Climate Change . Consumer Behavior . Economics & Policy . Electricity . Energy Supply . Smart Energy . Society . Transportation
When computational models can evaluate the impact of policies objectively, why are they rarely used in public policymaking?
On 14.12.2020 by Marius SchwarzWhat should the future Swiss energy system look like? How can nuclear power be replaced? Will we have enough electricity on days where no sun is shining, no wind is blowing, and heating demand is high? Without clear answers, the discussion on the future Swiss energy system becomes bipartisan and emotional. Computational models can provide answers, facilitating a discussion less driven by subjective impressions but rather by profound technical analysis.
Climate Change . Electricity . Society . Transportation
Promoting adoption of electric motorcycles in Nepal: Challenges and Opportunities
On 17.11.2020 by Nilkanth KumarKathmandu’s stark air pollution and limited public transport infrastructure poses a challenge towards achieving sustainable and adequate transport. Motorcycles are the most sought after mode of private mobility in Nepal. Electric motorcycles appear to be a viable and promising solution, but several technological, market and behavioural factors hinder their higher adoption.
Electricity . Energy Supply
Accelerating the energy transition in developing countries: Inclusion of women in clean energy strategies
On 16.10.2020 by Cristina de los Angeles Dominguez HernandezIn rural communities, women are the primary energy users as they are the ones performing household chores such as cooking and domestic work. For this reason, they are the most affected along with children from the use of highly-pollutant conventional fuels. Ironically, most of the time they are excluded from clean energy strategies targeted toward transitioning to clean fuels. My research has shown that gender focused initiatives targeting women can play a major role in accelerating this transition to affordable, safe, and reliable energy.
Consumer Behavior . Electricity . Energy Supply . Smart Energy
Jointly owned PV should be the new solar ownership model / Gemeinschaftliches Eigentum: der neue Ansatz für Photovoltaikanlagen in der Nachbarschaft
On 26.06.2020 by Danielle Griego, Prakhar Mehta, Alejandro Nunez-MartinezAs societies transition from using predominantly centralized energy supply sources to increasing dependency on distributed renewable energy generation, it is no longer enough to singularly focus on energy efficiency. In particular, the time sensitivity of electricity generated from solar and wind must also become an integral part of future electric consumption behavior patterns. In this article, I outline how joint ownership of community-scale PV systems have vast potential to establish long-term and intelligent electricity consumption behavior patterns among co-owners.
Electricity
Why we need responsive policies to achieve a rapid energy transition
On 31.05.2020 by Alejandro Nunez-JimenezBecause we are bad at predicting, slow at changing policies, and the stakes are too high. Responsive policies can help to overcome these limitations.
Climate Change . Electricity . Energy Supply . Society
The long way ahead for the energy transition
On 22.04.2020 by Viktoras KulionisConcerns about the consequences of excessive global warming have increased interest in the energy transition. General belief is that the energy transition has been the dominant factor of the increased use of renewable energy. However, only few countries/regions show evidence of an actual energy transition. At the global level, its relevance is short of non-existent when you do the math.
Electricity . Energy Supply . Society
Electrifying Rwanda: Why mini-grid companies have lost the game
On 07.04.2020 by Churchill Omondi AgutuRwanda’s goal to reach 100% electrification by 2024 relies heavily on off-grid electricity systems, like solar home systems and mini-grids. Based on my recent field research, this will be a tall order for burgeoning solar home system and, especially, mini-grid companies, who face a number of challenges to scale.
Electricity . Energy Supply
Switzerland’s strategy will not deliver the solar power it needs. Here’s why. / Die Strategie des Bundesrats wird die benötige Solarenergie nicht liefern. Die Gründe warum.
On 17.02.2020 by Léonore HälgThe Swiss federal council proposes to support large-scale solar PV with competitive auctions for one-off investment grants. This will not scale up solar PV investment to the extent necessary to reach the Swiss climate and energy targets. I offer suggestions on how to improve the proposal.
Buildings . Electricity . Energy Supply
Photovoltaics on Buildings – Ugly and Expensive or an Opportunity for Creative Design?
On 01.02.2020 by Linus WalkerThe integration of solar energy technologies in buildings has been available for several decades. However, many buildings are still built without any PV or solar thermal collectors, which in my opinion is an intolerable situation.
Consumer Behavior . Electricity . Energy Efficiency . Heating . Society
How energy efficient is your daily life?
On 20.01.2020 by Valentina Stampi-BombelliHave you ever stopped to think about the power consumption of the activities of your daily life? Do you think you can guess the power consumption of each device? Try sorting the power consumption of each device that runs on electricity, and then have fun scrolling on the images of each room below to find out if you guessed correctly!
Electricity . Energy Supply
Understanding the Scale of Back-up Generation in the Developing World
On 06.11.2019 by Yael BorofskyThanks to unreliable electricity grids, fossil-fuel powered generators in low- and middle-income countries constitute as much generation capacity as up to 1,000 coal-fired plants, finds a new report from the IFC and the Schatz Energy Research Center. That sounds bad for the climate and public health, but generators also help people stay out of poverty…
Climate Change . Electricity . Energy Efficiency . Heating
Natural gas: a bridge fuel to nowhere
On 20.10.2019 by Ivalin PetkovWhy we have already ‘crossed the bridge’, necessitating a phase-out and heavy divestment from natural gas. The solutions are reliable, cost-competitive, and ready – decarbonized renewable energy sources with storage.
Consumer Behavior . Electricity
Cheap solar alone would not prevent a renewable energy gap
On 06.10.2019 by Alejandro Nunez-JimenezThe energy-efficiency gap describes how firms and individuals underinvest in profitable energy-saving technologies.