Greece and Iran: two old friends can change the geopolitics of energy in Europe
Greece, which has long had friendly relations with Iran, is poised to play a key role in distributing Iranian to gas to Europe, if Iranian sanctions are lifted. With Iran in the equation, the energy...
View ArticleRising sun, sinking influence? Japan’s self-marginalisation from global...
As other countries including the US, China, UK, Germany and Mexico lead on climate action, the lack of effort from the world’s third largest economy and fifth largest emitter has left Japan isolated in...
View ArticleWhy Shell can’t quit the Arctic
Despite the damage to its reputation, Shell insists on continuing its controversial Arctic campaign. The company says that the world needs the oil and gas resources of the Arctic. But according to...
View ArticleClimate benefits of a natural gas bridge ‘unlikely to be significant’
Natural gas can only be a worthwhile bridge to a low carbon future if a series of tough conditions are met, according to a working paper from the influential New Climate Economy initiative. The paper...
View ArticleWhy is oil and gas activity causing earthquakes? And can we reduce the risk?
The US has witnessed markedly increased seismicity in recent years. There is little doubt that this is caused by oil and gas extraction activities, writes Matthew Hornbach, Associate Professor of...
View ArticleIEA sees “harsh reality” for gas industry
From a Golden Age of Gas to a “harsh reality” in just a few years – the 2015 “Gas medium-term market report“ released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 4 June in Paris sounded a warning note...
View ArticleGoing for gas: the risky strategy of the world’s largest companies
They are the biggest companies in the world and they are making a huge bet: they are staking their – and our – future on natural gas. At the World Gas Conference in Paris, the major oil companies all...
View ArticleCan the smart grid survive a cyberattack?
Technological advances in grid operation have made the power grid increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, writes Michael McElfresh, Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering at Santa Clara...
View ArticleThe YieldCo: the solar revolution meets Wall Street
The invention of the YieldCo is a gamechanger that will enable spectacular growth of solar PV, writes solar pioneer Peter F. Varadi. According to Varadi, the PV YieldCo offers significant advantages...
View ArticleDean Oskvig, CEO Black & Veatch: physics not policy will dictate energy future
“We can make all kinds of policies and laws and regulations, but no legal system is powerful enough to violate the laws of physics,” says Dean Oskvig, President and CEO Black & Veatch Energy, part...
View ArticleObama’s Clean Power Plan: a modest proposal with revolutionary implications
President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, designed to cut carbon emissions from power plants, seems pragmatic and moderate, certainly by European standards. Yet for US observers it “makes history”, because...
View ArticleThe new IAEA-Kazakhstani nuclear fuel bank: key enabler for global expansion...
With all the publicity around the Iran nuclear deal, not much attention has been given to an equally significant nuclear move: the agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with...
View ArticleSustainable oil from algae: the technology is ready, what about the politics?
Algae ponds covering an area the size of Sydney could satisfy the entire crude oil demand of Australia, according to a recent study from Australian researchers Bojan Tamburic and Arunima Malik. But...
View ArticleThe Eurasian Big Bang: how China and Russia are carving out their own world...
While politicians in the United States are outdoing each other condemning the Iran nuclear agreement, the rest of the world is moving on, writes Asia Times correspondent Pepe Escobar. Virtually...
View ArticleGlobal coal boom? It ends as China and world wake up to reality of carbon...
The idea that the world is experiencing a coal renaissance, as is sometimes assumed or proclaimed by observers, is mistaken, writes Joseph Romm, editor of the weblog Climate Progress. According to...
View ArticleBuying energy in the land of the free
European energy users often look with envy at the US, where energy is abundant and cheap. However, writes Benedict De Meulemeester, such simplistic comparisons ignore the many structural differences...
View ArticleParis climate summit: EU chooses transformation over decarbonisation
European environment ministers have agreed a negotiating mandate for the EU for the UN climate conference in Paris in December (COP21). Under the influence of Poland and other Eastern European...
View ArticleSolar finance wizard David Arfin: “Why should people have to prepay their...
With his invention of the SolarLease for SolarCity, he revolutionised the US residential solar market. Now, David Arfin, CEO of First Energy Finance, wants to take his business model to other parts of...
View ArticleUS desperately needs a national energy policy
The US – and indeed the world – is at a crossroads when it comes to the choice on how we want to provide energy services in the future, writes US energy expert Allan Hoffman. According to Hoffman, the...
View ArticleChina and US: new climate commitments, common vision
US President Obama and Chinese President Xi announced far-reaching new climate policy proposals on 25 September during Xi’s state visit in Washington DC. Ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP21) in Paris...
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