Siemens spent half a billion euros developing the most efficient gas turbine in the world. Last year, it sold no electricity at all, but was only used to stabilize the grid. Now, the unit is to be taken off the market and put into standby reserve next year. Craig Morris says the story shows how important it is not to confuse engineers with policymakers.
All posts tagged: Energy Efficiency
The magic of efficiency revealed
Germany aims to reduce its energy consumption by 50 percent by 2050 relative to 2005. It sounds like a fanciful target, especially if the country continues to grow economically. But in reality, Craig Morris says, there are two simple steps to this goal, which do not seem so magical once you know them.
Energy efficiency in Latin America, the missing piece
Energy efficiency measures are low hanging fruits to achieve more sustainable energy systems. Still, the topic is not very high on the political agenda in Latin America. A new study compares progress made by the countries in the region and names best practices. Sandra Guzman summarizes the findings.
Zürich on the path to a 2,000-Watt Society
The City of Zürich’s Environmental Department says that the town is moving further away from the target it adopted in 2008 in a referendum.
Germany’s Energiewende requires sophisticated governance, political stamina
Conceptualizing a policy as broad and ambitious as Energiewende – Germany’s goal to transition nearly 100 percent of its electricity supply to renewable energy by 2050 – is one thing. Implementing it is another thing entirely. What is required is good governance, as Peter Sopher explains.
German government passes climate package
Yesterday, Chancellor Merkel’s cabinet officially adopted a set of new laws to help the country reach its 2020 carbon emissions reduction target of 40 percent relative to 1990. Craig Morris says the winner is… efficiency!
Transition énergétique: What France’s energy law learns from Germany and the UK
In August, France announced the first steps of its Energiewende, called transition énergétique. Mat Hope compares France’s latest efforts to the efficiency and renewable policies that are already in place in the UK and Germany.
Renewables K.O.-ed by EROI?
If it takes too much energy to make generators of renewable energy relative to what these units produce, the energy transition will not be possible. A new study by nuclear researchers finds that the need for storage and backup makes the EROI of renewables too low. Craig Morris investigates.
Will market coupling lead to one European power market?
Market coupling is a good way to allocate cross-border transmission capacity, better for example than explicit auctions. But it is not the same as a single power market. Nor does it inevitably lead to one. Jan Ondrich takes a look.
Transition Beyond Goals
Innovative policies, including higher contributions from industry, home energy efficiency improvements, and consumer awareness of price differences between suppliers, are called for to help Germans lower energy prices during the switch to renewables, argues Paul Hockenos.