Climate change and energy info from nef

The fallout from the Scottish referendum continues...

From the New Economics Foundation today:

Energy round-up: What next for Scottish energy?

Photo credit:   Berardo62

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 // BY: GRIFFIN CARPENTER

Three things you shouldn't miss this week

1. Chart: How Scotland’s energy compares with the rest of the UK’s 

Source: DECC electricity generation and supply figures for the home nations, 2012, via Carbon Brief

2. Commentary: What Happens To Clean Energy Investments If Scotland Votes “Yes”? - Reviewing the BNEF study.

3. Commentary: Going green is good for the economy (depending on your economic worldview) – How the UK economy could be larger, its households better off, unemployment lower and its businesses richer if it chooses to cut emissions. 

Energy Transition

Adapt or perish: global shift to renewables inevitable, says IRENA - The global shift to a world powered predominately by decentralised renewable energy is happening, whether we are ready for it or not.
Sun and Wind Alter Global Landscape, Leaving Utilities Behind – Of all the developed nations, few have pushed harder than Germany to find a solution to global warming. And towering symbols of that drive are appearing in the middle of the North Sea.
IEA finds energy efficiency is fuel for economic growth - The EU does not do enough to conserve energy, endangering security of supply and the global climate, says a new study conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), citing enormous growth potential in energy efficiency.
Are we about to pay for high-carbon power plants we don’t need? - The UK's households could end up paying for expensive new power stations which are not actually needed, according to a committee of MPs.
Going green is good for the economy (depending on your economic worldview) - The UK economy will be larger, its households better off, unemployment lower and its businesses richer if it chooses to cut emissions. Say what?
The First 100% Green Grid Is Online, Figuratively Speaking - Mecklenburg is already 100% renewable on paper but, without storage, up until recently now most of that electricity had to be exported.

Oil & Gas

West pushes crippling sanctions on Russia's oil industry despite Ukraine ceasefire - EU to ban loans to five state-owned banks and three energy companies.
Saudi reports oil cutback as OPEC again cuts demand view - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia told OPEC it reduced its oil output in August by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), a cutback coinciding with a drop in oil prices towards the kingdom's preferred level of $100 a barrel.
Moscow limits German and Polish gas flows as 'warning' - Poland said on Wednesday it was receiving 20 percent less gas than normal from Russia and a German gas operator said its supplies of Russian gas were slightly reduced.
Limits to Growth was right - Four decades after the book was published, Limit to Growth’s forecasts have been vindicated by new Australian research.
Fracking Wells Tainting Drinking Water in Texas and Pennsylvania, Study Finds - In 2012, Steve Lipsky began appearing in photos and videos with a lighter in hand, igniting the water that flowed out of his family’s tap.
Will China’s great fracking leap help it wean off coal? - Fracking technology has crossed over from the fields of Pennsylvania and Texas to the mountains of Sichuan, but so have risks and consequences.
How Hillary Clinton's State Department Sold Fracking to the World - A trove of secret documents details the US government's global push for shale gas.
Living near a fracking site DOUBLES the risk of developing lung and skin conditions, claims study - Study by Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, warns of health risks.
Study Links Increased Drilling With Earthquakes - Scientists Say Tremors in Colorado, New Mexico Likely Connected to Nearby Wastewater Injection Wells.

Nuclear

Japan approves nuclear restart amid push to close old reactors - Japan's nuclear regulator on Wednesday approved the restart of a nuclear power station, the first step to reopening an industry that has been idle since the Fukushima disaster.

UK

South Downs National Park Authority rejects shale drilling bid - Planning committee turn down Celtique Energie application to explore for shale gas and oil near Fernhurst in West Sussex.
How much North Sea oil revenue can an independent Scotland extract? - The SNP stresses the economic importance of oil and gas but experts aren't sure how much is out there or how much it's worth.
Scots Independence Is Risk for Clean-Energy Projects, BNEF Says - Scottish independence threatens to discourage renewable-energy investments and delay decisions on projects because of uncertainty over regulation and support...
Green Deal energy efficiency scheme a 'disappointing failure' - Government should offer council tax or stamp duty cuts to revive interest in energy efficiency, after flagship loan scheme failed, MPs say.
Power plant construction programme 'may prove expensive and unnecessary' - Public might have underwrite £359m annual cost if ministers do not put more emphasis on reducing electricity demand, MPs say.
What Happens To Clean Energy Investments If Scotland Votes “Yes”? - Reviewing the BNEF study by Kieron Stopforth.

Climate

Climate change remedies 'affordable', says global body - Politicians will put the world economy at risk if they fail to tackle climate change, a global commission has warned.
Ed Davey promises bold action from the UK at UN climate summit - The government has outlined an action plan to ensure a global climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of UN conference in Paris in 2015 and climate summit in New York later this month.
Public transport holds key for clean cities, says study - Effective urban transit systems can encourage people out of their cars and provide a cost-effective way to tackle climate change, a report has suggested.
Lawmakers to test EU's five billion euro carbon permit giveaway - European lawmakers will vote next week on whether to force Brussels officials to rethink giving billions of euros worth of carbon allowances away for free to heavy industries.

Related Reports and Commentary

The UK government’s vision for a global climate deal – DECC
REthinking Energy: Towards a new power system - International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Better Growth Better Climate - The New Climate Economy
Exxon: Is business as normal the right strategy? - Carbon Tracker
For A Few Trillion Barrels More - Euan Mearns, Energy Matters
The Economics of Climate Change Policy in the UK - Cambridge Econometrics
Renewable energy country attractiveness index - EY

Energy round-up: What next for Scottish energy? | New Economics Foundation

From two weeks ago:

Energy Transition

Renewable energy capacity grows at fastest ever pace - Green technologies now produce 22% of world's electricity.
China's national carbon market to start in 2016 -official – The world's biggest-emitting nation, accounting for nearly 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, plans to use the market to slow its rapid growth in climate-changing emissions.
Energiewende: energy transition in Germany - Is Germany’s energy transition to renewables, wishful thinking, or is it really a shining light?
Germany's flagship green energy policy 'in tatters' - McKinsey report finds Angela Merkel's commitment to cut CO2 emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels "no longer realistic".
100 percent renewable power investigated - The results of a three-year project investigating what a purely renewable power supply would look like have been published.
Germany to Inject Up to $4.3 Billion Into Climate, Energy Fund - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government plans to transfer as much as 3.3 billion euros ($4.3 billion) into a fund for climate and energy projects that has been short of cash because of low prices for pollution permits.
Europe is burning our forests for “renewable” energy. Wait, what? - If you’re driving through the South and you see a denuded field filled with stubby new plantings where lush forest once stood.

Oil & Gas

EU moves to help Ukraine with Slovak gas link - Slovakia opened a pipeline on Tuesday able to deliver natural gas from the European Union to Ukraine...
Europe drafts emergency energy plan with eye on Russia gas shut-down - The European Union could ban gas exports and limit industrial use as part of emergency measures to protect household energy supplies this winter.
IEA Chief: North American LNG a Drop In Europe's Gas Bucket - “As I’m sure many of you in this room already know, a few tens of [billion cubic feet] of LNG will not make much difference, given that OECD-Europe production continues to fall by similar quantities.”
US shale: What lies beneath - An innovation boom is bringing lower costs and higher productivity, but how long will it last?
Pennsylvania says 243 private water wells contaminated by gas drilling since 2007 - Six years into a natural gas boom, Pennsylvania has for the first time released details...
Water stress may curtail fracking, says WRI - Water shortages could hinder fracking for shale oil and gas in many parts of the world, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has said.
Fracking Link to Birth Defects Probed in Early Research - The first research into the effects of oil and gas development on babies born near wells has found potential health risks.

Nuclear

Nuclear reactors may stay offline until end of year, EDF says - Four UK nuclear reactors that were shut down for safety reasons may not be back online until the end of the year.
The trouble with Europe’s ageing nuclear power plants - The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014 suggests that without swift measures, nuclear power in Europe could be entering its twilight years.

UK

UK seeks extra electricity ahead of 'uncertain winter' - National Grid is seeking additional electricity supplies for winter after unexpected plant shutdowns have raised fears of potential shortages.
Liberal Democrats seek to ban 'unabated' coal power - Measure will form the centrepiece of party's commitment on the environment in 2015 general election manifesto.
Could an independent Scotland deliver a low carbon future? - Energy policy has been a topic the opposing camps have repeatedly clashed over.
Rival camps wade into debate over Scotland’s oil reserves - Is the North Sea a third full or four-fifths empty? And how will that translate into dollars, pounds or a new currency flowing into Holyrood’s coffers if Scotland votes for independence on September 18?
Labour attempts to strengthen regulation of UK fracking industry - Opposition party to table amendments to Lords infrastructure bill that would tighten rules for companies drilling for shale gas

Climate

Leaked U.N. Report: Climate Change Impacts Already ‘Inevitable,’ May Soon Be ‘Irreversible’ - The effects of climate change will be “severe, pervasive and irreversible” within the next few decades.
Full extent of global coal 'binge' is hidden, say researchers - The climate impacts of the world's fossil-fuelled power plants are being underestimated because of poor accounting, say researchers.
UK public ignorant of climate science consensus – poll - Gap between reality and public perception of climate science is reminiscent of MMR controversy, says NGO.

Related Reports and Commentary

Fossil fuel divestment: a $5 trillion challenge - Bloomberg New Energy Finance
New Analysis Finds 38% of World’s Shale Resources Face Water Stress - World Resources Insitute
Why the government froze the carbon price - REDACTED - Zachary Davies Boren, Greenpeace

Energy round-up: on the edge? | New Economics Foundation

From last month:
Energy round-up: [redacted] | New Economics Foundation
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