From Energydesk
Are SSE right to blame green taxes for an 8.2% price rise?
A large % of a small number is less than a small % of a large number - that seems to have been omitted in SSE's explainer on their price rises. The Guardian argues that cutting costs which fund home insulation is an odd way of going about lowering bills, the paper also observes that SSE's rush to blame the government for it's price rises may reflect concern about how to deal with Labour's price cap promise. Robert Peston reports that 5% of the rise is still down to the regulator and government whilst The Independent finds the Green Deal still isn't really working. That just leaves a quick look at Denmark, where energy utilities and the government have reached (another) amicable agreement to increase efficiency by 12%.
Top three...
1) China now world's biggest importer of oil
China has knocked the US from its top spot as the world's biggest net importer of oil, US government data shows.The country's fast-growing economy, as well as the rise in car sales, has led to its new status, according to September's data.
2) "Arctic ice melt means more pirate chases"
A frankly bizarre blog on the site of the Polish presidency of the next climate change talks appeared to celebrate the melting Arctic, but not just for the benefits of increased access to oil and new shipping lanes. It's also increases the chances of "Chasing the pirates, terrorists and ecologists that will come to hang around …"
3) Black Green German coalition edges closer
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's victorious conservatives and the Greens party agreed on Thursday to hold further talks on forming a first-ever federal government between the two fierce opponents. The Economist claims the Greens must be "torn but tempted" by the deal.
Other news...
The crisis facing Europe's energy giants
The Economist argues that Europe's energy companies are facing an 'existential crisis' due to the rise of renewables similar to that faced by the Newspaper industry in the age of social media. However the magazine puts most of the blame not on the companies but on Europe's governments and regulators urging them to devise market structures will allow utilities to turn a profit - for the good of investment and network management.
Coal to be most used power fuel
Coal is poised to become the most-used fuel for power generators through the rest of this decade, undermining targets for cutting greenhouse gases even as prices rebound from a four-year low - Bloomberg reports.
UK fracking 'threatened' by methane regulations
"Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2,” said Jos Delbeke, director-general of the European Commission’s climate divisions.
“The level of methane emissions tilts the balance for or against the development of shale: it is the central issue. We don’t want to copy and paste what happened in the US. We will do things differently in Europe,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
