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Incisive commentary from RAP experts
RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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November 27, 2023
Will EU’s buildings directive bring benefits for low-income households?
Louise Sunderland highlights that flexible household energy use is pivotal to the energy transition. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive provides an essential gateway to citizen participation in the smart energy system and to cheaper energy for low-income households —… View Summary +
September 20, 2023
Key issues at stake as EU electricity market reform nears finishing line
A quick side-by-side of the positions in Parliament and Council Reform of the European electricity market design should enter the final stages ahead of next year’s elections. Will the racers be able to cross the finish line in time? This… View Summary +
August 16, 2023
The IRA Includes a Big Push for Heat Pumps, But States Can Do Even More
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) became law one year ago, on August 16, 2022. Its billions in investment for the clean energy transition includes considerable resources to spur heat pump adoption across the country. But how much of an… View Summary +
August 2, 2023
The UK is sleepwalking into a big problem with its gas network
To decarbonise the UK, the long term use of gas for heating, including any potential for hydrogen, is limited. Getting off gas is now an obvious climate change and energy security necessity. Both the UK government… View Summary +
July 17, 2023
How to reap the benefits of district heating? Make it local
The city of Groningen in the Netherlands has long been home to Europe’s largest fossil gas field. As fossil fuel production winds down, city authorities are looking for alternative residential and commercial heat sources. One of the solutions they found… View Summary +
June 23, 2023
From the Ground Up: Rural Electric Co-ops Can Lead on Decarbonization
- Megan Anderson ,
- Ken Colburn ,
- Camille Kadoch
With the Biden-Harris administration’s recent announcement of $11 billion for rural energy providers to electrify and decarbonize, rural electric cooperatives now have the boost they need to apply their nimble capabilities and lead the energy transition. Although energy… View Summary +
June 15, 2023
How clean is Europe’s district heating?
District heating needs to speed up decarbonisation to reach climate goals Over the past year, how we heat our buildings has become a top priority for most citizens, businesses and governments. And rightfully so, as a third of… View Summary +
May 18, 2023
Clean, efficient and smart: District heating can support Europe’s decarbonisation efforts
Valuable flexibility can be exploited with efficient heating and cooling systems In the 1920s, the Parisian heat network burned coal to provide steam to pre-heat the trains leaving Gare de Lyon station. Over time, the network grew into a district… View Summary +
May 15, 2023
Prudent Gas System Planning Can Minimize Risk
- Elaine Prause
According to the American Gas Association, from 2018 to 2020, natural gas utilities added an average of 753,619 customers and 20,724 miles of pipeline each year. This equates to adding more than one customer per minute and more than… View Summary +
May 8, 2023
In the Electrification Push, Familiar Tools Get Repurposed
- Jessica Shipley ,
- Camille Kadoch
Stephen King wrote, “Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” Many “new” regulatory approaches to encourage building electrification are actually just new applications of tried-and-true methods policymakers have been using for years. Take, for example, clean heat standards, which… View Summary +