Environment

Germany plans to use coal-fired power plants that were due to be closed this year and next as reserve facilities, as part of a plan to make sure the country can keep the lights on in case natural gas supplies from Russia are abruptly cut. The plan comes as the …

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory believe that power beaming could be the next big thing in energy, capable of wirelessly powering devices and delivering electricity from miles away. Basic physics and recent advances in transmission and reception technologies could one day provide power without needing electricity grids—potentially reducing …

Spain is becoming one of Europe’s new hydrogen hubs, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference in Barcelona on Friday, adding that the country has always been a “front runner” in the NextGenerationEU plan. “This is a defining moment for Europe and for our future,” …

Coal output in China increased by 15% year-on-year in March, with daily production reaching record levels, thanks to Beijing’s calls for a steady market supply, reports Reuters. China churned out 395.79 million tonnes of coal last month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday, equivalent to …

“Compared to previous oil shocks, this is a different world.” Vehicle industry expert John DeCicco, an engineer at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, says that history may not teach us much about how consumers are going to respond to skyrocketing oil prices. In the past, oil price sticker …

The war in Ukraine has made the security of energy supply a top priority, increasing pressure in Europe to accelerate the transition to cleaner fuels, including hydrogen. This was one of the topics covered at the European Gas and Hydrogen Conference that took place in Vienna between 21-23 March. More …

Germany will significantly expand its hydrogen refueling network as it seeks to wean lorries and buses off fossil fuels and decarbonize its transport network. The number of stations in Europe’s largest economy will more than triple to 300 by 2030, the network operator H2 mobility and financial backers said in …

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose by 6 per cent in 2021 to 36.3 billion tonnes, their highest ever, as the world economy rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 crisis and relied heavily on coal to power that growth, according to a new analysis by France-based International Energy Agency (IEA). Thus, …

Despite pledges to contribute to global efforts of reducing emissions, China will continue to maximize the use of coal in coming years as it caters to its energy security, the top Chinese policymakers said this week. Chinese President Xi Jinping has told representatives from its biggest coal-producing region, Inner Mongolia, …

European utilities are getting increasingly reliant on coal for power as the region tries to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas. Even with prices for the dirtiest fossil fuel surging with most other commodities, it’s still much cheaper for power plants to burn coal than gas to make electricity. …