Business

How business is evolving and adapting for sustainability in a new energy economy

12 min
19/May/2023

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
12 min
24/March/2023

The small problems in the way of big energy projects

 Rocketing bills and worries over energy security sound like the perfect excuse to pump investments into large-scale infrastructure schemes—but in Europe at least, appetite for big projects is limited
13 min
10/February/2023

The lure of powering Europe from the Sahara Desert endures

 North Africa has enough solar and wind energy to easily power the whole of Europe but plans to export renewables generation across the Mediterranean have so far floundered. The burgeoning clean hydrogen sector could change the picture
11 min
13/January/2023

Lessons grid operators could learn from Africa

 The emergence of low-carbon, distributed energy systems and innovative business models in Africa could provide tips to operators on the future of grids elsewhere in developed markets
3 min
23/December/2022

Our top five articles from 2022

 A tumultuous past 12 months has seen energy security placed firmly at the centre of many discussions around the world. Improving security takes many forms from low-carbon generation to greater energy efficiency in a bid to lower demand. These topics feature in FORESIGHT's top articles of 2022
3 min
23/December/2022

Our top five opinions from 2022

 Take a read of our most popular opinions from 2022

Section Partners

Supporting the focus on how business is evolving and adapting for sustainability in a new energy economy

3 min
23/December/2022

Our top five podcasts from 2022

 Entering the audio sphere in 2022, FORESIGHT Climate & Energy's podcasts have given our listeners a chance to hear directly from key personalities in the energy sector and discuss how to achieve a decarbonised economy in the most expedient way. Take a listen to our top episodes from 2022
10 min
07/December/2022

Community cash to boost the transition

 Local community groups are often seen as being against renewable energy sites or other projects to support the energy transition. But there is a rise in different ownership and funding models that includes local residents who do want to support the quest for a decarbonised economy
14 min
07/November/2022

Mobilise funds now to avoid the big cheques

 The cost of the energy transition as it stands is astronomical. But the returns are even greater. The longer investment targets are missed and policy frameworks are neglected, the pathway to a decarbonised economy becomes longer and more expensive. Added support for the developing world is also needed
11 min
20/October/2022

The new business models making solar affordable for all

 The cost-effectiveness and flexibility of solar photovoltaic power are leading to a raft of new energy business models to help middle- and low-income households participate in the energy transition
12 min
15/September/2022

Biodiversity measures to fast-track renewables deployment

 Protecting the natural environment is central to combating catastrophic climate change. But the scale of growth in renewables capacity puts biodiversity at risk. Developers and investors alike are now placing great emphasis on the environmental footprint of their assets
12 min
14/July/2022

Chemicals’ complex route to green

 Electrification of the energy-intensive chemicals sector is not always possible so finding alternative low-carbon processes is climbing the industry's agenda
10 min
08/July/2022

The cleantech funding conundrum

 Investors are desperate to put money into sustainable ventures, but entrepreneurs trying to bring novel cleantech concepts to market complain about a lack of funding. Without support, Europe could risk a brain drain in cleantech innovation
12 min
30/June/2022

Heavy industry plans to tread lightly

 The heavy industry sector has made significant progress in increasing energy efficiency in recent years and further gains are possible with greater electrification, digitalisation and changes in production processes. Meanwhile, material efficiency measures reducing demand for products like steel and cement offer major potential for energy savings for customers
12 min
15/June/2022

The efficiency paradox

 Reducing the amount of energy we use is a key part of cutting emissions by 2050, but asking people to be more frugal could be challenging in a society that prizes consumption. Getting incentives right can shift attitudes
8 min
24/March/2022

Companies face growing employee climate activism

 The climate catastrophe is provoking action in the boardroom as pressure mounts among the workforce. Management teams are changing business plans to be more climate-friendly or risk losing talent
8 min
02/February/2022

Construction’s circularity can help the energy transition

 The construction sector already emits 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with demand for new buildings and renovation of old buildings set to increase in the coming decade. A push towards a circular construction sector could help save energy and cut emissions
11 min
28/January/2022

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
3 min
12/January/2022

Our top ten from 2021

 Take a read of our most popular articles from 2021
8 min
30/November/2021

Power to the public

 Municipal electricity utilities have a long history in Europe, with more emerging as cities look to lead the energy transition. The model has obvious advantages but has also suffered setbacks in some markets. In an increasingly competitive landscape, using the benefits of private partners may be the way forward
11 min
12/November/2021

Source new information from old data

 Advocates of so-called digital twins—simulated computer modelling of technologies at work—see them as vital tools for managing the complexity of multi-level electricity systems and the digital control of energy-efficient buildings
13 min
12/October/2021

Cities warmed by heated market for power contracts

 Once regarded as a high risk gamble, buying green electricity directly from generators under a mutually agreed power purchase agreement (PPA) has become big business in the commercial and industrial sector. City authorities eager to cut their electricity bills and buy renewable are looking to get into the market. The new demand is set to drive big growth in renewables
8 min
08/October/2021

Transport transition lies in a rail renaissance

 Shifting some of Europe’s transport needs to the rails can contribute to the energy transition. But complicated and differing cross-border regulations and carbon-intensive power mixes are minimising the rail sector’s impact     
10 min
13/July/2021

The rise of microgrids

 As technology costs come down and microgrids become increasingly “smart” using more advanced digital tools, their role in integrating distributed energy resources is set to expand. By providing flexibility to the local distribution system and deferring the need for expensive transmission upgrades, microgrids are facilitating the electrification and decarbonisation of the energy networks
14 min
07/July/2021

Traditional rules do not apply in this experiment

 Five years ago, technologists excitedly started suggesting how to use blockchain for energy applications and a raft of start-ups followed, sporting distributed ledgers for the power sector. Today, the word "blockchain" is seldom heard in energy circles. While the hype may have been overblown, work continues instead on a quieter revolution to the one that was promised
14 min
23/June/2021

The grid in search of a brain

 Around 50% of the shift from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy has been a digitised transition to 2020, says Energinet, Denmark's power system operator. As the world digitises further, the already vast volumes of data will only increase in mass. Advances in Artificial Intelligence technology and machine learning tools provide ways of processing this tsunami of data into a new world order
12 min
17/June/2021

Use the correct data in the right way

 Data is having a major impact on our world. In energy, an influx of data is changing the roles of each player across the value chain but it needs to be gathered and processed in a suitable way to have the greatest influence. Ensuring the data is right to begin with is essential to the success of the energy transition
10 min
04/June/2021

Carbon offsets can send emissions reductions efforts off course

 Offsetting emissions is fraught with problems and critics fear these programmes could distract from the real goal of keeping fossil fuels in the ground
7 min.
30/April/2021

New supply chain law could help spur the energy transition

 An upcoming EU supply chain law may see multinational oil and gas companies face a rise in lawsuits stemming from the environmental impacts of their operations. These traditional energy firms may consider driving more investments into less-risky renewables as a result
9 min.
19/March/2021

New markets evolve to support SME transition

 Small businesses face a hard time decarbonising due to financial constraints, a lack of expertise and time, and technological hurdles. The rise of new business and financing models, plus a helping hand from larger companies, are helping them on the path to carbon neutrality
10 min
12/February/2021

Investors muscle up and pile on green pressure

 Companies involved in activities that carry high climate-related, financial and reputational risks can no longer be certain of securing funds. Investors today have a choice. Green energy has become a comparatively better bet, with a lower risk profile and demonstrably higher returns. Companies can either realign their business strategies or watch institutional investors walk away
11 min.
02/February/2021

Heavy industry to carbon light

 Cement and steel manufacturing are two of the most carbon intensive industries in the world. Electrification can play a role in decarbonising both, though technology innovation is expensive and removing all emissions from the processes is a tall order
15 min.
06/January/2021

Charging ahead with electric vehicle infrastructure

 Three concerns are said to be hindering the uptake of electric passenger cars—high purchase cost, fear of a flat battery, and lack of charging infrastructure. But cost has fallen, the range of car batteries now rivals that of a full tank of fuel and recharging a depleted battery when the need arises is proving to be easier than expected
14 min.
13/November/2020

Oil and gas face adapt or decline moment

 To maintain investor interest, oil and gas firms need to be seen to be going green
10 min.
16/October/2020

Green buildings are only as clean as the energy used in manufacturing their insulation material

 The most sought after building insulation products will not necessarily be the cheapest and most effective, but those manufactured with the lightest carbon footprint
9 min.
11/September/2020

The big role of small companies in the energy transition

 The big names of the corporate world will not achieve the energy transition alone. Companies of all sizes have a part to play
11 min.
04/June/2020

Danish firms want regulatory rewards for climate action

 Politically there is broad support in Denmark for financing the green transition through taxes and a carbon emissions tax proposal has been welcomed by parties across the political spectrum, but industry opposition could ultimately quash the idea
5 min.
05/March/2020

EDF: EU Climate Law is clear signal to invest in clean energy

 The proposal from the European Commission for a European Climate Law means all companies must put decarbonisation at the heart of their business strategies, says Alexandre Perra, member of the board of French utility EDF
7 min.
13/February/2020

Palsgaard: Supply chain emissions slow carbon neutral efforts

 A broad range of efforts and investments in energy efficiency and clean energy has allowed Palsgaard to reduce emissions to zero in the majority of its factories
6 min.
16/December/2019

Carlsberg aims to be greenest brewery in the world

 Data is all important in the company’s energy transition
13 min.
12/December/2019

Big scope to reduce Chinese cement production emissions

 The overproducing cement sector is a low-hanging fruit that could help China curb its vast carbon emissions
11 min.
28/October/2019

Shipping industry coasts towards decarbonised future

 Efficiency measures have cut greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping industry, but if the sector is to be part of the climate solution, radical action to adopt new cleaner fuels is the only answer
10 min.
09/September/2019

The transition jigsaw – Part 2: The role for business and investors

 Where business leads others will follow
8 min.
sustainable mobility04/July/2019

How a sustainable vision led an old company to a new future

 If you go into a transition you need a vision
6 min.
Danfoss has a shortlist of energy efficiency measures that all sites can implement22/May/2019

Payback on reusing waste heat took less than three years

 Danfoss has a shortlist of energy efficiency measures that all sites can implement
6 min.
Applying large heat pumps in industry is in its early days, but interest is increasing07/May/2019

Industrial heat demand: Hot cows and heat pumps

 Applying large heat pumps in industry is in its early days, but interest is increasing
11 min.
Not one of the hyper-scale data centres, where thousands of servers are hosted in the same place, in the US use waste heat in a significant way10/April/2019

Tepid support for reusing waste heat from data centres

 Using waste heat from large data centres to heat homes and offices may seem like a no-brainer, but making a business case for getting heat from out-of-town data centres to urban areas at a correct temperature is complicated and costly
4 min.
FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally18/February/2019

Good policies will allow heavy industry to drive a European clean energy economy

 FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally. 
6-7 min.
Belgium’s complicated political structures keep the country’s climate action ambition low. Mars, a US corporation, is showing the way forward with 100% renewable energy and greener transport12/December/2018

Sustainable in a generation

 Belgium’s complicated political structures keep the country’s climate action ambition low. Mars, a US corporation, is showing the way forward with 100% renewable energy and greener transport
15-16 min.
24/October/2018

Cement industry finds it difficult to ditch bad habits

 The cement sector has accepted the size of its carbon footprint, but it will take greater pressure from regulators and NGOs to force the industry to totally change its ways
8-9 min.
Regulators and the wind industry are paying increasing attention to repowering existing wind farms to ensure prime wind sites continue to be exploited and renewable energy targets are met22/October/2018

A new lease of life

 Regulators and the wind industry are paying increasing attention to repowering existing wind farms to ensure prime wind sites continue to be exploited and renewable energy targets are met
6-7 min.
Accelerating the energy transition will be good news for jobs, the economy and climate, says a major report published in September 201805/September/2018

A faster energy transition will bring greater economic benefits

 Accelerating the energy transition will be good news for jobs, the economy and climate, says a major report published in September 2018
11-12 min.
Heavy industries are slowly starting to wake up to the reality of the energy transition, but full decarbonisation of the steel, cement and petrochemicals sectors is a significant challenge that will require new processes and significant amounts of clean energy05/September/2018

The heavy industry challenge

 Heavy industries are slowly starting to wake up to the reality of the energy transition, but full decarbonisation of the steel, cement and petrochemicals sectors is a significant challenge that will require new processes and significant amounts of clean energy
6-7 min.
The construction of vast data centres in Denmark by large tech giants will boost the Danish economy, but risks impacting the share of renewable energy20/August/2018

Denmark grapples with voracious energy appetite of big data centres

 The construction of vast data centres in Denmark by large tech giants will boost the Danish economy, but risks impacting the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix
8-9 min.
06/August/2018

A challenging marriage

 Placing wind and solar photovoltaic facilities on the same site may sound attractive in theory, but the reality is more complicated and many experts suggest this will only make sense in a limited number of cases
4-5 min.
Smart meters are seen as central to managing more flexible power systems, but more cooperation between Transmission System Operators and local Distribution System Operators are needed if this technology is to really help move forward the energy transformation23/July/2018

Get flexible with smart meters

 Smart meters are seen as central to managing more flexible power systems, but more cooperation between Transmission System Operators and local Distribution System Operators are needed if this technology is to really help move forward the energy transformation
6-7 min.
06/April/2018

Defence plans needed to avoid blackmail and blackouts

 As the deadline for EU member states to update or develop national cyber security strategies fast approaches, FORESIGHT looks at what companies should be doing to ensure cyber resilience in the energy sector given new challenges posed by the transition to a decarbonised economy and a more decentralised power system.
3-4 min.
02/April/2018

Heat pumps take on district heating

 Interview: Charlotte Søndergren, head of heat planning for Danish HOFOR, questions whether collective heating is the best long-term solution for all countries or whether smaller, individual heat pumps offer a better alternative in some areas.
3-4 min.
23/March/2018

Why ministers need to plug into electric vehicles

 This interview with Casper Kirketerp-Møller, the CEO of Clever, is part of a series of interviews that FORESIGHT will publish ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) and Nordic Clean Energy Week (NCEW), which will take place in Copenhagen and Malmo in May 2018.
2-3 min.
Ole Bigum on electrification over interconnectors21/March/2018

Electrification instead of interconnectors

 This interview with Ole Bigum, head of operations at K2 management, a Danish consultancy providing engineering services for developers of wind and solar power, is part of a series of interviews that FORESIGHT will publish ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) and Nordic Clean Energy Week (NCEW), which will take place in Copenhagen and Malmo in May 2018.
3-4 min.
16/March/2018

You say you want a revolution

 This interview with Peder Andreasen, CEO of Danish transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet.dk, is part of a series of interviews that FORESIGHT will publish ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) and Nordic Clean Energy Week (NCEW), which will take place in Copenhagen and Malmo in May 2018.
3-4 min.
14/November/2017

The race to build better batteries

 Lithium-ion batteries are sufficiently mature to have developed a competitive edge for some uses, but flow batteries hold greater potential for meeting expectations for grid scale storage
5-6 min.
14/November/2017

Batteries for grid support not bulk supply

 Batteries score in their ability to rapidly inject bursts of electricity into the grid, but demand for the service is not greater in countries furthest ahead in transitioning to renewable energy
1-2 min.
Battery bank experiments in Australia and California are the biggest in the world14/November/2017

Giant scale battery showcases

 The biggest battery bank experiments are in California and Australia
1-2 min.
14/November/2017

Cobalt catch for li-ion

 Limitations on the supply of cobalt will restrict the production ramp-up of batteries based on today’s lithium-ion chemistry
3-4 min.
07/July/2017

Vehicle to grid experiment with global perspectives

 An international group of companies has come together in a Danish experiment that sells the power stored in parked electric cars to the grid operator for use as frequency regulation
7-8 min.
07/July/2017

Variable pricing reduces variability of wind output

 By pricing the value of wind energy according to when it is needed most, markets stimulate the development and sale of wind turbines configured to generate output over longer periods in lower winds, reducing the variability of their production
4-5 min.
waste pollution07/July/2017

We live in a material world

 Waste pollution in product lifecycles is set to ease: beer bottles made from wood‚ toilet rolls from sour milk; biodegradable plastic packing; and LEGO bricks in a new material
5-6 min.
17/March/2017

Less risky tender model promises more cost cuts

 Denmark’s offshore wind tender model is being looked to as a shining example of how to drive down cost through proactive government action. Others may adopt the market model, too
4-5 min.
17/March/2017

Desert farming with next era solar

 Farming in the desert might seem a bit optimistic. An Australian greenhouse uses concentrated solar power to produce energy and become independent of fresh water supplies. The result is 17,000 tons of tomatoes a year
14-15 min.
11/October/2016

The trillion dollar promise of digitalisation

 A lot of unexploited value lies in the new ability to collect highly detailed data on electricity use
5-6 min.
11/October/2016

Smartphone becomes an agent of change

 An ethical mobile phone is not a mass produced disposable product of questionable origin
7-8 min.
11/October/2016

Big business drives market expansion

 The world’s major corporations are wielding their enormous power to increase supplies of renewable energy
1-2 min.
01/July/2016

A hard day’s work

 How do you feel about how things are done around here?