South Africa’s electricity sector has emerged from a turbulent decade that has been tarnished by corruption and mismanagement. Vested political interests within the electricity industry here could still be locking the continent’s biggest carbon emitter on its current course as one of the dirtiest and most energy-intensive economies in the world, writes Leonie Joubert.
All posts tagged: Electricity
Puerto Rican energy: does calm come after the storm?
Since multiple failures of the Puerto Rican electricity network due to climate catastrophes, the government is looking for new ways to create more energy security. Energy reforms are intended to remedy the situation, but what role do renewable energies play? Maximiliano Proaño explains:
Polish electricity prices on the rise
Poland has seen relatively low electricity prices in recent years. While prices have been growing for our neighbours (e.g. Germany), Poland has managed to keep them fairly flat. However, all the signs are that this state of affairs is about to end, writes Michał Olszewski.
What’s next for the energy transition in Uruguay?
Over just four years, Uruguay increased its share of wind power from one percent to 33 percent. And in September, the country made headlines as it reached a new historical wind record of 48.94 percent. This is of course an amazing development, but there are still issues to be solved, says Maximiliano Proaño.
Renewables in Germany close in on 40% of total generation
Germany is edging ever closer to its national target of 65% renewable energy by 2030: even as new government regulations slow down the speed of the Energiewende, market forces and Mother Nature have ensured that throughout 2018, renewable energy will cover at least 38% of Germany’s total electricity consumption. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look.
Is the Czech energy sector about to become the “Wild East”?
Anybody following the Czech political debate about the future of the energy sector here must be confused. Sometimes it seems we have woken up back in 1985. Martin Sedlák attempts to give a sense of the current context of that debate.
How persistent is lignite in the energy mix?
Recent revival of the European carbon market has brought some optimism to those, who would like to see lignite disappear from the European energy mix altogether.
Upcoming Ontario election could jeopardize energy transition
The Canadian province of Ontario is heading to the polls on June 7th, and the fate of the province’s energy transition hangs in the balance. If the opposition party wins, popular energy efficiency programs could be cut and housing emissions will remain too high, says Niall Williams.
After two weeks without power, civilization collapses
And by the time you read this, Puerto Rico and several other Caribbean Islands will have been without electricity for that long. A German study from 2010 investigated the matter for Europe, just months before Fukushima. Craig Morris retells the tale.
Why Volvo going ‘all-electric’ is not as revolutionary as it seems
Volvo’s shift towards electric vehicles is not likely to signal the end of combustion engines. Only some serious investments in infrastructure can do that; but in the meantime, hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles are still relevant, says Jim Saker.