From Energydesk
UK at risk of blackouts - or not
The UK could see blackouts this winter. Or actually it probably won't. Our article is from the last time the idea was mooted but the basic facts have remained the same - as The Guadian also explains. It seems unlikely that an energy price freeze - or a dash for shale gas - will fix this particular problem.
If you read three other stories
1) FT turns against EU carbon pricing
In an editorial the paper criticises not just the UK's Carbon Price Floor but the whole notion of carbon prices in the EU which are above those elsewhere in the world.
2) China in giant coal gasification scheme
China is planning to build its largest coal gasification energy project in the western region of Xinjiang, according to a report by Xinhua, the state news agency.The article said “coal gasification is expected to be a key sector in the country’s clean energy initiative.” Environmentalists may quibble.
3) UK solar industry could face tougher regulation
Minister Greg Barker suggests the government is trying to discourage 'unsightly' solar parks, having already urged councils to take visual impacts into account.
“And if that isn’t enough, I will come forward with further serious measures such as sustainability criteria for solar, the same as we have for biomass, to ensure we don’t build on prime agricultural land or areas of outstanding natural beauty.”
And in other news - from the UK
EDF: Labour's energy reforms will push up bills
The head of EDF Energy hit back at Labour's call for a radical reform of the industry today by insisting tax and green levies were to blame for a quarter of the sharp rise in electricity bills over the past decade.
And the rest of the world...
Fracking takes to the oceans
The Huffington Post reports (a little rantily) on plans to increase hydraulic fracturing in offshore oil and gas drilling - a plan which could also be pursued in the UK.
US Electric car sales up 440%
To still not very many car sales
Nuclear fusion milestone passed
But it's still probably about 20 years away.
RWE denies lignite mine closure
German utility RWE has denied a report it is considering the early closure of its Garzweiler brown coal mine. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said on Tuesday that RWE's would close the plant would stop when all the brown coal had been mined from areas already cleared of towns and villages.
Californian utilities row with customers over solar storage
California’s three biggest utilities are sparring with their own customers about systems that store energy from the sun, opening another front in the battle that’s redefining the mission of electricity generators.
ls did not exactly play out as planned,” Mr Voser said.
