Just returned from an insightful trip to #REPlus#REPlus23 #REPlus in #LasVegas, the largest #solar trade show in the US. Here are some key takeaways and reflections: 1.🌞#Solar's Meteoric Rise: In just 20 years, #solar has transformed from a niche market to an industry surpassing the #oil and #gas sector in capital investment this year.

"A Picture Can Tell 1,000 Stories
This image depicts power generation across #Europe last Saturday, with a focus on the need for #gas plants to balance the variability of #solar and #wind in the power system. What's intriguing is that #renewable #hydro provided the bulk of necessary flexibility across #europe as power prices surged from zero to EUR 100/MWh across Europe when the sun went down!

The pace of #innovation in electric vehicles is mind-blowing. It's not just about #batteries, but also #electricdrives, #powerelectronics, #software, and #batterymanagement. These advancements mean better #energyefficiency, increased range, and lower costs. With fewer parts, economies of scale will soon make electric vehicles as affordable as internal combustion engines. The future is electric! ⚡️🚗 #EVs #CleanTransportation

One of the biggest challenges for #solar and #wind is integrating more renewable energy into the power system. How can we do this effectively? #renewableenergy #cleanenergy To encourage the buildout of renewables, we need strong financial incentives. Finding the right mechanisms is crucial for a successful energy transition. #renewableenergy #financialincentives

As the @BMWK considers continuing the subsidization of #energy prices; back in the real world power prices in #Germany will be zero for a large part of the weekend, as they are every second weekend. Meanwhile in the #netherlands today you can be paid EUR100/MWh to take power…

Research Report of the Week: The #Global #Electricity Review from Ember which is full of incredible information on what is going on in the world of electricity, #renewables etc

ember-climate.org/insights/resea… 1. #Wind and #solar reach a record 12% of global electricity in 2022

It is ironic that #BASF the the biggest #chemical company in the world and largest #energy user in #europe published its annual results yesterday, on the anniversary of the start of the invasion of #Ukraine by #Russia. The impact for #BASF is massive. The company:
- Generated a net loss of EUR627 in 2022, down from EUR5.5bn in 2021
- Spent an extra EUR3.2bn in higher #energy costs last year, EUR2.7bn of which was in #europe

My big wish for #European #energy in 2023 is that the @EU_Commission and European #governments push the rollout of #smartmeters and #smarttariffs across the continent. Why do I say that? Because #smartmeters and #smarttariffs give #energy customers the ability to control their own destiny by enabling them to switch off and on devices depending on how expensive #powerprices are.

Earlier today, #EU agreed on a badly needed reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (#EUETS) which is the system of cap-and-trade of #carbonemissions allowances for #energyintensive industries and the #powergeneration sector. The most critical points are: 1. Agreement to make it compulsory for #EU members to dedicate all their auctioning revenues to #climateaction #investments

Picture of the Week: Speed of change around #energytransition is accelerating. Last year the @IEA projected that #renewableenergy installations would be 1800GW over the next five years. Now they are saying that it will be 2,400GW which is the installed capacity of #China. Why is the #energytransition accelerating:
1. Geopolitics - #Ukrainian crisis has forced #Europe to accelerate #decarbonization. It has also been a wake up call for #China who is a huge #energy importer.

There is a lot of talk about bringing back #solar production to #Europe and the #US. What is needed is an @Airbus type response with cross-border and industry co-operation a must otherwise all attempts will be a failure. Let me explain why? 1. It is the size of the #solar industry and the capital ($50bn) and resources needed to scale and be competitive. This year the #solar market will be around 300GW, up from 180GW last year. The #solar industry will use as much glass in the next 12 months as #Europe produces.

There is a lot of #china bashers out there particularly with regards #energy. The bottom line though is that #China is not only the biggest producers of #solarpanels, #inverters #windturbines and #batteries in the world but also the biggest market for all these products. This year #china will install circa 100GW of #solarpanels. If you add the 50GW from last year the country has installed over the last 18 months more than the total installed base of the #Unitedstates.

Research Report of the Week: The #Revolution in #Semiconductors and what it means the #Power sector and the #energytransition

alexa-capital.com/news-insights/… I am firmly convinced that we are in the middle of a revolution in the #energy world. One of the crucial points is around #digitalisation which enables #energyefficiency but at that same time depends on #electricity.

I have never been as positive about our #energy #future as I am these days. Not alone do we have the #technologies and the knowhow to #decarbonise but we have massive retooling taking place in #China and the #US around key future energy technologies Such as #solar, #wind, #batteries, #digitalisation, nextgeneration #nuclear, as well as significant technology breakthroughs in #geothermal, #heatpumps #tidalenergy, #hydrogen

With #European energy prices at extreme levels, there are huge risks that could destabilise the whole social, economic, and political fabric of #Europe. 6 Things we need do: 1. Help Customers Save Energy
We need to help change customer behaviour and run pan #European marketing campaigns to explain the #energy challenge. I call this a “Save Energy to Save Europe,” campaign.