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In a Quickly Changing World, Gas Utilities and Regulators Need a Plan

By Megan Anderson
America’s favorite fictional salesman of propane and propane accessories, Hank Hill, may have said it best: “When you plan ahead, then when things happen, you're prepared.” Changes in the energy sector have big ramifications for the way utilities serve the current 70 million residential and 3.5 million commercial and industrial consumers of fossil gas in... Read More

Unwinding Finance for Coal Power in China: The Role of Power Sector Reform

By Max Dupuy
Building on its commitment to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060, China’s government recently pledged to “strictly control” coal power capacity over the next five years, before beginning to phase it out in subsequent years. Yet, despite these targets and the weakening underlying economics of coal-fired power plants relativ... Read More

“十四五”规划：西北地区电力行业转型下一步怎么走？

By Wang Xuan
在国际能源转型的大浪潮下，制定中国电力行业低碳发展路线的工作也在逐步深入。习近平总书记在2020年底气候雄心峰会上宣布，到2030年，中国单位国内生产总值二氧化碳排放将比2005年下降65%以上，非化石能源占一次能源消费比重将达到25%左右，风电、太阳能发电总装机容... Read More

How the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive risks destroying Europe’s forests

By Dominic Scott, Jan Rosenow, Samuel Thomas
In meeting their 2020 renewable energy targets, EU Member States have overseen large increases in renewable power. But this has been accompanied by a less welcome development: a near doubling in the amount of energy derived from solid biomass, which is currently classified as zero carbon. The majority of this biomass comes from the EU’s forests – and a maj... Read More

Reliability is a challenge but the opportunities are endless

By Rasika Athawale
Distribution companies (discoms) are under increased pressure to begin maintaining an uninterrupted supply of electricity. In her recent annual budget speech, India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted that the discoms’ “monopoly behaviour” is a deterrent to the country’s economic growth. As a means of correcting the problems, Sitharaman annou... Read More

Fit and fair: The case for a European fund for targeted renovation

By Louise Sunderland, Samuel Thomas
This week European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans revealed that any extension of carbon pricing to heating and transport would be accompanied by a “climate action social fund.” He states the purpose of this fund is to compensate for possible adverse effects, especially for the most vulnerable citizens. Our new report Pricing is just the Icing a... Read More

Rugby, and the art of regulating energy in times of uncertainty

By Bram Claeys, Dominic Scott
Here’s an analogy you weren’t expecting: Regulating energy is, surprisingly, much like regulating the sport of rugby. Regulators in both areas contend with challenges from a number of fronts. Rugby “regulators” have had to, over time, adapt the game to please players, fans and sponsors to keep the sport viable and entertaining. Energy regulators are also ... Read More

Non-wires alternatives can be a solution to India’s grid reliability challenge

By Rasika Athawale
India’s electricity regulators, at the central and state level, are tasked with setting appropriate regulations and standards that govern grid reliability and protect consumer rights. While the incidence of complete blackout is rare, the reliability of distribution networks — better known as discoms in India — is below par, especially in rural areas. One... Read More

How Electrifying Trucks Can Help Roadside Neighborhoods Breathe Easier

By David Farnsworth, Camille Kadoch, Nancy Seidman
We know that electrifying trucks, as we wrote last month, can reduce significant amounts of air pollution; it can also have significant health benefits, particularly for frontline communities. Analysis by Alexander Meitiv and Ann Xu for Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute finds that, by electrifying just 40% of existing, predominantly diesel-fueled medium-... Read More

Building insulation: Is hydrogen our get out of jail free card?

By Jan Rosenow
In the board game Monopoly, an important feature is the ‘get out of jail free’ card, which allows players who end up in jail to avoid paying a fine to get out. In recent months, gas industry representatives have suggested that, when it comes to decarbonising buildings, hydrogen is their get out of jail free card. They argue that eliminating emissions from ... Read More

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