August 9, 2011 in Blog
July 1, 2011 in Oil Sands
It is an inescapable fact that the world needs energy to keep moving, manufacturing and developing. With the global population increasing to 9bn by 2050 – and changes in lifestyle as we become more affluent – energy demand will only increase.
With conventional oil production near its peak and the political climate in much of the world’s supply fields increasingly volatile, new ways need to be found to securely meet demand as we search for a viable alternative to oil.
Discussion: What role should oil sands play in the world's future energy mix?Related Content:
Live Debate - Oil sands – where next for EU energy policy?
June 24, 2011 in Live Debates
Background
High oil prices and technological advances have turned oil sands into a commercially-viable source of fuel. A number of energy companies have invested heavily in expanding oil production from oil sands in Canada, which is home to close to half the world’s oil sands reserves. The European Union imports very little oil derived from Canada’s oil sands, but fuel from oil sands has recently become a point of contention.
The European Union’s fuel quality directive, which was agreed in 2009, requires oil companies operating in Europe to cut the greenhouse-gas emissions of their products by 6% between 2010 and 2020. The EU was supposed to adopt emission footprint values for all types of fossil fuels by 1 January 2011. But this technical decision has been postponed repeatedly.
The European Commission is considering whether to assign a higher emission footprint value to oil sands because of the energy-intensive techniques used in the extraction process.
Environment groups are opposed to production of oil from oil sands on the grounds that extraction takes place in untouched forest areas and can produce considerable amounts of toxic waste. They also argue that putting oil sands on an equal footing with conventional oil would send out a wrong signal about the EU’s commitment to de-carbonising its economy, and would encourage the exploitation of oil sands in other parts of the world, which are less democratic and regulated, instead of encouraging the world towards the use of cleaner energy sources.
The Canadian government and European energy companies investing in oil sands point out that CO2 emissions from oil-sands production have been reduced by nearly 40% since the 1990s. They argue that the carbon intensity of oil sands, taken along the entire production chain, is within the same range or lower than other crude oils and that technological innovation can deliver further reductions.
As worldwide oil-sands reserves are equivalent to more than twice the current reserves of conventional oil, the stakes are high. EU member states appear undecided. The European Commission is still pondering its final decision, and independent studies diverge on the actual carbon footprint of oil sands.
Is it justified for the EU to adopt specific measures on the oil sands? How should other high carbon crudes be treated? What is the actual carbon footprint of oil sands? How does this compare to other fossil fuels? Can technology help to mitigate it? What about other environmental impacts of oil sands development? How compatible is it with EU climate change policy? Would an EU decision to penalise oil sands affect the world’s use of fossil fuels?
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Timing
18.00-18.30 Welcome of participants and registration
18.30-18.35 Introduction of participants by Simon Taylor, news editor, European Voice
18.35-19.05 Panel discussion
- Satu Hassi MEP, co-ordinator for the greens in the environment committee, European Parliament
- Jeanette Patell, second secretary, economic and trade policy, Mission of Canada to the European Union
- Samantha Gross, director, integrated research, IHS CERA
- Nuša Urbančič, policy officer, fuels and electrification, Transport & Environment
- Pierre Noël, senior research associate, Cambridge University
19.05-19.55 Debate (audience participation strongly encouraged)
19.55-20.00 Conclusions by John Abbott, senior vice-president heavy oil, Shell
20.00 Networking reception
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Location
Museum of Natural Sciences
Rue Vautier 29
B-1000 Brussels
Related Content:
None...
June 1, 2011 in Low-Carbon Technologies, Other
Innovation is a leading theme in the energy world, as established players and startup companies strive to find the best route to sustainable, low-carbon development while still making sure that there is security of supply. In this edition of Comment Visions we examine the theme of innovation from several angles, examining the process of innovation, the barriers to rapid development and deployment of clean energy ideas, and how intelligent thinking can make the best of renewable energy resources.
Discussion: How can we speed up innovation in energy technology to ensure a secure and sustainable energy future?Related Content:
Programme -- Being smart with electricity
Programme -- Automation – can clever devices be the answer to saving energy?
May 18, 2011 in Blog
May 2, 2011 in Biofuels
Biofuels are in an ambiguous position in the field of sustainable energy, and in this programme we focus on their production in an effort to understand how they can be made, what impact they have on the environment, and how they should develop in the future. Dismissed outright by some environmentalists as a polluting threat to the natural environment, biofuels are also championed by others as a necessary product to feed demand for low-carbon fuels in shipping, aviation and road freight.
Discussion: What are the opportunities and challenges in biofuels production?Related Content:
Live debate: De-carbonised transport: with or without biofuels?
Programme: The thorny question of biofuels
Discussion: What would it take to unlock the full potential of biofuels?
January 1, 2011 in Green Cities
Many cities around the world are facing huge challenges when it comes to sustainability. With a rising population and higher energy demands not only problems about waste reduction and water supplies have to be solved, but also transport and energy efficiency in buildings have to be changed in order to make “Megacities” greener and more sustainable.
Discussion: What can we do to ensure cities are sustainable now?Related Content:
Discussion: By how much should we expect renewables to replace fossil fuels over the next 20 years?
December 1, 2010 in Progress towards Sustainability
We are at a pivotal moment in history. The decisions we make now about how we generate energy will echo down the coming centuries. For one hundred years we have relied upon fossil fuels to build an industrial society unequalled in history. Now we have a new task: to continue supplying power to maintain growth, while at the same time reducing the greenhouse gas emissions which threaten rapid climate change. Many scientists say we have only a few years to accomplish this transition.
Discussion: What would it take to really speed up the transition to a carbon neutral society?Related Content:
November 1, 2010 in Biofuels, Other
To overcome dwindling oil supplies and to reduce greenhouse gases, we can derive our transportation fuels from plants. But environmentalists argue biofuels encourage unsustainable agriculture and sacrifice food for fuel. So, are biofuels really the green saviour?
Discussion: What would it take to unlock the full potential of biofuels?Related Content:
Live debate - De-carbonised transport: with or without biofuels?
October 19, 2010 in Other
As the European Commission is in the process of finalising its new transport white paper, a strategic document that will set the tone of EU transport policy for a decade, controversy about the sustainability of biofuels remains.
One of the goals of future EU policy will be to decarbonise the transport sector by 2050. Whereas electricity is seen to be the future of urban and short distance mobility, liquid fuels are likely to remain an essential part of rural and long-distance mobility. Biofuels have long been perceived to have an important role to play in the transition towards low-carbon transport. However, doubts have been cast about the carbon footprint of biofuels, in particular when it comes to conventional biofuels made from corn, wheat, sugar and palm oil. The potential impact of biofuels on food security is a further point of debate.
The uncertainty about the contribution of biofuels to reducing CO2 emissions was reflected in the agreement on the directive on the promotion of renewable energy. EU leaders originally intended to include a target of 10% of biofuels in transport by 2020. However the final text only mentioned 10% of ‘energy from renewable sources’ in transport.
One of the main elements of the Directive was the inclusion of mandatory sustainability criteria for biofuels in order to protect forests, wetlands and other areas of high conservation value. It allows for a voluntary certification scheme for biofuels, which would also apply to imports.
The directive also foresees that the Commission should review the impact of indirect land use change – that is, the notion that biofuels production can displace existing agricultural activities, creating indirect emissions elsewhere. The Commission is required to report the European Parliament and Council by the end of 2010, reviewing the impact of indirect land use change effects on greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels and addressing ways to minimise that impact.
The question of indirect land use change (iLUC) remains a divisive issue, over which Commission departments have not been able to agree. There is evidence that iLUC risks can be mitigated by introducing better agricultural practices. Others actors are calling for iLUC penalty factors to be added to the greenhouse gas calculations for biofuel feedstocks to reflect iLUC risk. The Commission launched a public consultation in July 2010, to get external feedback on the studies it has carried out or commissioned thus far.
What will be the place of biofuels in the future energy mix of Europe’s transport sector? Can a transition to low-carbon transport happen without biofuels? What can be done to prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of indirect land use change?
* * *
Timing
18.00-18.30 Welcome of participants and registration
18.30-18.35 Introduction of participants by Jennifer Rankin, energy and environment reporter, European Voice
18.35-19.05 Panel discussion
• Jens Rohde MEP, coordinator of the ALDE group on the ITRE committee
• Hans van Steen, head of unit, regulatory policy and promotion of renewable energies, DG energy, European Commission
• Thomas Gameson, director government and public affairs Europe, Abengoa Bioenergy
• Jos Dings, director, Transport & Environment
• Jeremy Woods, lecturer in bioenergy, Imperial College London
19.05-19.55 Debate (audience participation strongly encouraged)
19.55-20.00 Conclusions by Luis Scoffone, vice-president, alternative energies, Shell
20.00 Networking reception
Provisional Timing
18.00-18.30 Welcome of participants and registration
18.30-18.35 Introduction of participants by European Voice senior editorial staff
18.35-19.05 Panel discussion
· Jens Rohde MEP, coordinator of the ALDE group on the ITRE committee
· Günther Oettinger, EU commissioner for energy*
· Antonio Vallespir de Gregorio, CEO Europe, Abengoa Bioenergy*
· Jos Dings, director, Transport & Environment*
· Representative of a development NGO
19.05-19.55 Debate (audience participation strongly encouraged)
19.55-20.00 Conclusions by Shell senior executive
20.00 Networking reception
Related Content:
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