Greener energy
Greener energy in transport, industry, and our electricity networks - plus all that goes with this
Will Europe hit its EV targets, or do fines beckon? Who really knows?
Estimates of the fines the European automotive companies might need to pay for missing emissions targets vary massively. Understanding the company strategies is key, but for this we need better disclosure.
Sunday Brunch: clean electricity is possible, but politically tough
A clean, low carbon electricity grid is possible. And while the task of adding all of the renewables, batteries etc is challenging, the big barrier is political will and regulatory frameworks. Lets not pretend the route will be easy.
Sunday Brunch: Might taking Anglo American private be good for sustainability?
Would taking a mining company private help with sustainability? Or could we achieve the same outcome with a material minority holding?
Thematic Thoughts: Change can happen faster than we think
Assuming business as usual is often the easy option. But often change happens faster than we expect. And this can expose the company to material risks.
What the public believes about EV's matters, even if it's not true
Politicians are not brave people, they want to do something that a large minority, if not the majority, will support. Which is why what the public believes about Electric Vehicles' really matters. And why 40% saying that they don't think EV's are better for the environment is a worry.
Re-using existing grid connections !
One challenge in building a new electrified energy intensive production facility is getting access to the (hopefully green) electricity. Has a West Virginia project found the solution?
Sunday Brunch: Are some industries really that 'hard to decarbonise'?
The decarbonisation challenge has two parts, technology and cost. In many cases we have a technological solution, we now need to focus on making it more cost competitive.
What investors think about green steel matters
It's sometimes easy to forget that financial markets are driven by sentiment. The 'facts' that investors believe to be true matter. For green steel, apparently 80% of investors believe the risk profile for metallurgical coal will increase in the next decade. A clear market signal.
De-carbonising electricity will take time
Energy security can be an abstract concept. But sometimes it's very real. And it can clash with environmental concerns. In that case energy security seems to win, as it recently has done in India.
EV charging & industry consolidation - a pre-requisite?
The EV charging chicken and egg? We need more high quality 'public' charging to drive EV sales - which will probably require industry consolidation
Insulation, heat pumps and half truths
We frequently hear that before we even think about rolling heat pumps at scale we need to sort out home insulation first. This is not true.
Will carbon capture enable green steel faster?
The sad answer is probably not. The current best technology in cost terms for new steel is a blast furnace - which uses a lot of coal. So bad for the environment.One solution being heavily promoted is carbon capture. But other options look better.