided we continue to make the ships as sustainable as possible.

A fully-green hydrogen sector is the “perfect” scenario. But until we get there, and to accelerate that journey, we must leverage and expand the good solutions we have today.

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If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.

Our current threat is complacency

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

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Demand-side initiatives can strengthen the variety of grids that exist in our power system

The European Union has weathered the energy crisis by diversifying supply and reducing demand but also thanks to a very mild winter. If the warm temperatures may have saved us blackouts, they, unfortunately, did not spare businesses and families from crippling energy bills.

With spring arriving and gas reserves above 60%, the greatest risk is complacency, something the International Energy Agency’s Fatih Birol has repeatedly warned against. The energy crisis is not finished and we still have a long road to meet our 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation goals.

A well-designed electricity market design can accelerate the transition to the electrified, decarbonised, digitalised and decentralised energy system needed to achieve those objectives. Renewables offer us the opportunity to move from an energy trilemma to an energy trifecta (sustainable, resilient, and affordable) if—and only if—they are given the right supporting market.

 

REDUCE PRESSURE

Most important will be making space for demand-side flexibility. By matching renewable output, it makes end-users more efficient, reducing carbon emissions, reducing peak pressure and reducing the consumers’ bills

But the current energy system is still ill-equipped to do this. Tackling market volatility by crushing the number of hours when gas sets the marginal price will require quantitative and qualitative improvements.

On the quantitative side, we are overdue in the electrification of everything. To meet current objectives, Europe’s electrification rate must double by 2050 and Germany’s must quadruple by 2040.

Only 20% of today’s energy consumption is electrified. Another 30% is fossil-based despite being easy-to-electrify with mature technologies, such as heat pumps or electric vehicles (EVs).

 

STRONGER SIGNALS

On the qualitative side, we must promote smart energy assets such as combining renewables and flexibility. A home can have solar panels, heat pumps, battery storage, a bidirectional EV charger and a home management system. Uncoordinated, these strain the grid; coordinated, they strengthen it.

This combination of increased local generation capabilities with new and smart digital solutions can improve system efficiency and make a more resilient grid.

Signals for energy savings, energy efficiency and demand-side flexibility should be reinforced for the benefit of consumers. These signals should help consumers enter a virtuous circle: less energy consumed, more capacity to invest in energy savings or energy efficiency.

 

 

SMART INCENTIVES

From this, there are several critical issues for a market redesign. Firstly, flexibility and demand response must be strongly facilitated. Securing supply goes through securing demand, be it load-shifting (flexibility) or load-shedding (efficiency). This means not just protecting consumers but empowering them.

Existing legislation such as the Clean Energy Package and the renewable energy directive (RED II) already laid down the essentials, but implementation is still lacking and could go further. Consumers must have the option to take advantage of demand response and must have the option for time-of-use tariffs.

Dedicated peak-shaving products seem like a useful addition to the toolbox. Much will depend on implementation as the current wording gives transmission operators a lot of leeway as to whether or not they actually use it. The Commission’s proposal on fixed tariffs could be better worded to ensure that it does not clash with the existing time-of-use tariff goal.

Grid operator incentives must be aligned with a smart transition. The current Capex remuneration model tilts operators towards more wires. An Opex-driven incentive would reward better planning, grid digitalisation and better management of local congestion.

 

ON-SITE GENERATION

Collective self-consumption must become a right. The current frameworks are tailored for tenants in the same buildings (“jointly acting self-consumers”) or for citizens coming together in largely a non-profit manner (“citizen and renewable energy communities”).

We welcome the Commission’s proposal to create a new right to energy sharing but do not understand why it was limited to households and small and medium enterprises.

The greatest growth potential is with commercial and industrial buildings seeking to decarbonise, secure their supply and make savings. Logistically speaking, in order to make a collective work, a portfolio of heterogenous prosumers is needed.

From an adoption perspective, large actors have greater capacity and greater responsibility to lead the way, to serve as the seed core around which their neighbours balance against before others join. 

Next, flexibility by design must become systematic. This means massively deploying everything which enables flexibility: on-site solar, heat pumps, building management systems, energy management systems for industry and EV charging stations.

It also means deploying them with the right standards to interact with the overall energy system and with each other. If we do this, they will increase resilience both at end-use—for instance, monitoring temperature in homes this winter—and systemically. Longer term, we must dramatically increase storage capacity.

 

BALANCE OF SOLUTIONS

Meanwhile, long-term markets for renewables, such as the Commission’s proposal to support Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), could help stabilise prices. This must not be done to the detriment of demand-side flexibility. Retailers offering fixed prices for the duration of a contract can still also offer time-of-use tariffs.

Guarantees of Origins (GOs) are essential to PPAs, in particular for consumers tracing the sustainability of their electricity production or as tools are set up to ensure a level-playing field of the carbon footprint of industries.

Finally, future subsidies must be conditioned on efforts to energy efficiency, especially for commercial and industrial customers. Members states have spent hundreds of billions of euros to subsidise energy consumption over the past year.

This is money which, instead of supporting the economies of third countries exporting energy to us, could be directed at increasing efficiency at the end-use level, such as support for heat pumps, renovations, energy management systems, etc.

While safeguards were put in place for the Commission’s new proposal for emergency measures, the benefits Member States may collect from Contracts for Difference (CfDs) must be redistributed in an unfair manner: proportional to kWh consumption.

This rewards energy consumption when we could be rewarding energy savings and ignores IEA and the IMF advice, which highlight that the wealthiest consume the most and therefore receive the most aid.

 

GRID RELIABILITY

Looking to the future and future reforms, we should aim to help our energy system to rely more on “the grids”—plural. Industries, data centres and buildings will become their own microgrids and be far more resilient for it.

With the central grid providing backup and smoothing, each unit is capable of continuing normal operations even in the event of a catastrophic event elsewhere.

It is unclear today what precisely the path to that desired outcome looks like, but we can confidently say what the first steps are.

In the short term, it means facilitating the deployment of demand response, it means empowering distribution system operators and giving them more responsibilities, it means enabling collective self-consumption for the largest energy users, it means providing clearer market signals for energy efficiency, and it means promoting devices with flexibility designed into them.

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If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.

 

 

A new flight plan

Clean heat standards can help decarbonise heating faster and more fairly

Long-duration energy storage faces a harsh commercial reality

Danish PtX dreams begin with offshore wind

The case for prioritising greater investment in secure and predictable renewables

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

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Simple reforms can help support clean domestic energy supplies in Europe

The past year has made it very clear—only indigenous renewable energy will deliver real security of supply for Europe. The supply of fossil fuels has proven yet again to be unreliable and a source of economic and social instability.

The “weaponisation” of gas imports from Russia has, as the European Commission’s consultation on reform of the electricity market highlighted, led to an “endangering of security of supply”.

While Europe frantically seeks to replace Russian gas supplies with those from other countries, dependency on this geopolitically volatile fossil fuel remains. Reopening coal mines is the ultimate short-term solution and Europeans know this—as demonstrated by the unrest around the demolishment of the German town of Lützerath for a new lignite plant.

This is in part down to an undercooked discussion around the depth and breadth of all renewables available in the energy mix. The Electricity Market Reform debate is a key opportunity to address the blind spot on secure, predictable, dispatchable and baseload renewable electricity sources such as ocean, concentrated solar, geothermal and hydropower.

Whilst the Commission’s consultation document correctly concludes that more needs to be done to support “alternatives to gas to keep the electricity system in balance” it overlooks specific barriers to mass deployment of secure, predictable, and dispatchable renewable electricity.

Addressing these must be central to market reforms. This is the only way to genuinely ensure adequacy, grid and system stability as well as the higher shares of variable renewable generation capacity in the energy mix.

 

RESILIENT AND RENEWABLE

Concentrated solar, geothermal, hydro and ocean energy technologies are the optimal, local, cost-effective and secure solutions to address the role currently fulfilled by fossil gas—dispatchable back-up generation for“when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine”.

Concentrated solar plants and geothermal energy can generate electricity 24/7; the tides flow to the moon’s cycle every day and are predicable 100 years in advance; waves continually heave and surge in our seas and oceans; and hydropower plans are ready to dispatch at a moment’s notice

These technologies are also the cheapest forms of electricity storage, especially for periods beyond six hours. Combined with effective demand-side signals and variable renewable, they form the bedrock of a resilient, zero-carbon and low-cost renewable electricity system.

 

 

MARKET REFORMS

Secure and predictable renewable electricity requires four enhancements from the electricity market reform. Firstly, adequate financial rewards for grid and system stability must be factored into the Contracts for Difference (CfDs) for electricity production, storage and grid and system balancing services.

Auctions should include elements concerning firmness, security of supply and system integration to capture the market welfare increase and synchronous electricity production can help realise. Secure and predictable renewable electricity should also be incentivised to participate in the short-term and flexibility markets.

Secondly, the European Sovereignty Fund must also be used to financially de-risk upfront construction costs of key predictable and dispatchable renewables in all Member States to ensure each electricity network has adequate grid-supporting capacity within its vicinity.

Thirdly, capacity payments for secure and predictable renewable electricity should receive harmonised funding directly from the Connecting Europe Facility as well as the soon-to-be-established European Sovereignty Fund as they provide backup services to the entire European grid for the benefit of households, businesses and industry.

Furthermore, capacity markets must have a hierarchy for awarding capacity payments based on renewable-based sources of stability, the stability with additional system costs such as batteries and fossil sources when the above have been harnessed.

Finally, the way in which these investments are made requires the same type of coordination and collective purchasing applied to gas in the EU Energy Platform. The mandate of this Platform must be reformed through the Electricity Market proposals.

These simple reforms make the 45% renewable energy target attainable but also directly replace Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels overnight. The climate, energy and cost-of-living crises can be addressed in the coming months. It is vital that lawmakers seize this moment.

The Alliance of Secure, indigenous & Predictable Renewable Electricity (ASPIRE) was formed by Donagh Cagney from Ocean Energy Europe, Berenice Crabs from ESTELA, Sanjeev Kumar from the European Geothermal Energy Council; and Anton Schleiss and Mark Morris from ETIP Hydropower Europe

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If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mineralisation trials seek business case of storing carbon as rock

Insurance’s unspoken role in the transition to net-zero

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

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Insurance should do much more than pick up the pieces

There are two key ways insurance can contribute to the climate challenge. One you will have heard of, the other you might not have.

This is partly because the insurance element of the deal is often actioned under the shroud of a confidentiality clause. But the following examples go to show you what is possible when you start to think of financial innovation and how insurance can grease the economic wheels to get capital moving to serve the greater good.

Much of the conversation around insurance’s role in the fight against climate change focused on the need to adapt in order to manage the increasing number of extreme weather events. People are rightly asking, how can traditional insurance be reliable and responsive enough to stay relevant in the face of such huge challenges?

There is a good deal of innovation in this area. COP27 saw lively discussions around the future role of “parametric” insurance products. This means designing insurance to pay pre-ordained sums at pre-agreed data-driven triggers, completely bypassing the traditional route of protracted claims assessment and a requirement to prove the loss.

Examples of these triggers include excessive rainfall or wind, drought or the height of a volcanic ash cloud.

In this way, “parametric triggers” make it possible to immediately get much-needed capital into disaster zones. This can make a real difference in how humanitarian organisations and small-holder farmers on island nations are able to manage the impact of natural disasters.

 

DE-RISKING INVESTMENTS

But to focus the conversation entirely around picking up the pieces after disasters misses a key point: the other half of insurance’s role in the climate response.

The investment needed for a global transition to net-zero emissions represents the biggest reallocation of capital in human history. There will be huge advances in energy technology. Innovative products will need to be developed and scaled up very quickly, which can amplify the financial risks.

This means investors are being asked to back things that are beyond the scope of their usual risk appetite. Banks usually have credit appetite models that large, technology-centric clean energy projects often do not fit in to.

But with intelligent use of credit insurance, it is possible to design policies to cover the repayments on a multi-year, uncancellable basis. This guarantees that they will be met throughout the project finance period.

In this way, banks are comfortable lending more, for longer, so key environmental projects can get off the ground.

 

 

A NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

We are entering a period of unprecedented investment in essential technology and infrastructure projects. McKinsey, the US market analysis firm, estimates the figure to be around $125 trillion between 2021 and 2050.

This essentially means we are standing on the precipice of another industrial revolution—and in such times, insurance plays a vital role in the liquidity of capital markets.

It is difficult to overstate the role of insurance in the first industrial revolution in the 1800s. With the new factories, fires were a huge risk. The property insurance market evolved in step with the growing need, giving capitalists the confidence to invest.

There is a similar situation today, with more variety. Speaking to clients, every organisation has a different take on things like ten-year transport strategies, future commodity exposures or their shift to renewable energy and more sustainable materials.

Often they do not realise the role insurance can play in de-risking their efforts towards net zero. For most people, insurance is just an annual compulsory purchase problem, often governed by regulation. It rarely comes to mind as a tool to deal with the volatility and risks of tomorrow, but the opportunity is there.

 

CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

Insurance will have to evolve alongside every new technology or commodity. Sometimes the insurance products are not quite there yet, but conceptually insurance is incredibly flexible.

A good example is the voluntary carbon market, where a recent insurance innovation is making offsets more trustworthy and tradable by wrapping them with insurance.

Insurance greased the cogs of the industrial revolution—now it is time to be the wind in the sails of the clean energy revolution.

 

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If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.

Vietnam’s e-mobility sector needs more government attention

We can accelerate the green agenda if we look across borders

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

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State support can offset the risk for use of new, more expensive technologies

There is no doubt that implementing existing energy-efficient solutions is just as important as developing new green technologies if we are to meet the Paris agreement target. But we need to be much better at sharing best practice across borders to get the required speed in the green transition.

One of the projects that could be a beacon for many building owners and operators is Keppel Bay Tower in Singapore. In 2018, Keppel Land, the building’s owner, received a grant from the Building and Construction Authority in Singapore of over $1 million to test five new and emerging energy-efficient technologies with the aim of reducing the building’s energy consumption significantly and improving its energy efficiency by 20%.

In 2020, Keppel Land announced that the changes had resulted in an improvement of 22.3%, exceeding the initial ambitious target by an additional 2.3 percentage points.

Keppel Bay Tower’s approach to selecting and implementing new technologies could be more widely used for two reasons: Firstly, Keppel Bay Tower was a building already in operation with existing infrastructure, where it is more challenging to implement new technologies than in a new building that is designed with energy-efficient solutions from the offset. And, secondly, the improvement works had to be carried out without disturbing the ongoing operations in the building.

In Europe, roughly 75% of the building stock is energy-inefficient, wasting a large part of the energy used. Since the built environment is the single largest energy consumer in the EU, accounting for 40% of the energy consumption, there is a dire need to act upon this knowledge and to do so at a high pace.

 

 

TEST BED PROCESS

Using the grant funding, Keppel Land selected the most interesting technologies to be installed on its structure, acting as a testbed. Out of more than 50 applicants, the technologies piloted included a high-efficiency air distribution system, an innovative cooling tower water management system, integrated sensor technology to optimise fresh air intake, smart LED lighting and an intelligent building-control system.

Can the Keppel Bay Tower testbed approach be used in a European setting and would it help us make current building stock energy efficient at the pace required? I am in no doubt that it would.

A testbed can verify technologies’ proof of concept in an accurate, transparent, and replicable way and keep the test environment shielded from the risks of testing in a live environment.

The fastest way to the green transition is to be more efficient and use less, which is why we should look across borders to find the best solutions and approaches to bring them into operation as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Right now, we cannot rely on climate solutions to lie solely in large-scale solar parks or offshore wind projects like energy islands because the construction time is too long.

As we wait for these new energy islands and other new technologies to be in operation, we must make use of the efficient technologies already at hand—and we need to do it as smartly as possible by using best practices from others.

 

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If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.

 

Our top five articles from 2022

Ensuring the lights stay on while dealing with the geopolitical crisis and maintaining momentum behind the energy transition has been a balancing act for lawmakers, operators, generators and consumers alike

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Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine dominated discourse, but energy prices were already on the up before the conflict and have remained high because of other supply-side issues.

The energy transition still needs to find a course between short-term solutions that bring prices down for consumers while securing supply and reducing the dependency on Russian gas imports with long-term climate goals.

In our most-read articles of 2022, we examine how nuclear could play its part in a future energy mix and how energy efficiency is no longer the forgotten fuel. Increasing energy security by building a more domestic value chain means a greater number of workers will be required, however a growing skills gap is putting this aim in jeopardy.

Finally, we examine how grid stability can be provided when the inertia provided by fossil fuel generators are no longer on the grid.

Thanks for reading FORESIGHT Climate & Energy in 2022 and we look forward to sharing more with you in 2023.

 

Most read articles of 2022

 

Pretty in pink: Low-carbon hydrogen from nuclear power

The nuclear sector wants to cash in on the emerging demand for low-carbon energy by powering hydrogen electrolysis, but not everyone is convinced the industry’s arguments stack up. Read here

 

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A matter of principle: the EU’s forgotten mantra

The European Union’s “Energy Efficiency First Principle” was designed to maximise the potential of energy sources and increase investor appetite but it has struggled to jump from principle to practice. But new rules and a shift in geopolitics look set to propel the efficiency maxim to top billing.  Read here

 

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Energy transition faces a shortage of key workers

The lack of skilled workers in renewable energy jobs is one of the most underestimated barriers to the global energy transition. The industry is struggling to find talent, while educational institutions are failing to keep up with such a fast-evolving environment.  Read here

 

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Inertia’s new frontier

As the amount of traditional inertia on our grid systems decreases with the shift to inverter-based resources like wind and solar photovoltaics (PV), system operators are increasingly seeking carbon-free alternatives for stabilising frequency. Read here

 

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The strange case of small modular reactors

SMR technology remains unproven and susceptible to the same cost and delays issues facing traditional nuclear generation, which is clinging on to its market share. Read here

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Our top five opinions from 2022

Generating debate from thought leaders helps to advance the energy transition

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The range of topics from our thought leaders this year shows there is still so much that needs to be solved in order to achieve the decarbonisation of the economy. From carbon markets to digitalisation and energy efficiency, these experts show there are still many tools to be used in the fight against catastrophic climate change.

These pieces, our top opinions from 2022, are written by high-level actors from across the energy spectrum and we would like to invite anyone that has an interesting view on the energy transition to pen such a piece. These articles are not promotional but are a chance to demonstrate thought leadership on the barriers to a decarbonised economy and to create a discussion over potential solutions.

If you have an opinion regarding an aspect of the global energy transition you would like to share with other FORESIGHT readers send a short pitch of 200 words explaining why you are the right person to deliver this opinion to opinion@foresightdk.com.

 

Top five opinions from 2022

 

What voluntary carbon markets need to do next

A large, mature voluntary carbon market is urgently needed. To get there, it has some growing up to do, says Charlie Langdale, from international insurance broker Howden.  Read here

 

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Decarbonisation through digitalisation: The key role of smart city districts in boosting energy efficiency

Smart buildings are energy-saving, sustainable buildings. Clustered into smart city districts, they play a crucial role in climate protection. The adaptive, open-source technology to make this possible is already available, says Matthias Rebellius of Siemens Smart Infrastructure.  Read here

 

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Cybersecurity resilience is critical to reaching net-zero

Digital transformation in renewables is accelerating the green energy transition, exponentially expanding both the energy sources that can connect to the grid and the avenues for cyberattacks, says Clinton Firth from EY.  Read here

 

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From laggard to leader: How Poland became Europe’s fastest-growing heat pump market

Poland has recorded the strongest growth in heat pump sales in Europe in 2021. This is the result of market certainty and customer incentives and shows the way for other states looking to heat pumps in decarbonisation efforts, says Monika Morawiecka and Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project.  Read here

 

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Today’s approach to energy is unsustainable

Urbanisation, rising global living standards and geopolitical tensions are placing enormous pressure on the global energy supply. Energy security and sustainability are critical—but scaling up today’s approach will not be enough. We must invest in industrial energy efficiency on a global scale, says Tarak Mehta from ABB Motion.  Read here

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Our top five podcasts from 2022

Discussions with key market influencers can help to shape the energy transition

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Podcasts are a new offering from FORESIGHT Climate & Energy in 2022. Speaking to fascinating members of the energy community and challenging them on their views is a great way of advancing the conversation around decarbonisation.

Here is a selection of our top podcasts from the past 12 months with some of our favourite guests. Keep an eye out for new episodes in 2023 as well as entirely new podcasts.

Top five podcasts from 2022

 

WATT MATTERS
A new utility

The changing role of consumers, the rise of distributed energy and the advent of digital technology are forcing utilities to change how they operate. In this episode of Watt Matters, we speak to Greg Jackson, founder and CEO of Octopus Energy. Listen here

 

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WATT MATTERS
Eastern Europe and the energy transition

On Watt Matters this week, Monica Morawiecka from the Regulatory Assistance Project and Julian Popov, a fellow of the European Climate Foundation, discuss what is required to make eastern Europe’s energy transition a reality. Listen here

 

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POLICY DISPATCH
Decarbonising our buildings

In this first episode of Policy Dispatch, we take a deep dive into buildings and the need to accelerate their decarbonisation, with Member of the European Parliament Ciarán Cuffe. Listen here

 

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WATT MATTERS
From range anxiety to charging confidence

The sales of electric vehicles continue to rise globally, but much more needs to be done to deploy charging infrastructure. Listen here

 

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WATT MATTERS
Behind the hydrogen hype

In this week’s episode, the team is joined by Gniewomir Flis from Energy Revolution Ventures. We examine the hype that surrounds green hydrogen and what role, if any, it can have in the energy transition. Listen here

 

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Corporates seek to match generation with demand