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Time to end the guilt on incentives and start fighting

The last month has brought another depressing piece of news: This time the potential demise of Suntech, a pioneer credited with helping scale up the PV industry, on the verge of bankruptcy. The recent turmoil being suffered by module and cell manufacturers in the PV industry is well documented (Pau ...

Posted 10 April 2013 by David Hopwood

tags: renewable energy , incentives

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Editorial Leader: New markets for a new era of power

AND WOW, there are certainly plenty of new markets for the renewable energy industry – and they are finally coming out into the light. Deployment of renewables is an “idea whose time has come”. These are the words of Adnan Amin, director general of the International Renewable ...

Posted 09 April 2013 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , solar , solar energy , CSP , wind energy , wind power , renewables , alternative energy , EWEA , IRENA , IEA , blog , Editorial , renewable energy industry , energy markets

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Solar energy: what cost, what outlook and what’s going on in Hawaii?

So cumulative solar PV power installations worldwide shot past the 100GW mark in 2012, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) announced this month. In fact, the figure by end 2012 was just over 101GW. A major milestone indeed. While the global industry still grapples with some ...

Posted 20 February 2013 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Solar , PV , subsidies , renewable energy , EWEA , solar energy , photovoltaics

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10 clean energy investments from Google

The past few years has seen Google embark on an ambitous program of investment in the renewables space, the most recent announcement seeing Google investing $200 million in a Texas wind farm. So where else has Google been putting its money? Spinning Spur Wind Farm: West Texas wind In December 2012 ...

Posted 31 January 2013 by David Hopwood

tags: not tagged.

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Top 10 trends for the fuel cell industry in 2013

Around this time of year everyone and their dog does a review of the year just gone, or a preview for the year to come, often in the form of a ‘Top 10’. Even so, it’s interesting to see what analysts at Pike Research highlight in a white paper that identifies the 10 most notable a ...

Posted 30 January 2013 by Steve Barrett

tags: fuel cell , fuel cells , hydrogen , hydrogen energy , hydrogen fuelling , hydrogen infrastructure , fuel cell vehicles , platinum , palladium , energy storage

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An inconvenient truth

The global growth of renewable energy over the last few years cannot be disputed, but can it really play a major role in the world of large-scale electricity generation? Some would say it already is. Wind power is the obvious example. “If anybody had said we would be here talking about w ...

Posted 23 January 2013 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , blog , wind energy , solar energy , CSP , EWEA , alternative energy

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EWEA 2013 conference - hot topics

EWEA 2013 is just a few weeks away. So what can conference delegates expect to be the main topics up for debate? Event launch and keynotes The EWEA 2013 conference will open with a series of high-profile speakers addressing important political and business issues affecting the European wind indust ...

Posted 23 January 2013 by David Hopwood

tags: EWEA 2013 , Wind , Wind Power

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We bid an Austrian farewell to EWEA’s man at the top...

The Renewable Energy Focus team – along with many on the wind power side of the renewable energy business – is looking forward to some top wind-related events coming up in the next few weeks and months… First up on the events scene for wind power is the European Wind Energy Assoc ...

Posted 22 January 2013 by David Hopwood

tags: Windpower , renewables , EWEA 2013 , Kjaer

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European partnership pushing ahead with funding of demonstration projects

The European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) plays a key role in the development – and in particular demonstration – of fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in a wide range of applications. The FCH JU is a unique public-private partnership that was established i ...

Posted 08 January 2013 by Steve Barrett

tags: fuel cell , fuel cells , electrolyser , European Commission , Europe , hydrogen energy , partnership

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Today’s Top 10: A wish list for the renewable energy market in 2013

By John Peters, Managing Director, Engage Consulting The global renewable energy market is evolving rapidly. John Peters from Engage Consulting looks into his crystal ball and discusses some of the changes that would enable the market to grow in 2013. 1) One thing I would like to see in 2013 ...

Posted 17 December 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: blog , renewable , renewable energy , energy market , wind energy , solar , PV , photovoltaics , wind power , solar thermal , electric vehicles , electric cars , smart homes , energy storage

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Tidings of comfort and joy

By Elizabeth Block The UK government appears to have given up on being “the greenest government ever”. No one saw much comfort for renewables in the recent Energy Bill or in the Autumn Statement that followed. Why, I wonder, instead of a “dash for gas”, can’t we h ...

Posted 10 December 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Tidal , Tidal energy , Tidal power , Marine , Marine energy , Marine power , wave and tidal , alternative energy , offshore energy , hydro energy , hydro power

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Now the campaign really begins …

HURRAH! THE UK’s Energy Bill has finally landed – following months of delays and turbulence caused by conflicting interests within Government departments. And so now, the hard work begins. The Bill’s announcement should finally “help to draw a line under the recent pol ...

Posted 10 December 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Blog , Editor's Blog , UK , Renewable Energy , Renewables , Energy Bill , Renewable Energy Policy , Alternative Energy , Energy Market

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Guest Blog: Tragic Fall of a Solar Icon - Sharp sells itself piece by piece

By Sneha Shah. The vicious downturn of the global solar industry has seen innumerable bankruptcies and thousands of job losses. Companies which used to rule the roost in the solar industry like Q-Cells, Evergreen Solar, and Energy Conversion Devices no longer exist today. The most promising o ...

Posted 04 December 2012 by David Hopwood

tags: Sharp Solar , Solar , Photovoltaics , PV

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Guest Blog: driving forward wind and marine in the UK

By Felicia Jackson. The second UK Wind & Marine Energy Business Barometer, covered recently in a UK, The Times newspaper supplement, Wind & Marine Energy, reveals findings from an annual survey of 450 senior executives in the sector. In this guest post, Felicia Jackson, author of Conquering ...

Posted 23 November 2012 by David Hopwood

tags: wind , wind power , wave , tidal power , wave & tidal , marine energy

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Guest Blog: Tough times, tough actions - time for a greentech patent amnesty?

By Barry Johnston Given the increasing 6 degrees threat of global warming, and its appalling consequences, should there now be a global patent amnesty? Might it accelerate the worldwide rollout of clean and renewable energy technologies, along the lines of the medical patent amnesties granted to de ...

Posted 21 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Blog , Cleantech , Alternative energy sources , Renewable energy , Renewable energy technology , Patents , global warming , Technology , clean energy , renewable energy technologies

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Scotland takes advantage of Westminster's mixed messages

In contrast to the mixed messages coming from Westminster in recent times that many believe have constrained renewable energy development in parts of the UK, Scotland has made its renewable energy aspirations clear, with some eye catching announcements. Not least its recent MOU with Areva: The ...

Posted 20 November 2012 by David Hopwood

tags: Scotland , Wind , Windpower , Areva

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Guest Blog: UK developing fuel cell and hydrogen technology manufacturing and supply chain

By Richard Kemp-Harper, Technology Strategy Board Over a number of years, the UK's Technology Strategy Board has built up a good relationship with innovative businesses working in the fuel cell and hydrogen sectors, and has been providing support that suits the needs of this developing industry. W ...

Posted 16 November 2012 by Steve Barrett

tags: fuel cells , hydrogen energy , investment , government , manufacturing , supply chain

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Surge in solar energy news from South Africa – Top 5 solar power project announcements this month (so far)

The solar power market in South Africa has ramped up a gear, with a stream of project news emanating from the country in recent days. Covering project financial close, contract awards and construction starts, the news covers both solar PV and concentrated solar power (CSP). Why this news flurry? W ...

Posted 15 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: solar , Solar energy , PV , photovoltaics , solar power , CSP , concentrated solar power , solar electricity , renewable energy , alternative energy , South Africa , South Africa solar , project news , construction , renewable energies , energy news , solar renewable energy , solar news , solar energy companies

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Guest Blog: Global Energy Access by 2030?

By Mathias Aarre Maehlum, EnergyInformative.org Electrical power is probably the most important factor for development and growth. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), there are almost 1.5 billion people in the world that lack access to electricity. The IEA has stated that half of those ...

Posted 12 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , electricity , solar , photovoltaics , PV , off-grid , rural electrification , india , IEA , Blog , renewables , energy

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Paradise lost?

Who doesn’t dream of a few weeks escape to a tropical island paradise like the Maldives? I know I certainly do. So I couldn’t wait to watch Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve on BBC Two last weekend. It was the fourth installment of what has so far proved to be an excellent six-part series (I ...

Posted 07 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: climate change , low carbon , ocean , oceans , coral , small island state , off-grid , off-grid renewables , clean energy , renewable energy , energy from waste , climate change , Advanced Conversion , renewable energy , energy , small island states , off-grid , off-grid renewables , waste , toxic , low carbon , ocean , oceans , environment , coral , environment , alternative energy

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Guest Blog: Setting the stage for GreenBuild 2012

By Comly Wilson, CleanEdison Are you going to Green Build 2012? If so, you’ll be in good company. The 11th annual gathering of all those involved in ‘building green’ into the national fabric looks set to be the biggest yet – with 35,000 architects, facility managers, educato ...

Posted 07 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Energy , Energy efficiency , green building , LEED , sustainability , GreenBuild , US

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Shocking wake-up call on global warming – report stresses renewable energy investment needs

Despite the billions of investment being ploughed into renewable energy and low carbon technologies across the globe, the world is failing dramatically in its battle to stem the tide of global warming, according to research published yesterday by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). “Governments ...

Posted 06 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , low carbon , emissions , climate change , global warming , energy , alternative energy , shale gas , investment

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Guest Blog: Ahead of this week's US election the message is clear - the green revolution will be crowdfunded

The green blogosphere has been ablaze with posts, tweets, and comments about the second US presidential debate in which the two candidates squared off on their respective energy approaches. President Obama offered strong support for continued government-funded development in renewables, ...

Posted 05 November 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , US , alternative energy , renewables , biomass , energy from waste , EfW , Subsidies , energy , anaerobic digesters

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Guest Blog: Can petrol generated from the air become carbon neutral?

In the last week, a British company (Air Fuel Synthesis) introduced us to a potential breakthrough piece of technology which can create petrol using just air and electricity. One major benefit of this generated fuel is that it can be used in many of our transport options with no adaptation required. ...

Posted 29 October 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , electricity , renewable electricity , wind energy , wind power , hydrogen , renewable energy sources , low carbon , wind farm , wind electricity generation , blog , offshore wind

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Renewable energy at home - the 6 key steps to getting it right you need to know

As energy demand rises and consumer electricity bills increase, more and more attention is turning to renewables. Sometimes this is for the wrong reasons: Support for renewable energy is often unjustly blamed for energy price hikes – however analysis from the UK-based Renewable Energy As ...

Posted 26 October 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable energy , renewable energies , renewable electricity , electricity costs , energy bills , reducing energy bills , renewable heat , solar energy , PV

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Great expectations

CLIFF EDGE or bright future? That’s the question on everyone’s mind right now, with fortunes at the mercy of election outcomes, as in the US, or long-term policy decisions facing yet further consultation, as in the UK. There’s no getting away from the fact that the renewables ...

Posted 16 October 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Renewable Energy Focus , Editorial Leader , contents , solar , PV , wind power , energy , biomass , investment , market , policy

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A startling fact for you...

For the decade 2002 to 2011 there were some 4130 natural disasters globally, resulting in more than a million deaths and an economic loss of at least $1.195 trillion. The figures come in a new report out today. The key message from that report is that environmental degradation increases the risk of ...

Posted 11 October 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Renewable energy , renewables , wind power , offshore , wave , tidal , marine , solar , PV , environment , climate change , blog , editor

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Water use in electricity generation: the sobering facts that make a case for wind and solar power

Did you know it takes 100,000 gallons of water to produce a single megawatt hour of electricity? Well according to a new report out today, it does – unless you’re using wind or solar power that is. So maybe, with much of the world battling more regular bouts of drought and water shortage ...

Posted 19 September 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: renewable , energy , renewable energy , wind power , solar , PV , photovoltaics , nuclear , biomass , US , drought , electricity , generation , policy

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A new era begins

When David passed on the editorial metaphorical torch to me for Renewable Energy Focus, I knew it was going to be a whirlwind first month or two. That was certainly the case, kicking off with a marathon trip to Germany – taking in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich in an action-packed eight ...

Posted 30 August 2012 by Gail Rajgor

tags: Editorial , leader , latest issue , July , August , 2012 , Germany , Renewable Energy , Market

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Sign of the times

As we enter 2012 with more talk of funding problems and reduced financial incentives, it is apparent how the dynamics – and drivers – for renewable energy have changed, and relatively quickly at that. When I first took this job a few years ago “climate change” was the buzz p ...

Posted 27 February 2012 by David Hopwood

tags: renewable energy cost

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Risky business

An interesting report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) crossed our desk recently. The EIU spoke to 284 senior-level renewable energy executives about the risks in financing, constructing and operating renewable energy projects, as well as the risk management challenges that the renewable e ...

Posted 20 February 2012 by David Hopwood

tags: renewable energy project risk

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My biomass breakfast or how I learned to love wood pellets

Have you ever witnessed the delivery of wood pellets to an on-site boiler? I thought not. Well, you are fortunate that your blogger here was invited to a “Cool Heating Biomass Breakfast” at the Maidenhead Rugby Club, no less, not to view some rugged males battling it out but to hear fro ...

Posted 23 June 2011 by Elizabeth Block

tags: biomass , bioenergy

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Which countries are winning the race to invest in renewables?

NB: this is my editorial from the March/April issue of Renewable Energy Focus magazine, which is now out. If you don't subscribe yet, it's free, so feel free to subscribe here. Global clean energy finance and investment grew significantly in 2010 to US$243 billion, a 30% increase from 2009, accord ...

Posted 27 April 2011 by David Hopwood

tags: not tagged.

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Will the oil shock translate into "banker shock..."?

I was just about to write about the soaring oil price, due mainly to the turmoil in Libya and other oil-producing countries, along with the threat of revolt spreading to Saudi Arabia, when an email came in from Jeremy Leggett, the famous oil man turned solar guru. Here in Britain, the last few week ...

Posted 08 March 2011 by Elizabeth Block

tags: oil , solar

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Pennies from Heaven

Pennies from Heaven? BBC feature foreshadows early FIT review The BBC’s Newsnight is one of Britain’s most respected TV news programmes, and its main presenter, Jeremy Paxman, is famous for his ferocious interviewing style. So when I heard that solar energy was to be featured on 3rd Feb ...

Posted 08 February 2011 by Elizabeth Block

tags: not tagged.

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Why did I not make the Zayed Prize shortlist...?

As your hard-working blogger, I thought that I would surely have made the Top 40 list for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the biggest environmental prize on the planet. In fact, I was not even nominated but I hope you will all do better next year. How big is the grand prize, you ask? Well, it’ ...

Posted 16 December 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: zayed future energy prize , renewable energy , world future energy summit

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Can global knowledge transfer speed grid parity?

What happens when Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, drops in to Australia’s first carbon-neutral office building to meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard? While they might have exchanged a few private words about the exhilaration of smashing glass ceilings, the topic of the day was not women ...

Posted 22 November 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: solar , pv , csp , cost , innovation

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High-efficiency crystalline silicon designs – high efficiency meets “ease” in 2011 By Guest Blogger, Shalom Goffri, Managing Consultant, Energy, Navigant

During fast and heated growth in 2010, the solar market has seen its share of technology shake-ups as well. In July, Applied Materials made headlines by discontinuing new sales of it SunFab thin-film silicon line after production had fallen woefully behind cost and efficiency expectations of the mar ...

Posted 15 November 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: Crystalline , c-Si , Solar , efficiency , Applied , Innovalight , Solar , PV , Photovoltaic , Technology , EWT , 2011

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CSP – is it time? Coverage of CSP Today's CSP Project Development USA Conference

Amid optimistic announcements for gigawatts of CSP installations over the next few years, stage whispers of the barriers this industry continues to face continue. At CSP Today’s Project Development conference held in Denver on October 25 and 26, Stephen Mullennix, Partner at U.S. Renewables Gr ...

Posted 01 November 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: csp , solar , pv , permitting

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Leaks and politics enliven EFEF

Wow, another big conference in London. This time it’s the 2nd annual European Future Energy Forum, a Masdar-sponsored event that had its debut in Bilbao last year. And it lasts three whole days. So we have 3713 registered delegates, though fewer than 900 actually attended, and 112 speakers (m ...

Posted 27 October 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: renewable energy , Zayed Future Energy Prize , feed-in tariff , budget

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Who says there's no early money...?

Who says there’s no early money…? On Monday, 27 September, I went to Cambridge for the launch of the Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF). This new fund has been set up by the Low Carbon Innovation Centre at the University of East Anglia with £8 million splashed out by the European ...

Posted 01 October 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: funding , investment , renewable energy

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What is more economic - biomass power or biofuels?

Author: Guest Blogger Rakesh Radhakrishnan, Ph. D. | Associate Director| Energy | Navigant Consulting, Inc. A short and very unsatisfactory answer to this question is, “Well it depends!” In reality, there actually are some critical details that must be understood before a decision is m ...

Posted 15 September 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: Biomass , Biofuels , Navigant , Renewables , RE , climate change , renewable

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How much to install PV on a royal roof...?

How much to install PV on a royal roof? Wow, big news: HRH The Prince of Wales has got consent to install 32 solar panels on the 123 ft2 roof of Grade II-listed Clarence House. In late August 2010, nationals such as the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and The Independent gave this major development ...

Posted 13 September 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: solar , pv , fit

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AltaTerra FiT freak gives web conference

Rats! I missed it. I planned to dial in to Palo Alto-based AltaTerra’s web conference last month on feed-in tariffs (FiT) but it started at 2pm eastern time, 7pm here. Events, dear e-reader, got in the way. Of course, it was no problem as it’s almost impossible to “miss” any ...

Posted 03 September 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: FiT , solar , pv , feed-in tariff

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What does it take to bring you your solar news...?

Following an April 2010 visit to Syria in which I became the first, OK, maybe the second person on the planet to express any interest in Syrian renewable energy, a local Arabic-speaking friend in Damascus emailed me that a notice had gone up at the Japanese Embassy there: a whopping $6 million to go ...

Posted 03 September 2010 by Elizabeth Block

tags: solar , syria , renewable energy

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California’s FiT and Persistent Faith in the Rational Market Theory, among other things

So much happening in California, much of it crucial to the forward progress of solar in the biggest market in the USA. First, unemployment remains high, the budget remains in limbo with outgoing governor Schwarzenegger willing to let the situation pass on through to the next administration, while i ...

Posted 31 August 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: feed-in tariff , FiT , solar , california

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Look! Up on the roof! Is it a technology? Is it a commodity? Is it an appliance? Yes, it’s all of these things! It’s a Solar Panel!

Caught ya – this is really an article about branding. You know, that marketing function that turns needs into wants and functions into attributes – or, scares the heck out of you and then turns around and offers you a safe place to land while it makes you love being scared. The fu ...

Posted 20 August 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: solar , panel , pv , energy , power , renewable

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Ontario: A complicated new frontier for PV

First came the announcement, then came optimism, then came the announcements, then came the reality checks and finally, the changes to Ontario’s wildly anticipated feed-in tariff; not to kill it off, but to control it and, hopefully, help develop a sustainable market. Historically, Canada has ...

Posted 11 August 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: feed-in tariff , solar , pv , fit , transmission

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Checklist for Developing Your Feed-In Tariff

Look around the FiT landscape and if you can, find one that created a healthy, sustainable market that did not overburden those who are paying for it; Yes, I mean remember the ratepayers; Look around again; Yes, I mean remember the ratepayers, you do not want to make them mad; ...

Posted 31 July 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: feed-in tariff , fit

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Do you need to Speak Solar to Thrive in the Solar Industry

There is a wave of new business professionals in the solar industry – and not all of them speak solar. Every industry has its own language along with a host of acronyms to go along with it. The specific language of business can actually obliterate understanding, but, there is no getting aroun ...

Posted 27 July 2010 by Paula Mints

tags: Solar , PV

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May 2010 summary: Wind and Hydro sparkle in alternative energy

The alternative energy industry witnessed a marginal decrease in the number of deals, but a huge increase in deal value in May 2010. The market reported 212 deals worth US$39.2 billion in May 2010 compared to 219 deals worth US$27.4 billion in April 2010 - an increase of 43% in terms of deal value a ...

Posted 07 July 2010 by GlobalData deal analysis

tags: not tagged.

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April 2010 summary: decreased deal activity

The alternative energy industry witnessed a decrease in the number of deals and deal value in April 2010. The market reported 194 deals worth US$24.4 billion in April 2010, compared to 240 deals worth US$24.9 billion in March 2010. This was a decrease of 19% in terms of the number of deals, and a m ...

Posted 11 June 2010 by GlobalData deal analysis

tags: investment , alternative energy , deals

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Zayed Future Energy Prize sends a message to the transport sector

Taken at face value, the news that the winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2010 (and with it a cool US$1.5 million) is Japanese car manufacture Toyota for its groundbreaking third generation Prius may raise a few initial eyebrows. But the message it sends is an interesting one. There's no doubt ...

Posted 20 January 2010 by David Hopwood

tags: WFES , Toyota Prius , Zayed Future Energy Prize

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Back home again...

Well, it’s finally over. I’m back here at my desk in Amsterdam, and looking through the all-but-final documents on the UNFCCC web site. You can find details of the ‘Copenhagen Accord’ about which we put out a statement early this morning. The ‘legally binding’ la ...

Posted 05 January 2010 by Steve Sawyer

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: The (anti) climax

19 December, 2.30 hours: A few hours ago, around 30 countries agreed on a Copenhagen Accord. In a press conference for Washington reporters at the Copenhagen airport, US president Obama talks about ‘a meaningful and unprecedented accord’, but also about being ‘a first step’. ...

Posted 22 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Copenhagen Accord adopted, but not by all

19 December, 12.30 hours: Although discussions are still going on, the Copenhagen Accord will most likely be approved by most of the 193 countries that are part of the COP15. No unanimous approval has been achieved, but the UN Conference of Parties officially ‘take note’ of the Accord. C ...

Posted 22 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Still waiting for the (anti)climax

18 December, 17.30: The process of negotiations by delegates, ministers and heads of state will not end in a mature political treaty. At the time of writing this news report, the final official meeting – a signing session - should have started, but a final Copenhagen Declaration has not been p ...

Posted 22 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Are things finally ready to pick up?

17 December: On Wednesday morning, Connie Hedegaard resigned as the COP President in favour of Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen, and in the obviously tense handover between the two, they made the huge blunder of announcing that there would be ‘new text’ from the Danish Presidency released ...

Posted 18 December 2009 by Steve Sawyer

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: World leaders enter the stage

16 December: The Copenhagen Summit gradually reaches its summit. Most Ministers from 193 countries are working hard, while security prepares for the invasion of 115 heads of state. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela took his time during the official opening event, and even Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe announced ...

Posted 17 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: The row is over, but not completely

15 December: In the last couple of days, the Danish presidency met quite some criticism. COP president Connie Hedegaard’s action this Sunday, to call 48 Ministers for a special informal consultation, was heavily disputed by Bernaditas de Castro Muller. De Castro Muller is a former diplomat fro ...

Posted 17 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Wind power most visible climate solution

16 December: Amidst the up-and-down of the climate negotiations and the chaos of the registration system to get people into the building, at least one thing is going to plan: The wind industry’s efforts to make wind power highly visible to negotiators and media during the climate summit. Wind ...

Posted 17 December 2009 by Steve Sawyer

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: The calm before the storm…

15 December: After a manic first week or 10 days, things are a bit less hectic in the Bella Center today. After 9 days of largely circular discussions, I believe the negotiations at official’s level have gone as far as they can go. We have a couple of draft texts (on the Kyoto Protocol a ...

Posted 15 December 2009 by Steve Sawyer

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Africa walks out, and in, and…

14 December: This morning the African countries put an extra edge to the Climate Summit by threatening to walk out if the richer countries would not pay more attention to their binding targets. As I wrote earlier, the developing countries want to continue the Kyoto Protocol into a second commitment ...

Posted 15 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: a damaged chair?

10 December: Denmark, the chair of the present climate policy negotiations, suffers from some serious loss of trustworthiness. A draft negotiation text circulating in the first couple of days of COP15 was heavily criticised by the developing countries and environmental organisations, urging UNFCCC&r ...

Posted 10 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen

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COP15: The bright side of life

8 December: After one day of mainly plenary sessions, the Copenhagen COP15 ran into technical details and working groups today. Yesterday’s key note speeches from people like the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and COP President Connie Hedegaard expressed hope. Meanwhile the ...

Posted 10 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15 in a nutshell

The much talked about UNFCCC COP15 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen is now underway. If you, like us, have been completely overwhelmed with all the news; views; predictions; doom and gloom; excitement; not to mention political machinations, possibilities and stall setting of the last few months l ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by David Hopwood

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Starting point is + 3.5°C

4 December 2009: Except for India, all countries in the world have now laid a number on the table regarding their ambition for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the next few decades. The accumulation of these pledges is expected to give rise to a 3.5°C increase of the average global tempera ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: China and US make their moves

27 November 2009: The temperature is rising, 9 days before Copenhagen. The hope I expressed last week about a secret China-US scheme for Copenhagen was satisfied within a week. Yesterday both China and the US published their first bids in the negotiations. That cannot be a coincidence. You can be qu ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhangen , Climate change

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COP15: deadlock until mid December?

19 November 2009: Last week, the world’s leaders present at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Singapore, and the environment ministers at the pre-COP15 in Copenhagen, publicly confirmed a downgrading of the Copenhagen summit. A ‘legally binding agreement’ about clima ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Heads of State book their tickets

13 November 2009: The most important news of the past week was the announcement from several important Government leaders that they will show up in the Danish capital in December. This is definitely feeding some optimism about the Copenhagen outcome, after a week of negative signs from Barcelona. A ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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COP15: Summit downgraded

6 November 2009: Less than five weeks ahead of the start of the Convention of Parties nr. 15 (COP15) in Copenhagen, the Summit has been watered down to an ‘Intermediate Summit’ – at best. A legally binding agreement has become almost impossible, said UN Climate chief Yvo de Boe ...

Posted 08 December 2009 by Rolf de Vos

tags: COP15 , Copenhagen , Climate change

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