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Photo: ACERStudy: Germany Power Price to be 5 EUR/MWh Cheaper with Coal Exit
August 15, 2019 | Tanja SrnovršnikElectricity | RES and EE | Coal | Energy policy
Germany’s coal phase-out and the continued rollout of renewables should result in wholesale power prices being 5 EUR/MWh cheaper by 2030 compared to a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, according to a study by the energy think tank Agora Energiewende....
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Photo: SunContractWill Germany’s Energiewende Bring Import Dependence or a Chance for Economic Shift?
August 13, 2019 | Valerija HozjanElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy
More renewables, better energy efficiency and lower energy consumption will not suffice to meet the power demand; once Germany’s coal and nuclear plants shut down, the country will turn into a large electricity importer, German network operators and utilities have warned. Meanwhile, Lidija Živčič of the Ljubljana-based Focus Association for Sustainable Development, considers the German energy...
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Photo: www.pixabay.comEVs Can Fundamentally Help to Decarbonise the Electricity System
August 6, 2019 | Peter PalčecElectricity | RES and EE | Transport | Energy policy | CO2 emissions
“Electric vehicles (EVs) fundamentally help to reduce emissions in several ways. First, they are more energy efficient, since they use one-third of the energy that combustion vehicles use, and they also reduce air pollution in bigger cities. Projections show that by 2030 the EV fleet will help reduce emissions by around 220 mega tonnes of CO2 equivalent. With more policy support for EV, we will...
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Photo: Roman PeklajACER Launches Consultation on the Future of EU Gas Regulation
August 6, 2019 | Tanja SrnovršnikNatural gas | Energy policy
The Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) launched a public consultation on 23 July on possible measures and legislative proposals for the European energy sector and, in particular, the gas sector beyond 2025. The consultation focuses on two strategic areas for regulatory action - targeted regulation and market functioning, and enabling new products and enhancing infrastructure...
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Photo: Victor Habbick via FreeDigitalPhotosDemand for Oil and Gas to Continue Well After 2050
July 31, 2019 | Peter PalčecElectricity | Natural gas | Oil and oil derivates | RES and EE | Energy policy
“Based on our projections, the demand for oil and gas will remain robust well after 2050. We argue that energy demand forecasts are inconsistent with meeting Paris Agreement targets using currently available and economic technologies and that, barring a radical change in tendencies, significant volumes of oil and gas will be required well after 2050,” stated the Oxford Institute for Energy...
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Photo: Roman PeklajGovernments Should Not Have Regulatory Powers on Setting Tariffs
July 29, 2019 | Peter PalčecEnergy policy
“Research has found that while in all member states the national law provides explicitly that the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) should be independent, not all EU member states specify that the independence is to be from both political and market interests. NRAs should have full responsibility for grid tariff setting. Governments should not retain regulatory powers or impose on NRAs...
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Photo: Roman PeklajEurope to Pay EUR 40bn Per Year After 2040 If Failing to Invest in Grids
July 24, 2019 | Peter PalčecElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy | CO2 emissions | Ecology
“In 2018 renewable energy sources (RES) had a 35% share in the net electricity generation mix in Europe. By 2040 the share of RES in the energy mix will rise to 60%, if we take a conservative number into account. This will require many investments in the electricity network in order for the network to absorb all this energy. Failing to invest in infrastructure will cost Europeans EUR 40 billion...
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Photo: ShutterstockMonthly Sales Volumes on Gazprom Electronic Sales Platform Exceed 1 Bcm
July 22, 2019 | Tanja SrnovršnikNatural gas
In the nine months since its launch, the Gazprom Export Electronic Sales Platform has developed “into a viable source of spot gas purchases for European customers”, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) wrote in its latest Energy Insight. The monthly sales volumes on the platform now exceed 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) – the equivalent of 8% of Gazprom’s monthly long-term contract...
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Photo: Roman PeklajEnergy Sector’s Decarbonisation Key Precondition for Decarbonisation of Industry
July 19, 2019 | Peter PalčecElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy | CO2 emissions | New technologies | Economy | Ecology
“Industry represented almost 20% of the total value added in Europe in 2018. Automation, digitisation of manufacturing, products and data-driven services will successfully transform European industry, driving change at a pace never seen before. Progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, automation, biotechnology or 3D printing will bring about...
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Photo: IAEACroatia Launches Dual Ion Beam Facility, Strengthening Its Fusion Research
July 17, 2019 | Tanja SrnovršnikElectricity | New technologies
A dual ion beam facility, which enables two ion beams from different accelerators to be combined simultaneously, has been inaugurated in Zagreb, strengthening Croatia’s fusion research, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week. The Ruđer Bošković Institute’s He Ion Source & DiFU Dual-Beam Facility will help scientists test and develop new structural materials, which are...
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