Renewable Energy

8 min.
07/October/2019

Mission possible: Leuven’s strategy for carbon neutrality
4 min.
Converting coal-fired power stations to run on biomass is often sold as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but studies increasingly show that forest biomass is far from being low carbon. It is also a relatively expensive renewable energy and unlikely to be a good investment choice, says Peg Putt from the Environmental Paper Network29/May/2019

Why investing in biomass could be risky business
7 min.
Environmental footprints have already become part of the tender criteria for renewable energy support in some countries27/May/2019

Europe explores sustainability standards for solar PV
4 min.
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is the main driver of the energy transition, supported by the large-scale expansion of wind and solar energy production, writes Marcel Eijgelaar, researcher at DNV GL. Due to the variable output of these renewables, maintaining the balance between supply and demand is becoming more challenging with a higher need for grid flexibility and more volatile prices on electricity markets. New solutions are emerging, from battery storage to hydrogen electrolysis24/May/2019

New applications for surplus energy
5 min.
Smart pricing, smart technology and smart infrastructure are the three key ingredients needed to integrate the growing number of electric vehicles into the grid cost efficiency and to deliver benefits for consumers, businesses and cities, say Julia Hildermeier and Christos Kolokathis from the Regulatory Assistance Project15/May/2019

Three smart ways to integrate EVs
5 min.
06/May/2019

Green gas, really?
7 min.
29/April/2019

Crushed hot rocks to store wind energy
6 min.
Research by Siemens shows the way forward to make district heating in Denmark run on clean energy sources26/April/2019

The path to emissions-free district heating in Denmark
9 min.
Solar photovoltaic has clear potential to help decarbonise cooling and, in some climates, contribute significantly to the energy transition in heating22/April/2019

Solar PV for heating too
15 min.
As the world’s fifth largest economy and a pioneer of environmental laws and policy, all eyes are on California as it turns its attention to freeing its buildings of emissions. Ensuring new houses are equipped with solar panels and that they use no more renewable energy than they consume over the course of the year are top of the list, but existing houses and commercial buildings are also in line for an overhaul as part of the state’s bid to be carbon neutral by 204518/April/2019

World watches as California goes for net zero buildings
5 min.
12/April/2019

Parisian radiators with brains
6 min.
Direct tariffs should be promoted and financed by large-scale donors to accelerate the adoption of renewables in developing countries, argue experts from Dahlberg, a global advisory firm. This would encourage the release of extra capital by guaranteeing a market and an energy price for clean energy sources08/April/2019

Financing the energy transition in Tanzania
8 min.
Geothermal heating is gaining a foothold, but accounts for only a small share of the renewable heat sources used globally. The benefits are plenty. Long-term, it is cost-effective, stable and clean, but initial costs are high04/April/2019

The heat source beneath our feet
4 min.
The influence of younger generations on the boards of well known brands such as packaging company Tetra Pak is ensuring that climate action and the energy transition are at the heart of business strategies, says Jo Sullivan, founder and CEO of Conscience Consulting, a Brussels-based boutique sustainability communication agency01/April/2019

Sustainability trailblazers
16 min.
Technology choices and policies are available to create a zero-carbon energy system in Europe by 2050, keep the economy competitive and secure a favourable deal for citizens, concludes a podcast by EU scream produced in conjunction with FORESIGHT Climate & Energy.01/April/2019

Path to a decarbonised future
10 min.
As policy makers grapple with the problem of how to decarbonise the transport sector, biofuels remain mired in controversy18/March/2019

Biofuels fight for a future in Europe
7 min.
Ørsted’s transformation from a fossil-intensive European utility to a leading global renewable energy company has benefited the company’s bottom line as well as the climate, writes Jakob Askou Bøss, Head of Strategy and Communication07/March/2019

From black to green in a decade
7 min.
Smart grid has become a trendy term, but some proper thinking is needed about its meaning and the purpose of information technology advances if the result is to advance the energy transition28/February/2019

Smart grids require much more smart thinking
4 min.
Learnings from business and science will help NATO engage better in the energy transition and create a resilient and energy-efficient military, explain the security organisation’s Anto-nio Missiroli and Michael Rühle25/February/2019

Squaring military, energy and environmental security: NATO’s approach
5 min.
Distribution system operators could compromise the energy transition if they delay their response to changes in the networks, says Serge Colle, EY Global Power and Utilities Advisory Leader22/February/2019

Where does change start if the future is already decided?
5 min.
As the European Investment Bank launches a public consultation on future energy lending, Vice President Andrew McDowell argues for a doubling in energy investments in the next ten years20/February/2019

An invitation to the energy transformation
5 min.
Spanish utility Iberdrola is testing the use of blockchain to show customers exactly where their wind energy is produced. Francisco Hernanz, Head of Renewable Energy Management at the company, highlights the importance of innovation11/February/2019

Blockchain in energy
14 min.
07/February/2019

The Dutch Energiewende: Goodbye to natural gas
15 min.
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany is testing how a 100% renewable power system can be achieved with internal low voltage distribution networks, flexible consumption and generation from local production points31/January/2019

Fail safe renewable energy power systems
13-14 min.
Power capacity markets on both sides of the Atlantic face an uncertain future as flexibility becomes a hotter commodity than capacity.14/January/2019

Incapacitated markets
3-4 min.
Geneva is changing its technologies and its ways of working to become a truly smart, energy efficient city, argues Patricia Solioz from Geneva Industrial Services, a public utility11/January/2019

Working multilaterally for a successful smart city
5-6 min.
Understanding what disruption means in relation to the energy transition is important for all current and potential energy industry players, says Albert Cheung, Head of Global Analysis at BloombergNEF07/January/2019

Disruptive definitions
6-7 min.
There is no absolutely excuse to delay investing increasing amounts of carbon revenues in energy efficiency, say Richard Cowart and Catharina Wiese from the Regulatory Assistance Project19/December/2018

A perfect match: Using carbon revenues to finance energy efficiency
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
4-5 min.
EU proposals to fund new gas infrastructure projects make no sense given Europe’s decarbonisation commitments. The European Parliament can vote on 12 December to ensure clean energy infrastructure is prioritised, say Elisa Giannelli and Lisa Fischer from think-tank E3G10/December/2018

Energy infrastructure for a climate neutral Europe
8-9 min.
California is leading efforts to make the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles fair and just for all including low-income groups05/December/2018

Electric vehicles for everyone
7-8 min.
The reaction of the Australian government to the recent IPCC report was to reject a phase out of coal. But with research showing new wind and solar are competitive with new coal, economics, not politics, looks set to define the country’s energy mix23/November/2018

Energy transition economics outpace Australian politics
11-12 min.
The focus on awarding contracts to the lowest bidders among established renewables technologies under Europe’s auctions of power purchase contracts could prevent less developed forms of renewable energy from reaching their potential07/November/2018

Strength in diversity
10-11 min.
Consumers will become more active market players as the amount of renewable energy in the grids increases, providing, for a fee, greater flexibility for power systems and increasing decarbonisation29/October/2018

Power On Demand
4-5 min.
24/September/2018

The future of wind energy in the EU
5-6 min.
India’s solar sector may be facing certain difficulties, but its future holds plenty of potential21/September/2018

Despite some clouds, India’s solar sector will continue to shine
3-4 min.
17/September/2018

Make the North Sea the Silicon Valley of offshore wind power
6-7 min.
A Nordic broker has launched a new product aiming to ensure that renewable energy certificates known as Guarantees of Origin actually lead to additional clean power07/September/2018

A way for companies to buy green electricity that really makes a difference
4-5 min.
07/September/2018

Low prices for renewables are great news, but mean new challenges for industry and policy makers
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
8-9 min.
06/August/2018

A challenging marriage
11-12 min.
Coal-reliant regions around the world have been generally resistant to the energy transition and regulators have tended to defend the status quo. But they are slowly starting to realise that clear plans and financial support for disrupted societies are more important09/July/2018

A fair and just energy transition
6-7 min.
biomass support threaten clean energy transition25/May/2018

Biomass support threatens clean energy transition
5-6 min.
The advantages for big companies of buying their electricity directly from wind and solar generators at a fixed long-term price is bringing what could become a major new flow of capital into the renewable energy market, but outdated legislation remains a barrier02/May/2018

Barriers brake power of big business to drive renewables
9-10 min.
The ups and downs in demand for electricity have long made the flexible operation of power systems a must, so increasing that flexibility to also accommodate variations in supply from renewables is not that big a challenge. Having a clear definition of the term can only help the energy transition27/April/2018

Flexibility and the energy transition
6-7 min.
District heating the Danish way11/April/2018

Europe heads for low carbon heating the Danish way
3-4 min.
16/March/2018

You say you want a revolution
10 min.
mind the gap07/March/2018

Mind the gap
5-6 min.
14/November/2017

Batteries for grid support not bulk supply
6-7 min.
14/November/2017

The not so essential role of electricity storage
6-7 min.
14/November/2017

What storage is for and what it cannot do
7-8 min.
14/November/2017

No compromise on security of supply
6-7 min.
07/July/2017

The dangers of using a sharp instrument
7-8 min.
07/July/2017

Spending pennies to save pounds
6-7 min.
07/July/2017

Scandinavia shows the way for clean transport
6-7 min.
07/July/2017

In the hands of engineers
4-5 min.
07/July/2017

A path to growth and welfare
2-3 min.
07/July/2017

Make the real cost of energy visible
4-5 min.
17/March/2017

In brief
7-8 min.
11/October/2016

Big business drives market expansion
9-10 min.
11/July/2016

Powerfully balanced