According to oil company executives, oil is going to be a major energy source to 2100 and beyond. So after hearing an oil man make his case, Chris Goodall went home and crunched some numbers. Money invested in solar power already produces more energy than if it's put into oil exploration and production, and the gap is only going to widen from here. Is this the new 'peak oil'?
… oil'? A dollar invested in solar yields more energy than a dollar invested in oil Chris Goodall | 13th February 2016 News Energy Oil Renewables Finance Economics … executives, oil is going to be a major energy source to 2100 and beyond. So after …
Germany's Energiewende or Energy Path is leading Europe's dominant industrial power into wholly new territory. Sober bureaucrats see a 100% renewable energy economy by 2050 as technically feasible. Chris Goodall asks - have they all gone mad?
… Chris Goodall | 11th January 2014 News Energy Renewables Nuclear Power Fossil Fuels … germany-solar.png Germany's Energiewende or Energy Path is leading Europe's dominant … Sober bureaucrats see a 100% renewable energy economy by 2050 as technically …
Solar is already the cheapest available power across large swathes of the tropics, writes Chris Goodall - its cost down 99.7% since the early 70s. Soon it will be the cheapest electricity everywhere, providing clean, secure, affordable energy for all.
… Chris Goodall | 22nd July 2016 Comment Energy Solar Wind Renewables Technology … providing clean, secure, affordable energy for all. Towards the end of last year, … become the "dominant backbone" of the world's energy system. He didn't give a date for his …
The economic impacts of the Brexit vote will very soon make themselves felt to British consumers, writes Chris Goodall - kicking off with higher fuel bills and pump prices. The good news is that nuclear power is now looking increasingly unaffordable. But renewables and green energy research are also likely to suffer, especially if under a right-wing Brexit government.
… renewables, an end to nuclear power: Brexit's energy shakeout Chris Goodall | 28th June 2016 News Energy Politics UK EU Economics Brexit Fossil … unaffordable. But renewables and green energy research are also likely to suffer, …
CSP, the 'other' solar power technology, has been largely forgotten as solar PV price falls have transformed energy markets, writes Chris Goodall. But it's set to take a big role in the future energy mix, and huge price falls are coming. Just one question - how to reduce CSP's thirst for water?
… Chris Goodall | 2nd February 2015 Comment Energy Renewables Water Spain USA … at Gila Bend, AZ, uses an innovative thermal energy storage system with molten salt as the energy storing media, combined with …
French energy giant EDF will today give the formal go-ahead for the Hinkley C nuclear power station in Somerset, writes Chris Goodall. But that's no reason for the UK to sign up to a disastrous deal that will cost us over £1 billion per year for 35 years - money that should be used to support the green technologies of the future.
… Dump Hinkley! And invest in the UK's real energy future Chris Goodall | 28th July 2016 Comment Nuclear Energy Renewables Technology Finance Politics … France Corporations stop-epr-cut.jpg French energy giant EDF will today give the formal …
Feed-in tariffs are a great way to kick start renewable technologies, writes Chris Goodall. But they suffer from a law of exponentially diminishing returns. It's time for governments to move to direct R&D funding to achieve the transformational changes the world needs.
… We need to rethink how we support renewable energy Chris Goodall | 11th August 2014 Comment Renewables Wind UK Energy offshore-wind-cut.jpg Feed-in tariffs … around the world have backed away from energy research. In the 1970's administrations …
Last week a massive 350 hectare open cast coal mine at Druridge Bay took an important step towards winning panning permission. This got Chris Goodall wondering: what if the land was turned into a solar farm instead? His surprise discovery: solar power on England's south coast already costs no more than coal - and it's only getting cheaper.
… coal Chris Goodall | 15th July 2016 Comment Energy Solar Fossil Fuels Coal UK Economics … But what about the benefits of the energy produced? How do they compare to using … over their lives. The UK could get the same energy from the sun on only twice as much land …
New technologies are coming on stream that can turn sunlight and wind into liquid fuels for vehicles, homes or power plants, writes Chris Goodall. And by powering the process using 'free' renewable energy on sunny or windy days, the fuel will be as green as can be, and cost less than petroleum.
… Chris Goodall | 22nd August 2016 Comment Energy Technology Renewables Oil Fossil Fuels … powering the process using 'free' renewable energy on sunny or windy days, the fuel will … June that shows a viable route to long-term energy storage. The Science article …
Launched at Davos this week, a WEF report on electricity generation predicts that solar power will cost twice as much in 2030, as the lowest cost sources today, writes Chris Goodall. It's sources? WEF isn't telling. But if 'facts' like these are driving the decisions of big energy CEOs, heaven help their companies in years to come.
… WEF: Big energy CEOs don't get the renewable revolution … Chris Goodall | 23rd January 2015 Comment Energy Renewables Finance Corporations … like these are driving the decisions of big energy CEOs, heaven help their companies in …
As the UK's nuclear dream fades, writes Chris Goodall, investors are turning to the possibilities of 'Concentrating Solar Power' in the Sahara connected to Europe by HVDC power lines. The cost would be much lower than nuclear or offshore wind, and provide reliable baseload capacity. With the UK government's say so, Tunisian sunshine could soon be powering our grid.
… Chris Goodall | 25th February 2015 News Energy Renewables Solar UK Africa Tunisia … The huge advantage of this approach is that energy can be stored in the form of very hot … The 'TuNur' project intends to collect energy from thousands of reflective heliostats …
EDF in the UK may be propelled by its disastrous nuclear ambitions, writes Chris Goodall. But across the Atlantic it's another story: the company is the US's biggest wind developer, and selling its power, profitably, for under 40% of the price it has been promised for Hinkley C, including federal tax credits.
… Nuclear Renewables Corporations USA France UK Energy Finance edf-wind_farm1.jpg EDF in the … to the FT : "As I said categorically at the energy and climate change select committee … America is increasingly turning to renewable energy to power its business operations, based …
Solar PV costs have fallen by 75% over five years ago, writes Chris Goodall, making it the cheapest new power source for around half of the world's population. Now it's essential to keep incentives to drive demand for a few more years, and make it cheaper than fossil fuels everywhere.
… us Chris Goodall | 1st September 2015 Comment Energy Solar Wind Renewables Coal Gas Nuclear … fossil fuels everywhere. The International Energy Agency published a report yesterday … on the rapid decline in the cost of renewable energy. More precisely, Projected Costs of …
Anti-wind campaigners claim that wind turbine performance more than halves after 15 years. Chris Goodall analyses the figures and finds that even 20-year old wind turbines in the UK are still going strong ...
… Goodall | 3rd January 2014 Comment Wind Power Energy Renewables UK wind-turbines-uk.png … UK are still going strong ... The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) has made the … wind farm (by then it was the utility Good Energy) decided it wasn't worth replacing a …
Thanks to the windy, sunny weather conditions on Saturday, the UK's output of renewable power reached an all-time record level of 43%, writes Chris Goodall. At the same time power from coal reached a low of just 7%, it what may be a record low contribution.
… Goodall | 8th June 2015 News Renewables Coal Energy UK Wind Solar uk-renewables.png Thanks … may be a record low contribution. Renewable energy provided 13.4 GW, or 43%, of British … right). Chris Goodall is an expert on energy, environment and climate change and …
By publishing its 'reform' proposals for the support of large scale solar PV in two separate documents on the same day, the Government managed to conceal its true intent from the industry, writes Chris Goodall. The truth is much worse than anyone realised.
… for all 'mature technologies' such as wind, energy from waste, PV, sewage gas - and, … this year. Chris Goodall is an expert on energy, environment and climate change. He …