Europe

  • Group Readies for Construction of Europe’s Largest Solar Farm

    An independent power producer (IPP) formed earlier this year and backed by a leading global renewable energy investment firm announced it will build what is expected to be the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in Europe. Rezolv Energy on Nov. 4 said it had acquired the rights to build and operate a 1,044-MW solar PV […]

  • European Energy Crisis Prompts Utility Takeovers in Germany, France

    With winter fast approaching, and the dreaded effects of extreme natural gas price levels and volatility looming, together with unprecedented uncertainty of fuel supply, governments in Germany and France have

  • Investment Bank ‘Mobilizing’ up to $115 Billion for Renewables, Energy Storage and More in EU

    The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) said it will support an initial investment of €30 billion ($30.2 billion) in loans and equity financing to move the European Union (EU) away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner forms of energy over the next five years. The EIB board of directors on Oct. 26 said a […]

  • Blue Ammonia Production Efforts for Fuel Supply, Exports in High Gear Along U.S. Gulf Coast

    Energy giants Chevron and Uniper are pairing with chemical technology companies Air Liquide and LyondellBasell to explore a hydrogen and ammonia production facility along the U.S. Gulf Coast that could support industrial decarbonization and mobility applications in the region and expand clean ammonia exports. The companies, in a joint statement on Oct. 19, said they […]

  • Menlo Electric expands its offer with Growatt power inverters and batteries

    Menlo is the fastest-growing distributor of PV in Europe. The company is selling renewable energy solutions across 25 countries and is expected to deliver ca. 600 MW of PV components by the end of the year. The latest product launch ensures Menlo’s customers continue access to high-quality inverters and batteries. “We intend to supply Growatt […]

  • Europe Turns to LNG to Avert Energy Crisis

    European nations are looking at ways to increase their imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), including from Russia, as concerns about a shortage of natural gas across the European Union (EU) continue ahead

  • Siemens Gamesa in Deal with SSE Renewables for European Assets

    Siemens Gamesa said it has sold its renewable energy assets in southern Europe to SSE Renewables, a division of Scottish multinational energy company SSE. The deal announced Sept. 1 is for a 3.8-GW portfolio of projects, including onshore wind facilities in Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. The agreement also includes potential opportunities for Siemens Gamesa […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Momentum for CCS

    While only one commercial power plant equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains in operation today, the momentum for CCS appears to have picked up dramatically over the past year. According to a database curated by the Global CCS Institute, more than 30 power generation CCS projects are under construction or in various stages […]

  • Europe May Need Temporary Coal, Oil Power Increase to Ready for ’Hard’ Winter, IEA Warns

    European leaders should minimize gas use in the power sector and temporarily ramp up coal- and oil-fired generation while accelerating low-carbon sources to guard against energy market turmoil that has grown “especially perilous,” the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on July 18. “I’m particularly concerned about the months ahead,” wrote IEA Executive […]

  • France’s NUWARD SMR Will Be Test Case for European Early Joint Nuclear Regulatory Review

    The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SUJB), and Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) have picked France’s NUWARD small modular reactor (SMR) design as a test case for an early joint regulatory review for SMRs. The development marks a notable step by European regulators to align practices in a […]

  • Energy Security = National Security: How the West Needs to Reindustrialize, Rethink Energy Policy

    The current geopolitical crisis spurred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine should provide a rude awakening in the West to our misguided and flawed policies toward energy development by government and major

  • Gas Power Outlook: Volatility and Viability

    Natural gas generation’s future hinges on a precarious and exceptionally volatile set of issues that the conflict in Ukraine intensified. Experts from the full natural gas chain shed light on how that

  • Natural Gas and Nuclear Power Are Not ‘Green’ Investments

    It is not an over-reaction to state that we are in the midst of a planetary emergency. We face the combined threats of climate, nature loss, and human health pandemics. Of the nine planetary boundaries that

  • Three Nuclear Plants Close in Germany, Final Three to Be Retired in 2022

    The end of the year will bring the end of power production for three of Germany’s final six operating nuclear power plants. The 1,410-MW Brokdorf unit in Schleswig-Holstein, the 1,360-MW Grohnde unit in Lower Saxony, and the 1,288-MW Gundremmingen C unit in Bavaria will all be permanently taken off the gird on Dec. 31. That […]

  • Data Centers Set to Double Their Power Demand in Europe, Could Play Critical Role in Enabling More Renewable Energy

    LONDON and BERLIN (Oct. 14, 2021) – Large data centers in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands are projected to draw 5.4GW (gigawatts) in ‘live IT power’ demand in 2030, up from 3GW at the end of 2021, according to a new study published today by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) in partnership with […]

  • SSE Backs Top Power Execs With New UK Renewable Energy Group

    A group of energy sector entrepreneurs, supported by a Scottish multi-national energy company, has announced the launch of a business venture focused on rolling out large-scale wind and solar farms across the UK and Europe. Renewco Power on Sept. 22 said it wants to develop more than 4 GW of renewable energy projects in the […]

  • German Flood Damage at Power Plant, Energy Facilities Extensive

    Numerous energy facilities were afflicted by the major flooding event that inundated parts of Europe last week, and at least one major power generator has said the damage will likely mount into a “mid-double-digit million euro sum.” The flooding, which was caused by a cold, low-pressure area dubbed “Bernd,” crawled slowly across the continent over two […]

  • Report Touts Huge Potential of Offshore Wind

    Researchers who study the U.S. offshore wind industry have issued a new report that says the sector could potentially meet 90% of the nation’s electricity demand by 2050. The key is for offshore wind to be fully developed along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, as well as in the Great Lakes, all areas the […]

  • Statement: EU sustainable finance rules would undervalue hydropower

    The International Hydropower Association (IHA) has responded to a public consultation by the European Commission on new rules to define sustainable finance. While the association welcomes and supports the need for an EU Taxonomy on sustainable activities in order to drive investment in renewable energy, IHA believes the proposal as drafted “raises serious concerns” for […]

  • The European Union Must Keep Nuclear Power on the Table

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that the world installed 5.5 GW of new nuclear capacity in 2019, with China and Russia leading the way. In April, the U.S. announced its intention to take bold

  • GE Will Decarbonize Uniper’s Gas Power Fleet

    GE Gas Power and Uniper have agreed to roll out a detailed decarbonization roadmap that may entail hydrogen-friendly upgrades to all GE gas turbines and compressors at the German generation giant’s gas power plants and gas storage facilities across Europe.  Under the agreement, GE Gas Power and Uniper will form a joint working group to […]

  • German Lawmakers Sign Off on Phase-Out of Coal

    Germany’s plan to end coal-fired power generation in the country is now official, as both houses of the German parliament approved the plan to shut down the last coal units by 2038. Lawmakers signed off on the deal July 3. Environmental groups have supported the measure, though some say it does not go far enough […]

  • Thanks to Asia, Coal Is Still King Worldwide

    Despite the U.S. and Europe shuttering coal-fired power plants, coal remains a major fuel in global energy systems. In 2018, global coal demand rebounded and grew by 1.4% due to increased consumption in Asia, where coal consumption increased by 2.5%. This increased consumption was mainly from power generation, which reached an all-time high, increasing 3% […]

  • Joining Forces with Europe Brings Learning and Promising Results for U.S. Renewable Energy

    One of the most hopeful statistics regarding the world’s energy goals comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, whose study explained that it’s possible for America

  • BNEF Report: As Prices Fall, Renewables Rise Worldwide

    A new report from BloombergNEF (BNEF) predicts about half of the world’s power will come from renewable resources, including solar and wind, by 2050. The group’s New Energy Outlook 2019, released June 18, noted the trend will be driven by falling prices for solar, wind, and battery storage, along with trillions of dollars of investments […]

  • POWER Digest [March 2019]

    The Distribution System Is Newest Energy Transition Frontier in Europe. The European power sector is urging member states and regulators within the European Union (EU) to speed up development of

  • POWER Interview: The Future of Power Sector Engineering Amid Market Disruptions

    Danish engineering, design, and consultancy firm Ramboll Group in December  entered into an agreement to acquire U.S-based engineering and design consultancy OBG. Founded in 1945, OBG has delivered integrated engineering solutions within water, energy, environment and advanced manufacturing, and today, the company says it has extensive client relationships in both the private and public sectors, […]

  • Blockchain Technology Will Transform the Power Industry

    What began in the world of finance has moved into the power sector. Blockchain, a nascent technology most often associated with cryptocurrency, is a new frontier in the energy space, changing the way power is

  • The Rise of Natural Gas Generation in Europe

    Spurred by the shale gas revolution, natural gas’s stunning rise to dominate the U.S. power profile has been echoed by a number of countries, particularly in the Middle East. In Europe, where domestic natural gas production is actually in decline—and consensus is that shale gas won’t likely play a major role on the continent—natural gas […]

  • The energy transition can benefit Europe’s regions, says the EESC

    The transition to decentralised, renewable and digitalised forms of energy supply would not only have positive effects on the environment, it would also economically benefit the regions of the European Union. In its own-initiative opinion drafted by Lutz Ribbe, the EESC points out that there are at least four reasons why smart energy production would […]