Randall Bowie worked for the EC and helped set the energy policy. He is now a consultant in Rockwool International. He was one of the speakers at PCEEE.
Jornal Público publishes an interview with him.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Goal 2020 - strategy for Portugal
Biosfera is a portuguese television show dedicated to the environment.
One of the last shows was about the Portuguese energy paradigm and the strategy for 2020.
Video (in portuguese)
One of the last shows was about the Portuguese energy paradigm and the strategy for 2020.
Video (in portuguese)
Energy intensity data
World energy intensity (2009)
Energy intensity from 1990 to 2009 (koe/$05p)
Energy intensity per region (2009)World energy intensity has been slowly decreasing.
CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States; includes Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) countries are the main contributors to energy intensity, followed by Africa and the Middle East. Europe has the lower share (8% and less than 0.15 koe/$05p).
Source:
ENERDATA
Saturday, June 26, 2010
World electricity consumption per sector
Source: IEA, 2007The Figure above shows the world electricity consumption per sector.
Residential and commercial and public services account for 50% and industry for 42%.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The dirty truth about plug-in hybrid cars
An interesting article in the Scientific American points out that although electric cars are emissions free on the road, their charging will increase electricity consumption and can also increase emissions depending on the fuels used to produce that electricity.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
PCEEE - energy efficiency conference
I attended today part of PCEEE - Portugal em conferência para uma economia energeticamente eficiente.
This conference was organized by CENSE, ISR, UC, Quercus and IST.
Some interesting information I gathered:
- Energy efficiency is important in all the stages of the electric system.
- Lobbys that advocate for energy efficiency are not too powerful so it does not have the importance in public agenda that it should have.
- Policies associated with energy efficiency measures do not have enough visibility compared with renewable energies, for example.
- Negawatt hour does not have a direct value associated; only an indirect value related with CO2 eq emissions.
- Studies indicate that energy efficiency costs less to implement and has more direct impacts in energy supply and demand because when reducing energy consumption at home we are indirectly increasing the comfort index.
- In transportation, the average occupation of vehicles (private or public transportation) is about 20%. For cars this represents about 1.2 passengers per car.
- There is an Action Plan in preparation by the EU. It should be released in the summer of 2011 and it focus on increasing energy efficiency standards of existing buildings (30 million buildings should have deep renovations by 2020). The problem with this Action Plan is that it seems to be more a set of guidelines and a strategy than measures and actions.
- A lot of problems pose when thinking about financing existing buildings renovations, but there should be no "cherry picking". If you consider that the renovation cycle is of about 30 years, if you today renovated your building by 20%, the rest will be left to renovate 30 years later.
Some interesting links:
European Council for an energy efficient economy
Portugal Clima 2020 (in portuguese)
Ecocasa Quercus
Top ten Quercus
Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US economy, McKinsey study
This conference was organized by CENSE, ISR, UC, Quercus and IST.
Some interesting information I gathered:
- Energy efficiency is important in all the stages of the electric system.
- Lobbys that advocate for energy efficiency are not too powerful so it does not have the importance in public agenda that it should have.
- Policies associated with energy efficiency measures do not have enough visibility compared with renewable energies, for example.
- Negawatt hour does not have a direct value associated; only an indirect value related with CO2 eq emissions.
- Studies indicate that energy efficiency costs less to implement and has more direct impacts in energy supply and demand because when reducing energy consumption at home we are indirectly increasing the comfort index.
- In transportation, the average occupation of vehicles (private or public transportation) is about 20%. For cars this represents about 1.2 passengers per car.
- There is an Action Plan in preparation by the EU. It should be released in the summer of 2011 and it focus on increasing energy efficiency standards of existing buildings (30 million buildings should have deep renovations by 2020). The problem with this Action Plan is that it seems to be more a set of guidelines and a strategy than measures and actions.
- A lot of problems pose when thinking about financing existing buildings renovations, but there should be no "cherry picking". If you consider that the renovation cycle is of about 30 years, if you today renovated your building by 20%, the rest will be left to renovate 30 years later.
Some interesting links:
European Council for an energy efficient economy
Portugal Clima 2020 (in portuguese)
Ecocasa Quercus
Top ten Quercus
Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US economy, McKinsey study
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Fossil fuel subsidies
According to IEA, fossil fuel subsidies amounted to $557 billion in 2008. This represents an increase from $342 billion in 2007. Fossil fuel subsidies are leading to higher levels of consumption and not promoting energy efficiency nor the switch from fossil fuels to alternative, renewable fuels.
Source of this information:
Energy Efficiency News
“Many governments are giving subsidies to fossil fuel production and consumption that encourage greenhouse gas emissions, at the same time as they are spending on projects to promote clean energy,” says Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General. “This is a wasteful use of scarce budget resources.”
Source of this information:
Energy Efficiency News
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Energy efficient equipments deductible in the Portuguese taxes (IRS)
The Portuguese government approved that expenses with energy efficient equipments can be deductible in the taxes (IRS).
The equipments are the following:
- Solar thermal installations to be used in water heating and climatization.
- Heat pumps to be used in water heating.
- PV panels to produce electricity in buildings.
- Wind power equipments, with nominal power<5 kW to produce electricity in buildings.
- Biomass burning equipments
- Equipments and renovation works that improve isolation and thermal conditions of the buildings.
- Electric charging equipments for electric vehicles.
The maximum deductible amount is 803€, which corresponds to an investment of 2677€.
These deductions are only valid once every 4 years, to avoid abuses and to assure that every IRS payer can use it.
In PT:
Portaria n.º 303/2010 de 8 de Junho:
Lista de equipamentos abrangidos pelas deduções à colecta a que se referem as alíneas a) e b) do artigo 85.º -A do Código do Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares.
1 — Instalações solares térmicas para aquecimento de águas sanitárias e de climatização, utilizando como dispositivos de captação da energia colectores solares.
2 — Bombas de calor destinadas ao aquecimento de águas de uso doméstico.
3 — Painéis fotovoltaicos e respectivos sistemas de controlo e armazenamento de energia, destinados ao abastecimento de energia eléctrica a habitações.
4 — Aerogeradores de potência nominal inferior a 5 kW e respectivos sistemas de controlo e armazenamento de energia, destinados ao abastecimento de energia eléctrica a habitações.
5 — Equipamentos de queima de biomassa florestal, combustíveis derivados de resíduos ou de biogás, nomeadamente recuperadores de calor de lareiras, destinados quer ao aquecimento ambiente quer de águas sanitárias, e as caldeiras destinadas à alimentação de sistemas de aquecimento ambiente ou aquecimento de águas sanitárias e de climatização.
6 — Equipamentos e obras de melhoria das condições de comportamento térmico de edifícios, dos quais resulte directamente o seu maior isolamento:
a) Aplicação de isolamentos térmicos na envolvente dos edifícios, seja pelo exterior ou pelo interior, incluindo coberturas (telhados ou lajes), paredes e pavimentos adjacentes ao solo ou a espaços não climatizados;
b) Substituição de vãos envidraçados simples por vidros duplos com caixilharia de corte térmico.
7 — Equipamentos de carregamento de veículos eléctricos de instalação doméstica, em conformidade com as especificações técnicas a definir por portaria.
The equipments are the following:
- Solar thermal installations to be used in water heating and climatization.
- Heat pumps to be used in water heating.
- PV panels to produce electricity in buildings.
- Wind power equipments, with nominal power<5 kW to produce electricity in buildings.
- Biomass burning equipments
- Equipments and renovation works that improve isolation and thermal conditions of the buildings.
- Electric charging equipments for electric vehicles.
The maximum deductible amount is 803€, which corresponds to an investment of 2677€.
These deductions are only valid once every 4 years, to avoid abuses and to assure that every IRS payer can use it.
In PT:
Portaria n.º 303/2010 de 8 de Junho:
Lista de equipamentos abrangidos pelas deduções à colecta a que se referem as alíneas a) e b) do artigo 85.º -A do Código do Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares.
1 — Instalações solares térmicas para aquecimento de águas sanitárias e de climatização, utilizando como dispositivos de captação da energia colectores solares.
2 — Bombas de calor destinadas ao aquecimento de águas de uso doméstico.
3 — Painéis fotovoltaicos e respectivos sistemas de controlo e armazenamento de energia, destinados ao abastecimento de energia eléctrica a habitações.
4 — Aerogeradores de potência nominal inferior a 5 kW e respectivos sistemas de controlo e armazenamento de energia, destinados ao abastecimento de energia eléctrica a habitações.
5 — Equipamentos de queima de biomassa florestal, combustíveis derivados de resíduos ou de biogás, nomeadamente recuperadores de calor de lareiras, destinados quer ao aquecimento ambiente quer de águas sanitárias, e as caldeiras destinadas à alimentação de sistemas de aquecimento ambiente ou aquecimento de águas sanitárias e de climatização.
6 — Equipamentos e obras de melhoria das condições de comportamento térmico de edifícios, dos quais resulte directamente o seu maior isolamento:
a) Aplicação de isolamentos térmicos na envolvente dos edifícios, seja pelo exterior ou pelo interior, incluindo coberturas (telhados ou lajes), paredes e pavimentos adjacentes ao solo ou a espaços não climatizados;
b) Substituição de vãos envidraçados simples por vidros duplos com caixilharia de corte térmico.
7 — Equipamentos de carregamento de veículos eléctricos de instalação doméstica, em conformidade com as especificações técnicas a definir por portaria.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pay as you save
An interesting strategy from the UK government was presented last May: a "pay as you save" loan scheme that will enable householders to pay for the installation of energy efficiency measures out of the savings on their energy bills.
More information on the Green Loans Q&A
More information on the Green Loans Q&A
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
EU greenhouse gas emissions have been decreasing
A new report by EEA states that greenhouse gas emission in the EU have been decreasing since 2008. This is not surprising because Europe has been facing a hard recession. This is to remind us that economic development and greenhouse gas emissions are still tightly tied up and makes us wonder if the decarbonization of the economy is possible.
EU greenhouse gas emissions: more than half way to the '20 % target by 2020'
Key findings
-The EU-27's emissions have been declining steadily since 2003 to reach 4 940 billion tonnes CO2 equivalents in 2008. Compared to the 2007 emissions, this represents a reduction of 99 million tonnes or 2 %. With the 2008 emissions 11.3 % below its 1990 levels, EU-27 has already achieved more than half of its unilateral reduction target of 20 % by 2020 through domestic emission reductions alone.
-In this first year of the Kyoto Protocol's commitment period, EU-15 cut its emissions by 76 million tonnes CO2 equivalents, corresponding to a drop of 1.9 % from 2007. This brought the EU-15 emissions 6.9 %, or 295 million tonnes, below Kyoto base-year levels, already in 2008, not accounting for carbon sinks and the use of Kyoto flexible mechanisms.
-For the first time since 1992, emissions from international aviation and maritime transport fell in EU-27, partly due to the economic recession. These two sectors account for about 5.9 % of total greenhouse gas emissions in EU-27 but are not accounted for in relation to measuring progress towards Kyoto targets.
Spain accounted for one third of the net reduction in EU-27, mainly due to a substantial replacement of coal by natural gas and a sharp decline in gasoline consumption in road transport, complemented by an increase in renewable energy generation.
-The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) covered 43 % of total EU-27 greenhouse gas emissions in 2008. In 2008, emission levels under the EU ETS were about 3 % lower than 2007 levels. The recently published 2009 EU ETS data, reveal that verified emissions in 2009 decreased by 11.6 % compared to 2008 levels, and reflects the impact of the economic recession.
EU greenhouse gas emissions: more than half way to the '20 % target by 2020'
Key findings
-The EU-27's emissions have been declining steadily since 2003 to reach 4 940 billion tonnes CO2 equivalents in 2008. Compared to the 2007 emissions, this represents a reduction of 99 million tonnes or 2 %. With the 2008 emissions 11.3 % below its 1990 levels, EU-27 has already achieved more than half of its unilateral reduction target of 20 % by 2020 through domestic emission reductions alone.
-In this first year of the Kyoto Protocol's commitment period, EU-15 cut its emissions by 76 million tonnes CO2 equivalents, corresponding to a drop of 1.9 % from 2007. This brought the EU-15 emissions 6.9 %, or 295 million tonnes, below Kyoto base-year levels, already in 2008, not accounting for carbon sinks and the use of Kyoto flexible mechanisms.
-For the first time since 1992, emissions from international aviation and maritime transport fell in EU-27, partly due to the economic recession. These two sectors account for about 5.9 % of total greenhouse gas emissions in EU-27 but are not accounted for in relation to measuring progress towards Kyoto targets.
Spain accounted for one third of the net reduction in EU-27, mainly due to a substantial replacement of coal by natural gas and a sharp decline in gasoline consumption in road transport, complemented by an increase in renewable energy generation.
-The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) covered 43 % of total EU-27 greenhouse gas emissions in 2008. In 2008, emission levels under the EU ETS were about 3 % lower than 2007 levels. The recently published 2009 EU ETS data, reveal that verified emissions in 2009 decreased by 11.6 % compared to 2008 levels, and reflects the impact of the economic recession.
Portuguese Energy Strategy 2020 - public consultation started on the 1st June
The public consultation of the Portuguese Energy Strategy 2020 started on the 1st June and will be possible until the end of the month.
Unfortunately I did not find any more details.
Unfortunately I did not find any more details.
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