Can electricity market rules deliver technical innovation, environmental pollution reductions, and social benefits – while reducing the cost of electricity? Those are some of the rather ambitious aims of New York State’s “Reforming the Energy Vision” policy package. The Brooklyn-Queens Demand Management Program will be the first attempt to put their ambitions to the test. […]
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Argentina’s Wind Power Balancing Act
Argentinians have been purchasing fossil fuels for electricity generation at prices that are well in excess of the cost of wind power. The country has massive wind power potential. The problem has been accessing the capital needed to exploit that potential. The China Development Bank Corporation has agreed to provide Grupo Isolux Corsan SA project […]
The Fight Against Climate Change Must be Obama’s Legacy
On Tuesday last week the earth breathed a sigh of relief as Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the USA. Although the popular vote – if not the final electoral college result – was close in America; the overwhelming majority of the rest of the World was supporting Obama. A BBC poll in 21 […]
South Africa Renewable Energy Program is Under Way
Round 1 of the renewable energy development program (REIPP)in South Africa is finally under way. The government will sign final agreements with 28 project developers in the next few days. They plan to build 1.4 GW of generation capacity and invest US$5.4 billion. The government has also announced plans for a major extension of the […]
Why it’s best that Obama and Romney don’t mention Climate Change
The second American presidential debate took place on Tuesday and the general consensus was that Barack Obama had the better of it, reversing the damage to his campaign from his lacklustre performance in the first. In a debate described as ‘combative’ and ‘feisty’ one of the key exchanges was on energy policy. Over twelve minutes […]
Carbon Markets – Light at the end of the Tunnel or a Near-death Experience?
Global carbon markets are collapsing with potentially devastating consequences. Carbon prices in the Clean Development Mechanism market have declined by 70% in the past year and are projected to fall further. These are not the alarmist predictions of politically-motivated climate change deniers. It is the prognosis of a high level panel established to take stock […]
Policy Patchwork for Renewable Energy in Canada
The phrase ‘renewable energy in Canada’ makes no sense. “Canada is a confederation and not a federation. And that distinction is really important for understanding how energy flows – it doesn’t matter whether that is electricity, gas or oil,” says Professor Michal Moore from the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy at the University […]
Renewable Energy Developers want a Feed-in Tariff for Poland
A feed-in tariff for Poland would deliver certainty and promote investment, according to local renewable energy developers. The unpredictability of the prices of renewable energy certificates (‘green certificates’) was identified in a survey of Polish developers as the greatest obstacle to renewable energy investment in the country. The difficulty of obtaining grid connections, permitting administration, […]
Investors in Indian Wind Energy want rapid depreciation not feed-in tariffs
Investors in Indian wind energy want rapid depreciation as an incentive not feed-in tariffs – choosing certain savings now over government incentives that are dependent on the performance of their wind turbines. Developers in India installed a record 2,827MW of wind energy capacity in 2011. China and the US were the only countries to install […]
The Cheapest Route to Germany’s Renewable Energy Goal
The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the cheapest route to Germany’s renewable energy goal, says Professor Colin Vance of the Rheinish-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI-Essen). Most other renewable energy promotion policies are redundant. Germany should ditch its massively expensive feed-in tariff scheme, he believes. Germany faces a major challenge if it is to achieve its […]
