Energy

We are proud to announce that Comment:Visions is media partner for The World Biofuels Markets Congress & Exhibition, Rotterdam 2012, helping bring together the entire value chain of the biofuels industry to do business.Read more

Meeting the energy demands of our increasingly urbanised society while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions seems like an almost impossible task. It’s a formidable challenge that sees the energy sector at the crossroads. This month on Commentvisions.com we’re discussing the role that society can play in delivering a clean energy future. And we’re looking back, in this programme, at the last year in which we’ve discussed energy and the future with experts across Europe.

Discussion: What role does society have in delivering a sustainable energy future?

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An Interview with Dr. Franz-Xavier Soeldner, keynote speaker at the Clean Fuels Consulting Critical Issues Workshop, Chickens & Eggs: Opportunities, Challenges & Strategies Building the NGV Infrastructure on 7-8 December 2011 in Brussels. (See www.ChickensandEggs.eu)Read more

Launched 2005, the EU Emissions Trading System is designed to help member states achieve their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, allowing participating organizations and states to buy-and-sell emissions allowances as they need.

But the recent lull in manufacturing and therefore demand for power in the wake of the global financial crisis has created a false reduction in emissions since 2008 that can only rise as the economy re-starts – and this has driven down the price of carbon traded on the open market as credits remain unused.

Now approaching its third phase, what impact has the ETS had in Europe to date?

Discussion: Is Europe’s Emissions Trading Scheme effective?

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What role does gas play in a low carbon energy future?  In this month’s edition, we discuss:

- how using more gas in power generation can or cannot make contribution at the lowest cost to meeting emission reduction targets in this decade

- the economical arguments for and against using more gas in power generation

- the role that technology and innovation play in unlocking the world’s gas resources

- what is needed from policy makers to ensure gas is or is not considered as a fuel to meet CO2 reduction targets

Discussion: What is the role for gas in a low-carbon energy future?

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Hearing one of the senior directors at Volkswagen describing future cities with no cars parked on the street was one of the highlights of the European Voice Innovation Forum in Brussels earlier this week.Read more

Background

European Union leaders have set themselves the goal of achieving a low-carbon economy by 2050. A major element of that goal is the de-carbonisation of Europe’s energy sector.

The European Commission’s energy department will present, later this year, an energy roadmap that will outline details of how to meet the challenges of energy supply and security and a move towards a low-carbon economy.

Policymakers are confronted with recent developments and changes in the global energy markets. The conflict in Libya has reduced supplies from this significant supplier country. The catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has prompted a rethinking of attitudes towards nuclear energy – for example, the German government has decided to phase out the use of nuclear power by 2022.

A clear strategy to help meet energy demand and tackle CO2 emissions is therefore needed. It will have to combine effective policies to support the integration of the energy market with energy efficiency measures in sectors like transport and power generation, in a context of rising global energy demand and where full-scale deployment of low-carbon solutions – like renewable energies or carbon capture and storage (CCS) – are still years away.

To this aim, the European Commission recently presented a proposal for a new energy efficiency directive, which would require EU member states to establish energy saving schemes. It raises important policy choices for the EU which, coupled with the energy roadmap, can help make significant progress towards the goal of moving to a low-carbon economy.

Can the EU succeed in transforming its energy sector? Can it deliver without achieving rapid progress on energy efficiency? Will the new directive provide the right instruments? What policies can the roadmap suggest to cut emissions and improve efficiency in the transport and power generation sectors? Which technologies can best support this transition?

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Since the industrial revolution our planet has grown richer and its inhabitants healthier and longer-lived. The great challenge is how to continue that trend, encourage the same stable growth in the developing world, while also answering the global call to action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our impact on climate change.

Which energy sources will we be using in 2050? How does that compare to the current situation? Which clean energy source is forecast to see the greatest growth by mid-century, and which current energy source is forecast to see a downturn by 2050?

Discussion: Which energy sources will we be using in 2050?

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