Fsr Energy & Climate

This podcast episode discusses the European Commission’s State aid decision to open a formal investigation procedure with regards to the German lignite phase-out plans, which were passed with the coal phase-out law of 2020. The episode highlights the doubts expressed by the Commission in its opening decision and also touches upon possible additional doubts on some of the other assessment criteria that will have to be addressed by the Commission’s formal investigation. The podcast also touches upon the new section in the Commission’s draft Climate, Environmental and Energy Aid Guidelines, on aid for the early closure of coal plants and its provisions on compensation for such closure.

This podcast from the Gas and Climate area of the Florence School of Regulation is part of the series "IAEE online conference: Energy, Covid, and Climate Change". In this instalment, James Kneebone of FSR is joined by Marina Holgado of the International Energy Agency (IEA) technical collaboration programme (TCP) secretariat for hydrogen. The podcast explores the outcomes of the IAEE online conference session 'Power-to-Hydrogen and Hydrogen-to-X' as well as the wider work of the TCP, through the following questions: - What is the Hydrogen TCP and more specifically 'Task 38'? What can our viewers learn from Task 38 results? - One of the main conclusions in Task 38 was that hydrogen was not being well represented in energy modelling scenarios, in your view, why was that? Has this changed?

This is a podcast of the series "Spot on Climate" of the Climate area of the Florence School of Regulation. In this podcast, Albert FERRARI discusses with Axel Michaelowa, Head of the Group on "International Climate Policy" at the University of Zurich and leading expert in the design of the market mechanisms of the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol. The podcast episode explores how can we ensure that international carbon markets are in line with the long-term target of the Paris Agreement through three questions: - what relevance will have the issue of double-counting in the upcoming talks about the Rulebook on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement? - how could Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) linking contribute to the achievement of the Paris objectives? - how can carbon markets, especially the market-based mechanism under the Paris Agreement, fit in the Architecture established at the COP21, given the diversity of nature and targets in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)?

Following the plenary session on “The future energy mix” of the 1st IAEE Online Conference, Piero Carlo dos Reis interviewed Prof. Keigo Akimoto (RITE), who chaired this session, in order to ask him about his main reflections. Prof. Keigo explained that the future energy mix will be largely driven by a wide range of technological innovations in both energy supply side and demand side aiming at deep GHG emissions reduction (e.g., renewables, batteries, negative emissions technologies …). However, Prof. Keigo believes that it will be challenging to coordinate deep emissions reduction across several countries at different economic growth stages, some prioritising cheap energy costs for their energy-intensive industries, others implementing carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs). Ultimately, if we wish to achieve deep emissions reduction worldwide, we have to make an effort to have both a good coordination among countries and clean technological innovations leading to cheap energy costs.

In the slipstream of the concluding plenary session on the future of the energy system, Tim Schittekatte interviews Christophe Bonnery who chaired the session to ask him about his main reflections. Bonnery explains that in order to meet our netzero goals we can expect more government intervention in supporting the investment in new power generation. Also, Bonnery emphasizes that not only increased deployment of renewables are key in the green transition but that there is also an important role for the distribution system operator to act as an enabler of a greener, more decentralized power system.

Nuclear energy is a low-carbon energy source that could play an important role in the decarbonisation of the energy sector and provide additional benefits in terms of local employment and security of supply. However, the development of nuclear energy, at least in Western countries, has been limited in the past few years. The industry is ready to do its part but invites governments to make clear decisions and provide a level playing field where nuclear can compete with other capital-intensive and low-carbons sources. Innovations like small-scale reactors and combined heat and power provision could improve the economics and the financiability of nuclear investments. At the same time, it is essential to plan for the long-term and preserve in countries like France the existing supply chain with all its skills and competencies so that new reactors can be delivered timely and cost-competitively over the next decades The afternoon parallel session of the 1st IAEE Online Conference addressed these topics on 9 June 20

Prof Anna Creti and I discuss what are the key issues raised while addressing SDG7 targets. Are we ready ? Do we have the data and evidence to make informed decisions ? What would be an appropriate framework to tackle the issue at the distribution end? What lessons can be learnt from experiences on the ground? Follow the podcast to know what the panellist had to say about these questions On Tuesday, 8 June 2021, the 1st IAEE Online Conference, the Morning Parallel Session 2.1 on ‘Energy access around the world’ took place. The session was presided by Prof. Anna Creti, Université Paris-Dauphine. The panellists were - Prof. Jörg Peters, Research with Impact - RWI, ESSEN - Prof. Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society- - Assistant Prof. Federico Pontoni, Bocconi University

On Tuesday, 8 June 2021, the 1st IAEE Online Conference, the Parallel Session 2.1 on ‘Energy Transition and Local Governance’ took place. The session was presided by Michael Pollitt (University of Cambridge). The panellists were Marianne Laigneau (Enedis), Matthew E. Kahn (University of Southern California), Anna Alberini, (University of Maryland) and Michael Caramanis (Boston University).

This podcast was created as a part of the FSR’s Lights on Women initiative in joint partnership with Inter-American Development Bank under the Lights on Women LAC Edition series. The Caribbean region has a growing renewable energy sector that is adding close to half a million jobs and skills globally each year. At the same time the prices of renewable sources such as wind and solar are dropping, as are technologies like batteries, and governments see a golden opportunity here. In this podcast, Dr Malaika Masson is a Senior Regional Energy Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). discuss these opportunities and challenges ahead for the Caribbean region in our latest podcast. Dr Malaika Masso Bio She brings 15 years of experience bridging governance and institutional policy with transformative investments in the energy sector. She currently manages the IDB energy portfolios for Jamaica and Bahamas, focusing on integrated resource planning, investments in renewable energy and energy efficienc

Podcast Series "Energy Transition – the Commission’s State aid decisions on the Dutch and German coal phase-out laws" This podcast episode discusses the European Commission’s State aid decision concerning Germany’s coal phase-out law of 2020, in particular its auction mechanism to compensate operators for hard coal closures. The episode highlights some criticalities in the decision and also touches upon the outcome of the first two auction rounds.

Podcast Series "Energy Transition – the Commission’s State aid decisions on the Dutch and German coal phase-out laws" This podcast episode addresses the European Commission’s State aid decision regarding the Dutch coal phase-out law passed in 2019. Starting with the landmark Urgenda judgment in the background of the Dutch coal phase-out law, it discusses the details of the Commission’s decision concerning the compensation granted by The Netherlands to Vattenfall for the early closure of its Hemweg plant.

In this episode, Michele Azalbert, CEO of Engie Hydrogen Business Unit, joins Joana Freitas to discuss the role of green hydrogen in the energy transition. Green hydrogen has created quite the buzz. From the European Commission's ambitious roadmap for green hydrogen until 2050 to US President Joe Biden's promise to use renewable energy to produce green hydrogen. Other countries like Chile, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia are also announcing major investments in green hydrogen. Michele Azalbert sees hydrogen “as the missing link of the energy transition” as it would enable to store large quantities of renewables over a long period and to decarbonize several sectors, as industry, transport, construction and energy. Despite several false starts, hydrogen is gathering strong momentum as a key energy transition pillar. “Clearly, it is not the first time neither the second time hydrogen has been talked about, but we think this time seems to be different. Green hydrogen is not yet competitive. Today we are in th

This is a podcast of the series "Spot on Climate" of the Climate area of the Florence School of Regulation. In this podcast, Research Associate Albert FERRARI discusses with Andrei MARCU, Founder and Executive Director of the European Roundtable on Climate Change and Sustainable Transition (ERCST). Andrei has been one of the corporate-sector pioneers in the area of climate change and carbon markets. ERCST leads an Informal Forum on Implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which brings together negotiators in an informal discussion to contribute towards arriving at a common understanding in view of achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement. This episode focuses on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, through a discussion on these issues: - The different ways in which the Parties to the Paris Agreement can engage in international cooperation under Article 6, - The stumbling blocks of the negotiation process in view of reaching an agreement on the Paris Rulebook, - The roles the UK and Italy could

In this episode of the ‘On The Move’ series Teodora Serafimova, Research Associate at the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation speaks with Ana Salazar, Head of Sustainability Division at AENA, the world’s largest airport operator in terms of passenger traffic. Despite the fact that aviation is one of the sectors worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, AENA last year announced a new climate strategy pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, which is ten years ahead of the target set by the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe. What were the main drivers behind AENA’s climate strategy? What concrete measures is AENA implementing to reduce its CO2 and environmental footprint? What are some of the regulatory and financing gaps in the current EU framework that would need to be closed to enable airports to act as ‘enablers’ for the broader decarbonisation of the aviation value chain, including airlines? Listen to their conversation for answers to these questions! Read the main con

In its Order on 20 May 2020 the General Court in Nord Stream 2 v Parliament and Council ruled the application inadmissible. The case raises some important questions as to the standing requirements for private persons directly challenging EU acts before the EU courts. It appears that the main reason for refusal to grant the appellant standing to directly challenge the amendments to the 2009 Gas Market Directive stems from the fact that the EU act under challenge is a Directive that requires implementation at national level. This in turn, according to the General Court, implies that there is no ‘direct concern’. Nord Stream 2 v Parliament and Council is a case that turns largely on its facts and it may be that the General Court’s approach does not take this into consideration. This is a case where the intended effect of the amendment is to complicate one project, Nord Stream 2, and leave other comparable import pipelines unaffected. This podcast will examine the Order of the General Court and provide

This is a podcast of the series "Spot on Climate" of the Climate area of the Florence School of Regulation. In this podcast, Research Associate Albert FERRARI continues the conversation with Peter VIS, Senior Advisor at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs and Senior Research Associate at the School of Transnational Governance. This second episode focuses on the design and implementation of the upcoming EU proposal for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), through a discussion on these two questions: - What advice would you give to the European Commission in developing its proposal? - Under what conditions could we do without it? The European Commission will be presenting in June 2021 a proposal for a CBAM for certain imported products to reduce the risk of carbon leakage, which is the risk of companies transferring production to countries that are less strict about emissions. With a CBAM, the price of imports would reflect more accurately their carbon content. This would ensure that the EU’s climate objectives

In this third episode of the ‘On The Right Track’ podcast series, Juan Montero, Professor at the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation speaks with Dr. Marco Kampp, Director of International Long-Distance Passenger Transport at Deutsche Bahn about the existing barriers and necessary solutions to boost the share of international long-distance passenger services in Europe. What does Deutsche Bahn expect from the European Year of Rail and what is the company doing in regards to increasing rail ridership across the continent? What are the legal, commercial and technical barriers, which hinder international rail passenger services? What kind of framework conditions will be necessary to ensure that investments channeled towards railways are fruitful and help to advance the EU’s modal shift objectives? What is the role of increased harmonisation at both the technical and economic levels for the provision of international long-distance passenger services? In view of the COVID-19 crisis, what are the mo

Zoë Knight, Managing Director and Group Head of the HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance, shares her thoughts on the role of the Finance sector in the net-zero transition with Joana Freitas, Ambassador for the FSR Lights on Women initiative. The financial sector’s role in the global response to climate change will entail not only accelerating low carbon investments but also supporting the transition of carbon-intensive sectors. When it comes to investments in green renewable generation, investors’ appetites seem to exceed the volume of investable projects. Knight identifies a variety of reasons, highlighting that the “risk assessment for how strong the investment will contribute to solving climate goals isn't truly reflected yet”. On the other hand, the hard-to-abate sectors, including industry, heavy-duty transport and agriculture, account for around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions but still attract limited investment. In Knight's perspective, companies need to clearly demonstrate what their climate strategy i

In this second episode of the ‘On The Right Track’ podcast series, Juan Montero, Professor at the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation speaks with Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director at the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Companies (CER), about the railway industry’s expectations in terms of EU regulatory developments during the European Year of Rail. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the railway industry and how does this translate into the sector’s expectations for the European Year of Rail? What measures are necessary to increase the modal share of rail passenger services? Can competition help to increase ridership and achieve the European Green Deal objectives for rail? Could Europe experience the return of the night trains, which have seen increasing popularity during the pandemic as a substitute for short haul flights? Is the EU regulatory approach to night trains an experiment or a policy that is here to stay? What are the reasons behind the stagnating modal shar

This is the first podcast of the series "Spot on Climate" of the Climate area of the Florence School of Regulation. In this podcast, Research Associate Albert FERRARI converses with Peter VIS, Senior Advisor at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs and Senior Research Associate at the School of Transnational Governance. This first episode focuses on the rationale and the challenges behind the possible Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) through a discussion on these two questions: - What is the case for a CBAM? - How might it work? The European Commission will be presenting in June 2021 a proposal for a CBAM for certain imported products to reduce the risk of carbon leakage, which is the risk of companies transferring production to countries that are less strict about emissions. With a CBAM, the price of imports would reflect more accurately their carbon content. This would ensure that the EU’s climate objectives are not undermined by production relocating to countries with less ambitious policies. Listen to th