The recent hike in oil prices in India has led to a sudden increase in demand for CNG/LPG cars. In order to cater to the growing demand for such cars and also to cash in on this opportunity, vehicle manufacturers in the country have launched CNG/LPG variants of their existing models. However, the lack of support infrastructure such as an inadequate number of filling stations can hamper the growth of these cars in the country.

Continue reading “Surging Oil Prices in India Leads to Increased Demand for Natural Gas Cars” »

The wind energy industry is growing rapidly on the back of technological advancements, political will and government subsidies. Utility companies, independent power providers, institutional investors and oil companies are all seeking to capitalize on lucrative support mechanisms to unlock greater commercial and competitive advantages, meet their renewables targets and boost their green credentials.

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A new report shows that E-health can save each country tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars over the next ten years and energy savings of 25% can be achieved by smart grids. Additionally, patients and older people can be monitored by video nurses, linked to video-based community support networks.

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Surging oil prices have shifted the world’s attention towards biofuel development says a new report.

In a few countries, aggressive promotion of biofuels have begun to pay dividends. Brazil, the world’s leading producer of ethanol, continues to promote expansion of production. By 2012 the government estimates that its total export could reach 12 billion litres a year, including exports to the U.S.

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India is the world’s sixth largest energy consumer, consuming about 3% of the world’s total energy per year.

In the face of growing demand, India’s electricity sector faces problems of capacity, poor reliability, and frequent blackouts. The anticipated electricity shortage is estimated at between 11 and 18%. Currently 79% of electricity comes from fossil fuels, mostly coal.

Continue reading “Despite Growing Demand, Environmental Concern makes Power Sector in India Turn Away from Coal” »

The Brazilian government has proposed a scheme whereby it would offer an environmental seal of approval for its biofuel exports. While this is a response to possible punitive measures against current production methods, the certification scheme provides an innovative approach to the biofuels problem, and offers fuel retailers a means of differentiating themselves from their competitors.

In order to counter the dwindling support for biofuels, Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of the alternative fuel, has proposed the creation of an environmental seal of approval for its ethanol exports. The seal would provide importers with a guarantee that the biofuels have been produced in an ethical manner while following the strictest environmental regulations.
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In an effort to reduce Poland’s dependence on Russian gas, and ultimately enhance the country’s energy supply security, national incumbent PGNiG is building an LNG import facility on its Baltic coast. However, the facility, which is set to be completed by 2011, could face numerous setbacks.

Polish annual gas demand is expected to increase from 15.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2008 to 16.4bcm in 2009, with indigenous production accounting for approximately 5bcm, or 30%, of total gas consumption. The deficit would normally be expected to be filled mainly by Russian imports, which account for around 70% of Poland’s total consumption.

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The biofuels sector has seen increased activity over the past few years. Recently, it has been in the eye of a veritable media storm. While Governments across the world have put in place mandates and subsidy schemes to encourage production of biofuels, there have also been a number of cautioning voices, warning of the dangers of biofuel production. There was clear evidence of diverging opinions and diverse points of view surrounding the issue at a recent conference in London.

Several of these issues were addressed at Bioenergy Europe 2008, a two-day conference organised by Environmental Finance. Dr Kyriakos Maniatis, DG Energy and Transport, European Commission outlined the EU policy, targets and provided an update on developments. He spoke of the upcoming directive on fuel quality which is currently in discussion in the Commission and the need to ensure that biofuels fulfil the sustainability criteria.

Continue reading “Bioenergy Europe 2008 Highlighted the Infancy of the Debate Surrounding Biofuels” »

A new report, The Status of Gas TSOs, in Europe states that gas transit is set to play a significant role in the European gas landscape.

In 2007, the second round of market liberalisation by the European Commission created some ripples. The Commission found that lack of coherence in the powers and remits of national energy regulators was one of the biggest hurdles to a well-functioning EU energy market.

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Europe’s environment chief, Stavros Dimas, has gone on record to say that that the EU did not foresee the problems raised by its policy to get 10% of Europe ’s road fuels from plants. Several reports have made a damning link between rising food prices and rainforest destruction with increased biofuel production.

Biofuels, which consist of ethanol and diesel, made from crops including corn, sugarcane and now increasingly, palm, were once seen as a partial solution to moving away from conventional fuel. Today, they’ve earned their share of vocal critics, like George Monbiot, who believes that biofuels could actually be doing more harm than good. Continue reading “EU Set to Rethink Biofuel Targets Based on Recent Warning Reports” »