Fierce battle looms over cars and heat in EU emissions trading
Road transport and buildings have been spared from EU ETS obligations until now, but an upcoming revision may change that, and climate campaigners are concerned.
Tech / Renewables
Renewables
Oil nations face perilous future without energy transition support
Petrostates face a tricky future as the world decarbonises, with declining oil revenues threatening their finances. There is a strong case for industrialised countries to offer more support to less well off producer economies.
The role of battery storage in the energy transition
Falling prices have made battery energy storage competitive for myriad applications on and off the grid. Additional support from policymakers will enable storage to realise its enormous potential.
Weekly data: Renewables overtake nuclear in global electricity mix
More electricity was generated from renewables than nuclear in 2019, but despite strong growth, investment in renewables will have to be massively scaled up to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Clean energy companies show resilience during Covid recession
Clean energy companies Schneider Electric, Vestas, Sunrun, Xcel Energy and NextEra Energy outperformed companies in other sectors over the past year. Their strong performance came as investment in renewables continued to increase in 2020.
White Papers
Can Latin America’s energy transition weather the pandemic?
With some of the worst death rates from the Covid-19 pandemic, high unemployement and public debt, many Latin American countries are struggling to marry climate action and the need to stop their economies from falling apart.
How Germany plans to build on Covid-induced emissions dip
Germany prioritises its renewables build-out, electric vehicles and hydrogen in a Covid-19 recovery plan that seeks to extend the Energiewende from the power sector to the rest of the economy.
Poland sows the seeds of a post-Covid future beyond coal
Poland may have a reputation as a climate sceptic, but by at least one measure it is building back better than most. Nonetheless, it will need to match EU recovery funds with strong climate policies to really break away from coal.
Can Italy marry clean energy and economic prosperity?
Former chief of the European Central Bank and newly appointed Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi insists tackling climate change is central to his country's economic growth, but Italy has a steep hill to climb to make the shift to a clean energy economy.
UK government falters in delivering green recovery
The UK has made strong commitments to build back better from Covid-19, but recent hiccups raise questions over whether it can deliver on its pledges.
Land conflicts are slowing Kenya’s transition to clean energy
Kenya's 100% renewable energy dream is being dampened by conflicts between indigenous communities and investors over land rights.
France still hedging its bets over nuclear energy future
Nuclear is the bedrock of France's electricity system, but its reactors are old and nuclear's share in the power mix will shrink. Whether the government decides to go all out for renewables or splurge on new nuclear remains to be seen.
A decade after Fukushima, Japan still struggles with its energy future
Ten years after an earthquake and tsunami sparked a crisis in the east of Japan, the country’s electricity generation profile has shifted in favour of fossil fuels. Will its net-zero emissions goal change that?
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