The Fit for 55 package presented last week includes carbon pricing in the buildings sector through an ETS. This raises equity concerns that will need to be addressed or the project will fail. euractiv.com/section/climat…
2) Carbon revenues can also be used to lower policy legacy costs put on energy bills. This is what Germany is implementing. Revenues will be used to lower RES surcharges, relief measures for citizens and climate action support programmes. @cleanenergywirecleanenergywire.org/factsheets/ger…
3) But let's be clear - the current pricing system benefits fossil fuels. This requires very high subsidies for the alternatives or regulation forcing people to switch to more expensive technologies. None of those options will be feasible.
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In recent weeks claims have been made that electrification of end uses doesn’t deliver carbon savings because it runs on dirty fossil fuel generation. I argue here that these arguments do not stack up and prolong the combustion of fossil fuels. Thread 1/n energymonitor.ai/tech/electrifi…
2) Estimating carbon savings associated with electrification is complex. A number of analysts have made admirable attempts to appraise emissions savings from a shift to EVs and heat pumps. These studies show electrification leads to significant reductions in carbon emissions.
3) The German media reported widely on research claiming electric cars that run on power generated by coal are no cleaner than petrol and diesel cars. @AukeHoekstra quickly debunked this.
Opponents of heat electrification often state heat pumps 'don't work in old buildings'. Not true says @JohnCantor2 dispelling this myth in his excellent article. And John knows - he has been designing & installing heat pumps since the 1980s. Thread 1/7 heatpumps.co.uk/2020/11/03/hea…
@JohnCantor2 2/7 First conclusion: “The right heat pump could be made to heat any building to any temperature we like. But the crux of the issue is the installation cost and the running cost.”
3/7 The question John says that we should ask is – “can we heat old buildings and achieve acceptable energy-efficiency?” His response: “Well… we probably can, and as time passes, it gets better.“
Finally it’s out - the EU’s Fit for 55 package. What’s in it? Is it ambitious enough? Find out more in this thread. The good, the bad and the ugly.
1. The purpose of the Fit for 55 package is to meet the EU’s Green Deal goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030. This makes it a hugely important package. Picture 1.jpg
2. Probably the most far-reaching & controversial element of the proposals is the extension of the Emissions Trading System to the buildings & transport sector. Could have major ramifications for the existing policies, the price of fossil fuels & equity. raponline.org/knowledge-cent…
2/n The UK has committed itself to installing 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. To meet the target the installation rate needs to increase 25-fold. Here's how to achieve this.
3/n Existing policy is insufficient to deliver on the target and falls short by close to 50%. The gap is even larger to the @theCCCuk trajectory required for net zero.
Major new German hydrogen study by @oekoinstitut for @StiftungKlima. Key role seen in industry, electricity system balancing, aviation & shipping. Very limited role for hydrogen in transport and buildings.
@oekoinstitut@StiftungKlima 2/6 Vehicles powered by fuel cells or synthetic fuels are non-competitive compared to battery-electric drives, even in the case of large passenger cars and high mileages. These vehicles could play at best a niche role with very low h2 prices and high electricity prices.
3/6 A somewhat more mixed picture emerges with regard to buses, rail transport and a share of long-distance heavy duty transport; in part, the relevant operating conditions beyond the cost calculation could play a role here.
What is the least-cost pathway to decarbonise heating?
New @UCL_Energy@CREDS_UK research shows hydrogen-dominated heating would cost consumers 73% more compared to pathways relying on district heating and heat pumps.
THREAD 1/10 researchsquare.com/article/rs-629…
@UCL_Energy@CREDS_UK The whole UK energy system would cost 33% less if we follow heat pump and district heating pathways compared to a hydrogen-dominated pathway. 2/10
This is driven by significantly higher electricity requirements for hydrogen production. 3/10