Policy & Regulatory The EU plans to exclude oil and gas projects from infrastructure funding 17 Dec 2020 The European Commission has proposed to revise TEN-E Regulation, which governs cross-border energy infrastructure planning and help implement projects of common interest (PCIs), to focus on the upgraded 2030 climate and energy…
Policy & Regulatory European Commission approves €30bn SDE++ Dutch renewable support scheme 16 Dec 2020 The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the €30bn Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie ("SDE++") scheme to support projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Netherlands. The scheme, which will run until 2025, will…
Policy & Regulatory China unveils new carbon intensity target by 2030 15 Dec 2020 China has pledged to lower its carbon intensity (i.e. CO2 emissions per unit of GDP) by more than 65% by 2030 from 2005 levels, compared to a previous target of reducing its carbon intensity by 60-65% by…
Daily Reports Summary Reports 59th GEF Council Meeting, GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, and 29th LDCF/SCCF Council Meeting At the conclusion of the meetings, Council Members reviewed and approved the Joint Summary of the Chair for the GEF and LDCF/SCCF Council meetings. This summary highlights the discussions and decisions…
Upcoming webinar – Energy and Climate Challenges: closing 2020 and key 2021 issues – 17th & 18th December 2020 – Enerdata and Climate Transparency As countries gradually revise their NDCs to target more ambitious emissions reductions, Enerdata and Climate Transparency analyse current mitigation trajectories, and how the current Covid19 pandemic…
Policy & Regulatory The European Council approves GHG emissions cut by at least 55% in 2030 14 Dec 2020 The European Council has endorsed a binding EU target of a net reduction of at least 55% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, which would put the regional…
Volume 3 Issue 12, December 2020 Pesticides and bird diversity Neonicotinoid pesticides are used widely, raising concerns about effects on organisms besides pests. Khanna and colleagues find that increased neonicotinoid use in the continental United States has reduced bird diversity, especially that of grassland and insectivorous birds. See Li et…
Policy & Regulatory Brazil pledges to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 11 Dec 2020 Brazil, which has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2060. The new target could be brought forward if developed countries transfer US$10bn/year to Brazilian projects starting in 2021, through the…
Policy & Regulatory UK Ofgem unveils a €44bn green investment plan for 2021-2026 10 Dec 2020 The UK energy regulator has approved a £40bn (€44.3bn) investment plan for 2021-2026, which seeks to improve the country’s gas and electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure and to deliver emissions-free green energy. Compared to a…
Policy & Regulatory Australia will not use Kyoto GHG emissions credits to meet 2030 target 9 Dec 2020 Australia has abandoned its plan to use Kyoto carryover credit to achieve its remissions reduction targets. The country received carryover credits as Australia exceeded its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target for the…
Volume 1 Issue 12, December 2020 Wind energy production has increased in recent years to mitigate climate change. However, climate change may itself modify wind energy resources. This Review discusses the climatic mechanisms influencing current and future wind energy production, finding spatial variability in projected responses and a dominance of…
Policy & Regulatory France plans to auction a 1 GW offshore wind project in 2022 8 Dec 2020 The French government has selected an area located 32 km off the coast of Cotentin (Normandy) to build a 1 GW offshore wind project. The tender is scheduled in 2022. The government’s current multi-year energy…
Volume 4 Issue 12, December 2020 Wing origins Wild-type (left) and CRISPR/Cas9-induced vestigial mutant (right) of the emerging model crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis. The vestigial mutant lacks both the edge of the dorsal body wall and structures associated with proximal leg segments, suggesting that both of these tissues qualify as crustacean…
Policy & Regulatory The UK’s updated NDC targets 68% GHG emissions cut by 2030 7 Dec 2020 The UK government has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, compared to a previous NDC target…
Policy & Regulatory Kenya selects KenGen to complete the 465 MW Menengai geothermal project 4 Dec 2020 Kenya has dropped independent power producers (IPPs) as partners to develop the second and third phases of the 465 MW Menengai geothermal project, located about 185 km northwest of capital city Nairobi. The first phase of…
Policy & Regulatory Japan will boost investment in renewables to tackle climate change 3 Dec 2020 As part of its growth strategy, Japan will ramp up investment in technologies to tackle climate change, such as renewable energy, hydrogen fuel and carbon recycling. The plan targets 30 GW of offshore wind capacity…
Article | 27 November 2020 | Open Access Accelerating land cover change in West Africa over four decades as population pressure increased Land cover change has accelerated in West Africa between 1975 and 2013 as human-dominated land area more than… Stefanie M. Herrmann Martin Brandt Rasmus Fensholt Article 25 November…
Policy & Regulatory Colombia’s updated NDC targets 51% GHG emissions cut by 2030 30 Nov 2020 The government of Colombia has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 51% by 2030. In its first NDC, the country pledged to cut GHG…
Actualidad científica: Del 1 al 30 noviembre, 2020 OLFATO Comienza a aclararse la misteriosa pérdida de olfato debida a la COVID-19 Stephani Sutherland Empezamos a tener explicaciones moleculares para este síntoma irritante pero habitual. Geoquímica La atmósfera primigenia de la Tierra y el origen de la vida Lars Fischer La…
Policy & Regulatory India’s SECI awards 1 GW of solar capacity at a record low tariff 26 Nov 2020 The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which is a fully owned subsidiary of the Ministry of New and Renewables Energy of India, has announced the results of a July 2020…
Policy & Regulatory UK issues amendments to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme 25 Nov 2020 The government of the United Kingdom has issued amendments to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme for the fourth Allocation Round (AR4) planned for late 2021, as a result of a public consultation issued in March 2020. The CfD…
Policy & Regulatory South Africa launches a public consultation on 2.5 GW nuclear procurement 24 Nov 2020 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has launched a public consultation on a government plan to procure 2,500 MW of additional nuclear capacity to come online in South Africa after 2030. Read more…
Policy & Regulatory Canada unveils a new climate plan, targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 23 Nov 2020 The Canadian government has unveiled a new plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The new regulation would force the federal government to create interim emissions reduction targets every five years until 2050….
Policy & Regulatory The EU unveils its offshore wind strategy, targeting 60 GW by 2030 20 Nov 2020 The European Commission has unveiled the EU Strategy on Offshore Renewable Energy, which proposes to increase the EU’s offshore wind capacity to at least 60 GW by 2030 and to 300 GW by 2050….
Policy & Regulatory The US administration aims to fast-track oil and gas lease in Alaska 18 Nov 2020 The US authorities have launched a 30-day consultation on lease tracts within the Coastal Plain (CP) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (United States) that may be offered for lease in the…
Policy & Regulatory The French National Assembly approves FiT cuts for 3.6 GW of PV projects 17 Nov 2020 The French National Assembly has approved a retroactive cut in feed-in tariffs (FiTs) granted to large photovoltaic (PV) projects – with capacities exceeding 250 kW – between 2006 and 2010, considering that those tariffs…
Volume 5 Issue 11, November 2020 Spend time outdoors Outdoor testing is key to the electrical characterization of solar cells as their performance in the field could differ to that under laboratory conditions. After extensive tests in a hot and sunny climate, Aydin et al. show that the bandgap of…
Policy & Regulatory Japan’s sixth solar auction awards 369 MW with lowest bid of US$9.5c/KWh 16 Nov 2020 The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan has selected 255 bids with a total capacity of 369 MW in its sixth auction for solar projects of 250 kW capacity or more. Initially,…
Policy & Regulatory Colombia will auction 5 GW of renewable capacity in early 2021 13 Nov 2020 The Colombian government plans to organise the country’s second renewable energy auction during the first quarter 2021. The country intends to allocate around 5 GW of renewable capacity. Projects selected in the procurement…
Policy & Regulatory Spain plans to auction off 3.1 GW of renewable capacity by end-2020 12 Nov 2020 Spain plans to auction off at least 3.1 GW of renewable capacity by the end of 2020, including 1,000 MW of wind, 1,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power, and 80 MW of biomass-fired capacity; the remaining…