Energy Price Concerns Resonate in EU Talks on 2030 Climate Goals

BRUSSELS -- The European Union should ensure that future climate and energy policies do not undermine the competitiveness of its industry, already weakened by a price gap with the U.S., the bloc’s member states said.

Energy ministers from the EU’s 28 nations had their first debate about 2030 carbon-reduction and renewable energy strategy at their quarterly meeting in Brussels today. It followed yesterday’s gathering of environment ministers, where countries differed over how ambitious Europe’s emissions-cut target should be and how fast new policies should be adopted. The framework for the next decade will next be discussed by EU leaders at their March 20-21 summit.

“We need to make sure we combine our objectives for setting ambitious goals with increasing competitveness of the industry and safeguarding energy supply,” Greek Energy Minister Yannis Maniatis told reporters after the gathering. His country holds the EU rotating presidency through June.

The challenge for the EU is to reconcile its ambition to lead the global fight against climate change with efforts to help the economy regain steam. The bloc should tighten its greenhouse-gas reduction target to 40 percent in 2030 compared with 20 percent in 2020, according to a strategy outlined in January by the European Commission, the EU’s regulatory arm.

Member states, industry, non-governmental organizations and lobbies are divided over the commission’s proposal. Groups including the Climate Action Network and Greenpeace call for stricter targets, while energy-intensive companies including ThyssenKrupp and Tata urge policy makers to avoid carbon costs for manufacturers prone to relocation of production abroad.

Long-Term Debate

“I think we will have to have a very thorough long-term debate about how we can use our state budgets to reduce part of the burden that now lies on the industry,” Germany Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the meeting today. Germany supports the 40 percent greenhouse-gas target that would be binding on each member state and an EU-wide goal to boost the share of renewable energyto 27 percent.

Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania said in a joint statement that the 2030 carbon goal should be set at a “realistic level” and take into account United Nations talks about a global deal to be agreed in 2015. They also said the EU emissions-trading system should remain the core tool for Europe to meets its emission-reduction goal.

“In order to reach this target cost effectively, intra-EU flexibility mechanisms — including innovative financing schemes — should be introduced, especially in the non-ETS sector, as an integral part of the climate and energy policy framework,” the six countries said.

Energy Prices

The agenda of the meeting today also included a discussion on energy prices in Europe after a report by the commission showed that electricity costs in some regions of the bloc are double those in the U.S., the EU’s main trading partner. Regulatory costs, such as taxes, levies and network costs, are the main reason for the increase in European prices, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said today.

“We’ve got to be able to offer our people lower prices and not with so much of a gap compared to our competitors,” he told reporters. “If member states reduce these taxes and levies, this can take pressure off the people who have to pay for energy.”

To help cut costs, member states should also accelerate efforts to implement energy legislation aimed at breaking down national barriers and develop interconnections to end the isolation of some member states from networks, Oettinger said.

Ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine, where the crisis deepened after Russia’s parliament authorized President Vladimir Putin to send troops into the neighboring country. Ukraine is a transit point for gas accounting for about 16 percent of European demand.

“At this moment, there’s no reason for concern,” Oettinger said. “The gas situation is good. We had a mild winter, we’ve got gas reserves everywhere.”

Copyright 2014 Bloomberg

View the original article here

Department of energy starts SunShot price competition

The SunShot prize is intended to reduce in the soft costs associated with small solar systems of more than 65%.
Credit: MREA

Within the framework of the initiative announced the Energy Ministry SunShot the Department on September 12 beginning to make a new contest faster, easier and cheaper, solar panels on the roof to install. The SunShot price makes a total of $10 million in cash prizes for the first three teams that consistently demonstrate that the non-hardware costs or price to plug in, as low as $1 per watt (W) for small photovoltaic (PV) systems, which can be installed to American homes and businesses. This objective corresponds to a decline in the "soft costs" of solar installations - including permitting, licensing, connection to the grid and other non-hardware costs - more than 65%. The winning teams will show that solar energy is a solution affordable for families and businesses in the United States.

The SunShot Prize to inspire innovative, sustainable and verifiable business practices to reduce soft costs $1 / W. achieving which this target SunShot within will bring soft cost target of $0.60 / W for residential system, reach by the end of the Decade. During phase I of the competition to win the teams will be successful to deploy, 5,000 small-scale (is kilowatt) rooftop PV systems with non-hardware costs an average $1 / W. phase II, which is provided the company sustainability the winner, calls for the installation of an additional 1,000 qualified systems.

The competition runs over 2015.The winner first place will receive $7 million, $2 million will get second place and runners-up will receive $1 million for the competition to achieve goals successfully. In addition to the prize money, which are officially first place team "the winner of America's best rooftop solar"-price. The SunShot initiative is a joint project of the national to solar energy until the end of the decade with other energies get competitive. See the press release of Ministry of energy and SunShot Prize Web site.

View the original article here

Ukraine Says 'fair' Price For Russian Gas Is $230 Per 1,000 Cu M

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Ukraine believes that the fair price for the purchases of Russian natural gas should be standing at $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko told country's TV channel Inter on Saturday.

The minister said Ukraine pays $355 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas during the third quarter of this year and the price is expected to rise to some $400 in the fourth quarter.

Ukraine, he said, is currently buying the Russian gas at a higher price comparing to other European countries and the figure of $230 was calculated in line with the price that Germany pays Russia, minus transit fees across the Ukrainian territory.

The 10-year gas export contract with Russia, signed in 2009, ties the price for gas to oil prices, which have been rising recently boosting Ukraine's bill. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is now on trial for signing the deal, and Kiev is at pains to revise it.

Boyko also said that the current gas disagreements between Russia and Ukraine would not disrupt Russian gas deliveries during the coming winter like it happened in January of 2009.

Ukraine transits around 80% of Russia's Europe-bound gas. Russia, which supplies around one fifth of Europe's gas, briefly shut down supplies via Ukraine's pipeline system at the start of 2009 during a dispute with Kiev over unpaid debt.

View the original article here

Government works with push price of solar

SANTA BARBARA much like the Moonshot years 50 ago, that Government to the heavens, a generation of scientists and innovators to reach his next big challenge America help inspire turns.

This time it's just the Sun, not the Moon, is the object of desire. And instead of the space, the focus is better find ways to power the Earth by the power of the Sun.

The SunShot initiative is a challenge, of the Department of energy, solar energy, which in turn would help decrease by $1 per watt, drive the economy, reduce dependence on foreign oil and reduce the amount of climate-damaging gases in the atmosphere spew.

Noble aims it, but a worthy one, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, the DOE Director of solar energy technologies a room full of scientists and energy experts said Tuesday at the Summit of Santa Barbara on energy efficiency.

"It's like all experiment," he said. "What we do, is to set up a hypothesis and then you go back and do the experiment, and you see what the result."

The two-day Conference Wednesday at the four seasons Biltmore Resort, being surfaces look at the challenges and targets for the transition from the United States in the direction of a major renewable energy portfolio of the use of energy more efficient. The event was of the UC Santa Barbara's Institute for energy efficiency to put.

The SunShot initiative is part of making President Obama drive, 80 percent of the country come from clean sources of energy by 2035. A Watt now costs from $3 to $4 for large systems and industry experts say $2.20 per watt is feasible period of five years. This is about 10 cents per kilowatt hour, the standard measurement for utility bills.

Said Bill Brinkman, Director of the Office of science in the DOE technology the hold-up on the strengthening of the role solar is not in the country.

"The problem is we all know how it to do, but it's too expensive", he said. While the price of solar energy by approximately 50 percent has fallen in recent years, it is depending on affordable made by a number of subsidies for private and commercial customers.

As the price has fallen, it has a huge increase in the number of photovoltaic panels on the roofs throughout the country. In 2010, it more than 10 times the amount of energy produced by solar as in the year 2005 did pass a growth rate expected to that.

We want to the point where you need not subsidies. Ramamoorthy Ramesh

"To put it simply, business is booming," said Ryne Raffaelle, Director of the national renewable energy laboratory. "The growth is really phenomenal."

But for his true reach Ramesh said potential, it must be with gas, coal and oil, can compete.

"We want to the point where you need not subsidies," he said. "It is a challenge, but it is feasible."

Solar focuses on places such as California now, where the Sun is abundant. But if the cost is $1 per watt were, it would be reasonable economic everywhere in the country.

The SunShot program is four challenges to drive the price of solar power help: promoting the technology of solar cells, electronics, the installations, improving the efficiency of solar production and reduce the cost of permitting better optimize and design.

Technology provides the innovation required, to drive part of the costs down, but policy makers need to consider such as the cost of licensing and controls to reduce during the installation.

Asked whether the country has the enthusiasm to get that did it with putting a man on the Moon, behind the solar panels in the same way, Ramesh was enthusiastic about the possibilities.

"The same feeling of patriotism, we put a man on the moon to the what is needed," he said. "Confluence of job creation and competitive on the green energy, the sexy, not should be get global market and the priority of the creation?"

View the original article here

New York crude oil price shoots back over $100 A barrel

Singapore (AFP)-New York's benchmark crude oil futures contract back over $100 a barrel in Asian trading as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa shot still the markets rattle.

The contract for April delivery, known as West Texas intermediate (WTI), rose 63 cents to $100.26. The Treaty reached all-time high of more than $147 per barrel in 2008.

Brent North Sea crude oil for delivery in April was up 70 cents to $116.12.

"Clearly everyone is concerned" about the turbulence in the Arab world, said John Vautrain, Vice President of Purvin and Gertz international energy consultant in Singapore.

He said investors were concerned about unrest sweep oil producing countries and deliveries to disrupt.

Oil prices have been soaring, after which followed by longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak crashed popular uprisings of the Guide Tunisia in January, from Egypt in February.

Libyan leader of Gaddafi Moamer's now for his political life as a rebellion against his rule spread fighting, during protests elsewhere in the region are oil-rich rocking, including Yemen and Oman.

Western powers on Tuesday whether military action was a viable option against Gaddafi's as a leader of uprising increasingly fearful of counter strikes grew weighed by the Libyan strongman loyalists.

While it was in some quarters for support at least the imposition of a no. fly zone could, SR. warned that US officials military action Gaddafi's's departure speed up complicated be and have potentially adverse consequences.

View the original article here