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UK government selects four bidders
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€125 billion needed for UK
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Financial engineering
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Billions for renewables
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 Spanish companies
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European Wind Day
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Billion
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Energy Council discusses EU energy future
9 October 2008 - Tomorrow’s meeting of the Energy Council is bound to be of great importance for the future of energy supply in Europe. On the agenda are the energy market, energy and climate and energy efficiency.
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MEPs vote backs Commission proposals to achieve GHG reduction targets
8 October 2008 - The influential European Parliament’s Environment Committee has voted to support the majority of the EU Commission plans to equip Europe with the concrete measures needed to reach its ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Mixed reactions to ENVI’s committee vote
8 October 2008 - The EU Parliament Environmental committee vote on three out of four major legislative proposals from January's climate package - a revised directive on the EU ETS, a decision on effort-sharing to reduce emissions in non-EU ETS sector, and a directive on carbon capture and storage (CCS) – has triggered mixed reactions from stakeholders.
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EU ETS: MEPs agree to 21% emissions reduction by 2020
8 October 2008 - One of the main elements voted by the ENVI committee this week was on the revision of the EU’s emission trading scheme for the third period starting in 2013. MEPs voted to reduce emissions from most industrial installation under the ETS by 21% from 2005 levels by 2020.
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Effort sharing: ‘Binding national targets to reduce emissions from non-ETS sources’
8 October 2008 - MEPs from the ENVI committee have voted in favour of setting binding national targets for each Member State to reduce emissions from non-ETS sectors between 2013 and 2020.
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CCS: MEPs to support demo projects finance with €10 billion
8 October 2008 - MEPs on the Environment committee voted to fund a carbon capture and storage (CCS) building programme by giving away free EU allowances through the revised EU ETS to 12 demonstration projects.
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FAO critical on biofuels policies
7 October 2008 – Regarding biofuels, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO wants to "manage the risks while sharing the opportunities more widely."
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US wind and solar industry welcomes tax credits extension
6 October 2008- Finally, it was the current financial crisis that triggered the long-awaited approval of the extension of the tax credits for renewable energy in the US. As expected, the solar and wind industries welcomed the news. Some reactions from the main stakeholders.
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UK creates new Department for Energy and Climate Change
6 October 2008 - Following a government reshuffle, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced the creation of a new ministry dealing with energy and climate change issues, the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Ed Miliband has been appointed the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
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US Renewable tax credits extended
4 October 2008 - The long-awaited extension of the federal tax credits for renewable energy has finally been passed by the House of Representatives – along with the $700 billion financial bailout package - and now has been transposed into law by President Bush.
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US Senate passes (again) renewable tax credits bill
2 October 2008 - The US Senate has passed a multi-billion dollar financial bailout bill that includes approximately $18 billion in extensions of tax breaks for renewable energy producers.
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IEA urges to accelerate renewable energy deployment
30 September 2008 - Political commitment and effective policy design and implementation are key aspects to accelerate the exploitation of renewable energy sources needed to halve CO2 emissions by 2050 and avoid the most serious effects of climate change, a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes.
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Spain: new PV legislation better than expected
30 September 2008 - After months of uncertainty for Spain’s solar industry, the Spanish government has finally approved a new feed-in tariff that seems to satisfy all parties. The new solar PV Royal Decree (Real Decreto) establishes a €0.32 kWh feed-in tariff for ground mounted facilities, and €0.32 to €0.34 kWh for small and big rooftop facilities.
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Commission and Member States agree to reduce EU’s electricity consumption
29 September 2008 - EU Member States have endorsed the Commission’s proposals for two regulations aimed at reducing the electricity consumption in Europe from office, industrial and street lighting products, and set-top boxes for televisions respectively.
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CO2 emissions still on the rise
26 September 2008 – According to an overview of the Global Carbon Project, the emissions of CO2, and therefore the atmospheric concentrations, are increasing faster than ever. The group of researchers regularly makes an update of the status in the global carbon cycle.
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MEPs in favour of strict emissions car caps
26 September 2008 - The EU Parliament’s Environment committee (ENVI) has voted to keep the Commission’s existing target for average new cars at 130g CO2/km by 2012, ruling out a previous proposal that would have given carmakers an extra three years to implement the CO2 reductions.
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Green economy to create millions of new jobs: UNEP report
26 September 2008 - The impact of an emerging global ‘green economy’ due to climate change could result in the creation of millions of new ‘green jobs’ in the coming decades, a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) says.
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New German grid company to design infrastructure
26 September 2008 - (Montel Powernews) German environment minister Sigmar Gabriel has called for the creation of a German grid company. The new German energy infrastructure should include a so-called “super grid” in the North Sea.
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CCS ‘self-sustaining’ by 2030: McKinsey
25 September 2008 - Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be self-sustaining by 2030, a new report by consultants McKinsey suggests.
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Brazil’s ethanol producers ‘cautious’ about EU biofuel target
25 September 2008 - UNICA, Brazil’s main sugarcane industry association remains ‘cautious’ following the ITRE’s committee 2020-10% biofuel target final proposal revealed last week.
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US Senate passes bill to support renewable energy
24 September 2008 - The US Senate has voted to extend the federal production tax credit for wind (PTC), the 30% investment tax credit for solar (ITC), and other production and investment tax credits for a range of renewable energy technologies due to expire at the end of this year.
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‘Dutch Green Power market does not stimulate new capacity’
23 September 2008 - The large number of 2.5 million green power customers in the Netherlands – the largest voluntary green market in the world – has hardly invoked any new renewable power capacity. A recent report from the Dutch consumers’ organisation Consumentenbond states that most green power is still originating from foreign installations.
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UK report: Prioritise energy supply over climate change
22 September 2008 - The UK must focus on securing its supply of electricity rather than tackling climate change, a new report claims. The report led by Professor Ian Fells predicts a shortfall in UK power generation by 2020 and argues that renewables won’t be on time to satisfy the demand gap.
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Eastern EU countries to delay climate package approval
22 September 2008 - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have agreed to delay approval for the EU Climate and Energy Package. Environmental Ministers of the so-called Visegrad Group have proposed March 2009 as the new deadline.
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MEPs vote to tighten EU ETS
22 September 2008 - MEPs from the Industry and Energy (ITRE) committee have called for the EU’s emission trading scheme to be tightened, making the power sector pay for all allowances it needs from 2013-2020 and bringing an end to all free emissions allowances by 2020.
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Carbon credits supply to push price up to 37€/tonne
22 September 2008 - Point Carbon, a provider of news and analysis for carbon markets, has published its revised downward predictions for the future supply of carbon credits by 2012. According to the study, there will be 19% fewer - or 535 million tonnes (Mt) fewer – credits than previous predictions published last month.
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Financial crisis to impact renewables growth
18 September 2008 - High risks of a €21 billion shortfall in debt finance by 2020 for the renewable energy sector, was one of the conclusions agreed by investors at a renewable energy industry finance conference in London.
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A new biofuels law, not quite there yet
18 September 2008 - Last week’s ITRE committee vote on biofuels have triggered many mixed reactions from stakeholders. GreenPrices asked MEP Britta Thomsen, and Energy Commissioner Piebalgs spokesman Ferran Tarradellas, to comment on some of the implications of the biofuels proposal.
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US renewable tax credits might still be extended
17 September 2008 - The long-awaited extension of the production and investment tax credits for renewable energy in the United States might still be approved this year, following a decision by the House of Representatives to pass the H.R. 6899 bill.
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RE-Directive vote triggers mixed reactions
16 September 2008 - Reactions following ITRE’s committee vote on the RE-Directive have been mixed, especially on the issue of biofuels. The overall RE-Directive amendments however are met with some more positive reactions. Here are some of the most relevant reactions from politicians, NGOs and stakeholders in the business.
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Further co-decision procedure regarding RE Directive
15 September 2008 – Following this week’s voting on amendments, the further progress towards a definite approved proposal for a new RE Directive is not clear yet. An agreement within the so-called ‘first reading’ cycle is still the target but other scenarios are possible.
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Overview amendments of the RE Directive
12 September 2008 - Last week, the Industry and Research Committee of the European Parliament approved ‘rapporteur’ Turmes’ proposal of amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive. An overview of the most important amendments in the following issues: Targets; Transport; Reporting; Biomass, Markets and Certificates; Other Provisions.
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EU Parliament votes for an innovative biofuels target
11 September 2008 - MEPs of the EU Parliament’s ITRE committee have voted to keep a proposed 10% target for all road transport fuels by 2020, with an interim target of 5% by 2015. However, the new draft legislation considers that at least 40% and 20% of the above mentioned targets respectively, must come from renewable electricity, hydrogen or non-traditional biofuels.
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RE Directive gets boost from the EU Parliament
11 September 2008 - The European Parliament’s industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee approved a draft legislation that could pave the way to ensure that 20% of Europe energy mix comes from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from about 8.5% today.
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“CCS should not be subsidised”
10 September 2008- A draft opinion document by Hungarian MEP Gyula Hegyi proposes that the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology should be a result of competition and therefore not subsidised with public money.
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Roadmap encourages Africa to set RE targets
9 September 2008- The African Union Commission (AUC) and the European Commission (EC) have agreed on a bilateral energy cooperation strategy that addresses key energy challenges and covers energy security, access to renewable energy sources, and issues of climate change.
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US wind tries to set to sea
8 September 2008 – A US Department of Energy’s report on a 20% wind power scenario found out that offshore wind capacity could be about one-sixth of total wind power generation by 2030. Prospects for offshore wind projects from New York to Texas are rapidly and steadily rising.
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US wind capacity surpasses 20 GW
8 September 2008 - Wind energy now provides 20,152 MW of electricity generating capacity in the United States, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) revealed last week.
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RECS: voluntary green power market under fire
8 September 2008 - The amendments presently discussed within the industry and energy (ITRE) committee of the European Parliament will largely affect the market of voluntarily purchased green power. Thus states RECS International, the association that advocates free trade of green energy certificates.
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McCain: New wells and some renewables
5 September 2008- In his nomination acceptance speech at the last night of the Republican National Convention, presidential candidate John McCain said that the best way to end US dependence on foreign oil is by drilling new wells off-shore.
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PV industry again adjusts expectations upwards
5 September 2008 - This week in Valencia, the international photovoltaic industry again has substantially revised its targets. Thanks to rapidly decreasing production costs of solar cells, it is expected that by 2020 12% of the European electricity demand will be supplied by the sun.
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IEA endorses Commission’s energy proposals
4 September 2008 - With many compliments and some comments regarding R&D funding and energy efficiency, the International Energy Agency (IEA) strongly endorses the broad outlines of the Commission’s energy proposals tabled during the last year.
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Greenpeace calls for a North Sea grid
4 September 2008 - A new report by Greenpeace and consultancy 3E calls for the creation of an offshore network in the North Sea to enable the smooth flow of electricity from renewable energy sources into the power systems of seven countries.
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MEPs votes to weaken car CO2 proposals
4 September 2008 - The EU Parliament Industry and Energy committee (ITRE) earlier this week voted in favour of watering down previous Commission proposals requiring manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars to 120 grams per kilometer (g/km) by 2012. The new compromise means that full achievement of the target would be effectively delayed by three years.
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IPCC birthday party asks for more ‘political leadership’
3 September 2008 - Last weekend, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change celebrated its 20th birthday. On this occasion, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for more political leadership.
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Reactions to MEPs vote on cars CO2 reductions
2 September 2008- The ITRE committee’s decision to weaken previous proposals for reducing CO2 emissions of the average new car sold in Europe in 2012 to 120 g/km triggered different reactions from stakeholders. Here are some of them.
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RE Directive negotiations back on track
2 September 2008 – The differences between the Council and the Parliament regarding amendments of the Commission’s proposal for a Renewable Energy Directive are decreasing gradually. A final agreement before the end of 2008 is still regarded as a possibility. But biofuels are still a hot issue.
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‘Biomass is essential for achieving a sustainable energy system’: New report
1 September 2008 - A new report by Dutch Taskforce Energy Transition has concluded that biomass, and by extension biofuels, is essential for achieving a sustainable energy system.
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Biomass, Hot issue report on biofuels’ impact on food, deforestation and GHG reduction
1 September 2008 - The ‘Biomass, Hot issue’ report recently published has shed some light on the three growing concerns about the role of biofuels that have led to serious questions concerning their sustainability: rising food prices, accelerating deforestation, and doubts about the greenhouse gas benefits.
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Obama promises to invest $150 billion in renewables
 29 August 2008 - During a speech where he accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Barack Obama has promised he will invest $150 billion over the next decade in ‘affordable, renewable sources of energy such as wind power, solar power and the next generation of biofuels.’
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Renewables sector resilient to credit crunch
28 August 2008- A new report by service company Ernst & Young has found that ‘on the whole the credit crunch has not impacted the attractiveness of the renewable energy sector,’ as an area to which to lend money.
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Renewable energy investments look at China
28 August 2008 - China has reached the top five most attractive countries for investment in renewable energy, according to the latest Ernst &Young renewable energy country attractiveness indices for the first half of 2008. The US tops the ranking, followed by Germany, India, China and Spain.
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Some progress in climate policy negotiations
28 August 2008 - The climate talks in Accra (Ghana) of last week have induced some optimism about the progress in the negotiations.
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UN: “Phase out harmful energy subsidies”
26 August 2008 – In most cases, energy subsidies, intended to help the poor, are blocking more effective forms of pro-poor policies, while increasing the greenhouse gas emissions. Thus says a new UN Environment Report.
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BMW fastest in decreasing car emissions
26 August 2008 - The average new car sold by German manufacturer BMW AG in 2007 consumed 7.3% less fuel than in the previous year, four times the average rate of others major manufacturers, according to a report by sustainable transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E).
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"Joint Nordic certificate system unlikely"
21 August 2008 (Montel Powernews) - A joint Nordic green certificates market is improbable, simply because there are no incentives for Denmark to join, according to analyst Gunnar Aronsen at GreenStream Network.
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UK excludes voluntary credits from offset quality label
30 July 2008- The UK government’s quality label for carbon offset credits to be officially launched soon is expected to stick to its original proposal that only carbon credits formally certified through compliance market schemes such as the EU ETS and UN CDM would meet the grade, thereby excluding voluntary verified credits (VERs).
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Wind ‘could provide up to 28% of EU electricity supply by 2030’
29 July 2008 - Over a quarter of the EU electricity demand could be covered by wind energy in 2030 if governments and industry research resources across Europe are mobilised via the coordination of investment at a regional and national level, the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) from Europe’s main wind lobby organisation concludes.
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European solar PV booming thanks to feed-in tariffs
29 July 2008 - The solar PV sector is building momentum across Europe thanks to feed-in tariffs adopted at national levels, which are helping to increase development activity and scaling up projects size, according to a new study from Emerging Energy Research (EER).
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Greens report: indirect land use changes induces large emissions
28 July 2008 - New calculations about the indirect land-use for the production of biofuels are clear: the greenhouse gas emissions exceed by large the avoided emissions from fossil fuels.
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Green light for Norwegian CCS subsidies
25 July 2008 - Norway has been given the green light for a huge state investment in the Test Centre Mongstad (TCM). The project is expected to be the first step towards a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution.
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The politics of biofuels: 10% target to remain
 25 July 2008 - Socialist MEP Britta Thomsen from the ITRE committee truly believes the 10% biofuels target for 2020 should be kept because some biofuels are part of the solution to the transport sector emissions. Furthermore, she truly believes a binding 10% biofuels target will be included in the Renewable Energy Directive (RE-D), now under preparation, although the ENVI committee lately tried to water down the target.
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UK tries to weaken EU Renewable Energy Directive
24 July 2008 - The UK is trying to weaken EU legislation that tries to increase the amount of renewable sources in the energy mix, the Guardian newspaper reported, despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s call last month to start a ‘green revolution’ to fulfill their share of the 20% EU renewables target for 2020.
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MEPs calls for EU action on renewable energy plan
23 July 2008 - A cross-party group of 25 MEPs has sent a letter urging the EU Council and Commission to take action to promote the construction of a ‘supergrid’ across the Europe-Mediterranean region linking renewable energy sources, and to include a strong ‘solar plan’ in the Initiative for a Mediterranean Union.
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Commission remains firm on binding biofuels target
21 July 2008 - The European Commission has made clear it will not negotiate the binding character of the biofuels target. The Commission also expects to stick to the 10 % target by 2020, although it recognises it might have to negotiate with the EU Parliament about the final amount.
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Al Gore: US power 100% renewable by 2018
19 July 2008 - Former vice-President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore has challenged the US to commit to producing 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal power.
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Candidates react to Al Gore's challenge
19 July 2008 - Al Gore’s challenge for the US to produce all its electricity from renewable energy sources triggered quick reactions from the two US Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.
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'Biofuel policies have been costly and ineffective'
17 July 2008 – OECD countries have been applying costly and ineffective ways of supporting biofuels production. The support, estimated at 7 billion Euros in 2006, only achieved a 1% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction in transport, says a report from the OECD published yesterday.
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NASA ocean maps to boost offshore wind
16 July 2008 - Offshore wind development could soon receive a boost thanks to new global satellite maps being developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that shows ocean areas where winds could generate wind energy.
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EU launches consultation for biomass sustainability scheme
16 July 2008- The European Commission has launched a consultation among all interested stakeholders to get their views on the need for a ‘Biomass for Energy Sustainability’ scheme, and specific key principles and criteria to be developed at EU level. The scheme aims to ensure the avoidance of environmental risks.
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MEP calls for EU support to accelerate CCS deployment
15 June 2008 - German Christian-Democrat MEP Christian Ehler has drafted a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) proposal that calls for the EU to make available a fund of up to €500 million for the construction of at least 12 demonstration plants by 2015.
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Norway and Sweden go ahead with green certificates plan
15 July 2008- Norway and Sweden have agreed to go ahead with their plans to establish a common green certificate market in the near future, although when exactly remains unclear.
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Rotterdam aims to be a 'CO2 hub' for Europe
14 July 2008 - With an updated report about the possibilities for Carbon Capture, transport and Storage (CCS) in the harbour area, the city of Rotterdam is aiming at developing a mature industrial activity in fifteen years. The report was presented to the Dutch government, asking for support.
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EU Parliament Committee waters down biofuels 10% target
14 June 2008 - The European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) last week voted to scale down the Commission’s initial proposal of 10% renewable sources in transport by 2020 to 8-10%, with an intermediate target of 4% by 2015, and with only part of it made up by biofuels.
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EU Commission proposes new ‘greening transport’ package
14 July 2008 - With the goal to steer transport towards sustainability, the European Commission has proposed a new ‘greening transport’ package of legislation by which lorries using major European roads could soon be charged for certain environmental costs.
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Shipping sector considers greenhouse gas standards
11 July 2008 - Slowly but gradually, the shipping industry tries to get rid of its grubby image. The International Maritime Organisation is presently discussing global standards for CO2 emissions from ships. But will they be in time to withstand pressure from the EU, demanding mandatory standards?
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Carbon market value €38 billion in first half 2008
11 July 2008 - Despite global economic slowdown, the global carbon market was valued at €38 billion during the first half of this year, €22.2 billion more than the €15.8 billion over the same period last year, according to Point Carbon’s Carbon Market Monitor’s Mid Year Review.
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EU Parliament votes in favour of including aviation in ETS
10 July 2008 - The European Parliament voted this week 640 to 30 in favour of including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2012. The Directive will apply to all airlines regardless of their nationality or where they are flying to, or from, within the EU-27 area.
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UK government might delay biofuels target
9 July 2008 - Following the Gallagher review, the UK Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly has announced she ‘intends to consult formally on slowing down the rate of increase in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
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Gallagher report: No moratorium on biofuels but slowdown targets
9 July 2008- A new report by the chairman of the UK’s Renewable Fuels Agency, Ed Gallagher, has called for the UK to delay by three years its target of requiring 5% of all fuels sold domestically to come from renewable sources by 2010. The report also proposes an EU-wide target for renewable transport fuels of between 5 and 8% for 2020, while it clearly rejects calls for a moratorium on biofuels.
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G8 agrees to halve emissions by 2050
8 July 2008- The Group of Eight countries has agreed to adopt a global goal of at least 50% reduction of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, leaders did not agree on mid-term targets and did not set a base year from which emissions would be cut.
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G8: a new step forward?
3 July 2008 - Next week the largest developed and developing countries will meet in Japan with discussions of climate change policies ranking nr.1 on the agenda of topics. The G8+5 meeting will be another milestone towards an international climate change deal by the end of next year. What can be expected?
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WWF: G8 policies still not adequate
3 July 2008 - None of the eight largest countries in the world (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and US) are implementing enough measures to meet the goal of a maximum 2°C global temperature rise. In the new G8 Climate Scorecards, published by WWF and assurance company Allianz, the UK scores the best and the US the worst.
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An index for climate change cooperation
3 July 2008 - Researchers from the Zürich Technology Institute ETH in Switzerland have invented a Climate Cooperation Index to show the willingness of all countries in the world to cooperate in climate change policies.
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World Bank Climate Investment Funds
2 July 2008 – Yesterday the World Bank formally approved the creation of two climate investment funds targeting the support of $5 billion over the next three years for developing countries.
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Sustainable energy most attractive to capital investors
2 July 2008 - Despite the unstable financial markets, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries attracted 60% more investment in 2007 than in 2006. Over 93 billion Euros entered the sustainable energy sector in 2007, according to the latest estimates of the UN Environment Programme.
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Climate change tops French agenda for the EU
1 July 2008 – Today, France took over the Presidency of the EU Council from Slovenia. In his welcome word, French president Nicolas Sarkozy mentions climate change and the environment as the two first issues to be dealt with, together with immigration, food safety, health, the economy and finance.
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7.7 million tonnes of biofuels consumed in Europe during 2007
30 June 2008- According to the new Biofuels Barometer prepared by Observ'ER, the European Union biofuel consumption in 2007 reached approximately 7.7 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe), representing 2.6% of the energy content of all fuels used in road transport in Europe, nearly half of the 5.75% target for 2010.
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Who is to pay the CCS bill?
30 June - Today in The Hague, the Conference on CCS in a low carbon energy future started. Politicians, businessmen, scientists, think tanks and other stakeholders agree on the need for cooperation. Especially, they agreed on the need for governmental financial and policy support.
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‘CCS buys us time for the transition to a low-carbon economy’
30 June 2008 - Speaking at the opening of the Conference on CCS in a low carbon energy future today in The Hague, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven, re-stated the Dutch government's commitment in helping carbon capture and storage (CCS) become commercially available as soon as possible.
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Council: No certificates for target counting
26 June 2008 - Last Tuesday the energy working group preparing a final view of the Council of ministers on the energy part of the Climate Action package of the European Commission had another meeting. The Council decided to work further on the proposal from Germany, the UK and Poland about the trade of renewable energy.
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McCain's strategy criticised
26 June 2008 - The Lexington Project of US presidential candidate McCain has already been subject to strong criticism. McCain is especially criticised for not supporting clean energy incentives votes in the Senate on several occasions.
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John McCain launches energy strategies
26 June 2008 – Yesterday, US president candidate John McCain launched a plan that should lead to the US independency from foreign oil by 2025. McCain's Lexington Project enhances domestic oil and gas production, while targeting all low-carbon technologies.
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"Transition period towards internal green energy market"
25 June 2008 – By applying a few steps in the process of achieving an internal EU market for renewable energy, the European Commission could prevent legal problems concerning trade of green energy. This is the opinion of RECS International, the organisation that advocates free trade by certificates.
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German solar industry wants share in grid company
25 June 2008 - (Montel Powernews) - The German solar industry is willing to put EUR 2 billion on the table for a quarter of the shares in the intended German grid company (Netz AG) in order to be able to influence the expansion to suit decentralised energy structures.
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$70 million for research in carbonate reservoirs and CO2 storage
23 June 2008- Qatar Petroleum and Shell have launched a joint research collaboration on further understanding carbonate reservoirs and CO2 storage. Together they will contribute with up to $70 million over a 10-year period aiming to provide the foundation for new CO2 storage technologies that can be applied in Qatar, elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond.
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GE: "US tax revenues exceed wind energy tax incentives"
22 June 2008 - GE Energy Financial Services has released a study that estimates that the 5200 MW of new wind energy projects that began operating in 2007 have a positive net present value (NPV) of $250 million to the US Treasury after deducing the cost of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) that is set to expire.
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Top CEOs urge climate action
21 June 2008 - A group of top companies has delivered a statement with a list of recommendations on climate to Prime Minister Fukuda of Japan, ahead of the G8 summit next month. Business leaders urge to establish a global carbon market and to set an ‘aspirational’ target for cutting GHG emissions.
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EU Parliament supports full ownership unbundling for electricity
19 June 2008 - Yesterday the European Parliament voted in favour of full ownership unbundling of vertically-integrated power companies in the electricity market as the only option for these companies. MEPs also decided to require system operators ‘to give priority to generating installations using renewable energy sources or waste producing combined heat and power.’
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The EU-US row over biofuels trade
19 June 2008- The fight between US and European biodiesel producers is heating up. Following a complaint presented back in April this year by the European Biodiesel Board, the EU Commission decided this week to launch an investigation into ‘unfair subsidised and low-price biodiesel exports from the US’. So what is this ‘war’ about?
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Energy efficiency associations: mandatory target of 20% by 2020
19 June 2008 - A number of European associations related to energy efficiency called on the EU Council to introduce a mandatory energy efficiency target of 20% by 2020, replacing the non-obligatory target in the current Energy and Climate Package.
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EU to investigate US biodiesel imports
18 June 2008- The EU has initiated a joint anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigation on imports of subsidised 'B-99' biodiesel from the United States.
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