COP17 Climate Change Conference Conclusions

The COP 17 UNFCCC Climate Change Conference concluded on 9 December 2011 in Durban, South Africa. The results caused mixed emotions among the participants of the conference, as well as interested parties worldwide.

Horizon 2020

The European Commission (EC) recently presented a 80 billion euro research funding programme for the decade ““ known as Horizon 2020 ““ to boost research, stimulate innovation and simplify funding procedures for EU-backed projects. The proposal will now be reviewed by the European Parliament and Council, with the aim of adopting it by the end of 2013.

Concentrated Solar Power Gets A Boost From The US

The US Department of Energy will invest $60 million (43.5 million euro) in R&D for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) over the next three years to give a boost to the sector. Rapid technological evolution and favourable regulatory regimes has helped the CSP sector to get onto its feet quickly, nevertheless solar energy still only provides 1% of the global energy consumption. This is largely due to its intermittent nature and low density, as well as the price declines caused by the economic recession and overcapacity.

IEA World Energy Outlook 2011

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2011 on 9 November 2011. The report’s core message is a warning that the world is locking itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system, and that the window of opportunity to act is not far from closing. The urgency and the scale of the challenge has especially been highlighted in this past year due to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the democracy demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa, and the rebound in energy demand, which has pushed greenhouse gas emissions to record highs this year.