Damian's energy dispatch

After a short break to catch a breath we're back....

Coming up today

The Energy Bill continues its report stage debate in parliament. The big kerfuffle today is likely to be an amendment from Tory grandee Tim Yeo proposing the government include a target for decarbonising the power sector by 2030.

Energydesk

Environmental activists hospitalised in Turkish crackdown
Energydesk reports from Istanbul where a violent crackdown on an environmental protest over a park has led to widespread and ongoing protests.

Shale gas reserves revised up - but can we get it out?
UK shale gas explorer, I-Gas has revised up it's own estimates of how much gas there is trapped in rocks under its license blocks. Great news for its shareholders But could it really make the UK self sufficient in gas?  The problem is that these numbers don't really go any way to answering that question. 

UK

Coal loophole in energy bill
Billed as a move to decarbonise the UK's power supply one might expect the government's new energy bill to implement rules which will swiftly put an end to the use of old coal, currently the dominant form of power in the UK. Apparently not, according to Carbon Brief. (We'll have more on this shortly).

World

Coal price hits 3-year low
Speak of coal the price is now so low that major producers in Russia and the US are likely to cut production dramatically. Over-supply and slow growth of demand, especially in the US and China, has dragged down coal prices.

And finally... Wind power, in balloons
A US company has invented a way of embedding a wind turbine in a hot air balloon - designed to help off-grid communities. It's part of a new craze for floating turbines which could significantly reduce the footprint of onshore wind, and the cost of offshore developments. Google's secretive X division recently invested in a similar firm which creates wind turbine kites.