8 January 2009 - As from the 1st of January 2009, Ecofys and its subsidiary GreenPrices have decided to stop the GreenPrices daily and weekly news services. After a few years of successful pioneering in the sustainable energy information business, the progress in circulation and numbers of subscribers of GreenPrices in 2008 did not enable us to continue the services in this form.

18 December 2008- The EU has finalized its plan on how to deal with climate change and energy security. Yesterday, the EU Parliament officially approved the climate and energy package as agreed by EU leaders at last weeks summit.

18 December 2008- The complex piece (or pieces) of legislation that is the climate and energy package has raised many expectations, questions and triggered numerous debates over the past year. The package was officially approved yesterday after an overwhelming vote in favour by MEP’s.

17 December 2008 - A new report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) shows solar power production worldwide grew at a rapid rate, averaging 40% over five years since 2003 and peaking at 60% in 2007. 

16 December 2008 - President-elect Barack Obama has unveiled his energy and environment team increasing hopes that the US might start leading in the challenges of climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

13 December 2008- Around 3:30 in the morning today, the UNFCCC COP14 was officially declared closed by UNFCCC boss Yvo de Boer and Maciej Novicki, the Polish Environment minister, providing the general feeling that some small steps forward were taken.

12 December 2008- The European Union heads of states summit have reached an unanimous agreement about Energy and Climate Package. The EU was pushed to buy a deal by paying Eastern European countries - the 'Group of nine' - to accept the EU ETS reforms.

11 December 2008 - Some small wins and an agenda, but no large breakthroughs have been achieved for what is the called the ‘shared vision on cooperative action’, that is: the new climate deal to be agreed next year in Copenhagen. A first draft text is to be expected in March.

11 December 2008 - Today and tomorrow European leaders meeting at Brussels will try to reach a final agreement on the climate and energy package, amid opposition from some countries afraid of the impacts it might have on their economies.

11 December 2008 - Speaking at the UN climate negotiations in Poznan, Poland, EU Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas urged EU leaders to clinch a deal on the climate and energy package during the summit being held in Brussels today and tomorrow.

10 December 2008- An extra meeting for environmental ministers might be needed between Poznan and Copenhagen to ensure a strong framework for future global climate change action is agreed next year, according to Yvo de Boer.

9 December 2008- "I don't think anyone expects that we will fully reach an agreement next year in a policy on how to deal with climate change," Yvo de Boer told journalists at the COP14 in Poznan, Poland.

9 December 2008- The possibility to include carbon capture and storage, and even nuclear power, under the UN sponsored Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is still under discussion in informal consultations and in a contact group.

9 December 2008 - Early this morning, the European Parliament approved the final amendment texts to the Renewable Energy Directive. The final wordings were discussed yesterday during a last Trilogue with the Council and the Commission. A final approval from the plenary Parliament and the Council are regarded formality.

8 December 2008- French President Nicholas Sarkozy has been unable to convince Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and eight other leaders of former eastern Europe communist countries to soften their position against some parts of the EU climate and energy package.

4 December 2008 - After four days of UN climate talks in Poznan, there is still no consensus on the issues being discussed. “There are still too many proposals that will continue to be discussed here for the next week and a half,” Heather Coleman from NGO Oxfam said today during a Climate Action Network press conference.

4 December 2008 - The European Parliament and the Member States, presided by France, are close to a final agreement on all amendments in the renewable energy Directive proposal by the European Commission.

3 December 2008 - Following decisions within informal meetings about the Fuel Quality Directive last week, all energy supplied to transport within the EU will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% between 2010 and 2020.

2 December 2008 – The UK government has been urged to commit unilaterally to a 34% emissions reduction in 2020 relative to 1990 levels, or even 42% if a global deal is achieved.

1 December 2008 - Today, the Parliament and the Council have finally reached a compromise on CO2 emissions targets for cars. NGOs react disappointed.

1 December 2008 - The European Union is ‘very close’ to a deal on the new climate package due to be agreed at a summit next week, Poland’s Prime Minster Donald Tusk said on Monday at the opening day of the UN climate talks in Poznan.

30 November 2008 – Today, the UNFCCC kicked off the ‘marathon’ of meetings, negotiations, conferences, presentations, etc as part of the Poznan climate talks.

28 November 2008 - According to a recent UNFCCC publication, meant to fee into the Poznan negotiations, the additional investments for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions until 2030 will be around 430 billion Euros. Due to increased capital costs in the energy sector, this is almost three times as high as the 2007 estimate.

27 November 2008 - Following yesterday’s ‘Trilogue’ on the Renewable Energy Directive proposals, the Parliament’s rapporteur on the issue Claude Turmes accuses the French presidency of putting a final agreement to danger. This afternoon, Turmes sent out a press release with this accusation.

27 November 2008- The EU Commission has proposed a €200 billion Recovery Plan to help Europe out of the current economic crisis. The plan aims to boost efforts to tackle climate change while creating new jobs, by strategically investing in energy efficient buildings, and a European ‘green cars’ initiative.

26 November 2008 - Harmonisation of policy instruments regarding renewable energy in the EU is not a top priority right now. Nevertheless, the IEE-funded Futures-e project concludes that maybe offshore wind energy could be a first candidate for further harmonisation.

26 November 2008- Italy has again threatened to veto the EU climate and energy package unless its get concessions, its environment minister Stefania Prestigiacomo said.

26 November 2008 - Around €500 billion will be the cost to hit the EU’s target of generating 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020, according to an Ernst & Young report.

24 November 2008 - The United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) has published a draft report with all proposals presented by countries and observer organisations on what a new climate post-Kyoto treaty should feature.

24 November 2008- The European Parliament has postponed crucial votes on four main parts of the climate and energy package as an agreement remains elusive after weeks of negotiations.

21 November 2008 - A new set of proposals that includes early identification of industries exposed to ‘carbon leakage’ and temporary exemptions from full CO2 permit auctioning for coal-dependent economies has been tabled by the French EU Presidency in a try to overcome opposition to EU climate plans by some Member States.

18 November 2008 - Despite feeling the effects of the world financial crisis, the wind sector’s medium and long-term growth outlook remain very robust, research firm New Energy Finance reported.

18 November 2008 - Greenhouse gas emissions of 40 industrialised countries rose by 2.3% between 2000 and 2006. According to UNFCCC figures released in Bonn, emissions grew from 17.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2000 to 18 billion tonnes in 2006.

17 November 2008 – During next month’s Climate Summit (COP 14) in Poznan, the European Union will press the United Nations for one extra round of talks on global warming. This will be necessary to keep the pace of the negotiations going and develop a Post-Kyoto agreement by the end of next year.

14 November 2008 - The Commission’s launch of its 2nd Strategic Energy Review, also called a European Union Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan, in which a massive package of over 45 related communications are contained, has triggered mixed reactions from stakeholders.

14 November 2008- The EU Commission has proposed a new Energy Efficiency legislation package to reinforce existing efficiency standards on buildings and energy-using products. The proposal is part of the EU Commission's 2nd Strategic Energy Review which gives a new boost to energy security in Europe with energy efficiency as central to achieve its goal.

14 November 2008 - A deal in December regarding the European Union climate and energy package may well be closer, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said following a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

12 November 2008 - Yesterday, the European Council and the European Parliament seem to have agreed on all major issues concerning trade, exchange and transfer of renewable energy and targets among Member States.

10 November 2008 - Former vice president of the United States Al Gore has called on all Americans and elected President Barack Obama to begin in January ‘an emergency rescue of human civilization from the imminent and rapidly growing threat posed by the climate crisis.’

7 November 2008 - Baltic States have joined with Eastern European countries in their opposition towards the EU climate and energy plan pending for approval in Brussels.

3 November 2008 - EU governments have agreed to delay a proposal that would have put 2012 as the limit year for carmakers to comply with a 130g CO2/km target for all new passenger cars.

3 November 2008 - Speaking in London today, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs outlined EU’s proposed ‘20-20-20’ by 2020 climate and energy package arguing it was feasible in all fronts including the costs of it.

31 October 2008 - Climate change is a major opportunity to create jobs and transform the EU’s industrial fabric into low-carbon economy, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said. “There are economic benefits if we act early.”

31 October 2008 - EU Member States have agreed on a broad compromise regarding carbon capture and storage (CCS) legislation. The French Presidency’s amended draft proposal was approved by diplomats meeting in Brussels this week, and sets the basis for coming negotiations with the Parliament.

30 October 2008 - Starting point of next week’s Trilogue about the Renewable Energy Directive is a compromise document from the French Presidency of the European Council.

29 October 2008 - Next week negotiations about the Climate Package will start in the so-called ‘Trilogue’ between the three European institutions: Commission, Parliament and Council. The first meeting will be on Tuesday 4 November.

29 October 2008 - The developed countries should take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while providing financial support and transferring technologies to developing countries, China said in a white paper published today.

29 0ctober 2008- The Italian government has reaffirmed its decision to oppose the EU’s climate and energy plan arguing it would cost them 40% more to comply than other member states.

27 October 2008 - By 2050, 56% of the world’s primary energy consumption will be covered by renewable energy sources if aggressive investment takes place, a report by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and environmental group Greenpeace said.

27 October 2008 - At a conference in Madrid fifty one states have reached an agreement on the statute for the foundation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) in January 2009.

24 October 2008 - European MEPs have decided to vote on the climate and energy package before Member States adopt a decision on the issue as a way to regain influence in the final approval.

24 October 2008- The EU Council of Ministers has given its formal approval to include aviation in Europe’s emission trading scheme as from 2012.

22 October 2008 - EU environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg have not yet succeeded in reaching a consensus regarding the climate and energy package. The deadlock in the Environment Council’s talks was expected following last week’s sharp divisions over key issues among Member States.

22 October 2008 - While Europe’s climate plan remains in the stand-by mode due to Italy’s and Eastern European countries’ positions, questions of what could happen through the EU’s policy-making process have been raised. GreenPrices summarises the possibilities and challenges.

22 October 2008 - During an EU Environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg this week the EU Parliament’s plan to fund carbon capture and storage (CCS) was discussed. Although a consensus was not reached, French Environment minister Jean-Luis Borloo said some progress had been made.

22 October 2008 - To prevent competition with food, the German government today approved a proposal from Environment Minister Gabriel to delay the increase of the blend quota with one year.

22 October 2008- The climate change business sector faces a shake-out as recession hits developed economies but it will still grow in 2009 and will power back in 2010, according to a new report by research firm Verdantix.

20 October 2008- Up to $20 billion investment is needed in the near-term if carbon capture and storage is to become commercially viable by the end of the next decade, a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

20 October 2008 - New British Climate and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has announced a UK decision to increase its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 60 to 80 % compared to 1990 levels. Miliband also said that the government will introduce feed-in tariffs to support small-scale green power projects.

17 October 2008- Masdar, a business vehicle owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has bought a 20% stake in the London Array 1 GW offshore wind farm scheme. As a result, E.ON now owns 30% of the project while Dong Energy from Denmark owns the other 50%.

17 October 2008 - According to the latest annual report on greenhouse gas emissions by the European Commission, the EU and most Member States are on track for their Kyoto Protocol targets. But not without credits purchased abroad and forestry.

16 October 2008 – Today, at ameeting in Brussels, leaders of the EU Member States stuck to ambitious targets to combat climate change despite the economic crisis. A final position however, is to be taken by the European Council in its next meeting in December.

16 October 2008 - Prime ministers from Eastern and Central Europe countries, together with Italy, have threatened to challenge the EU’s energy and climate package if their proposed changes and concerns are not acknowledged.

15 October 2008 - Yesterday 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore has called upon 2200 Dutch managers, students and politicians, to take immediate action. While drawing parallels between the financial crisis and the climate crisis, he said: ‘Let’s talk about solutions that are readily available.” These solutions did not include coal power plants with carbon capture, according to Gore.

14 October 2008 - EU Commission President Barroso and Energy Commissioner Piebalgs have welcomed the agreement reached by EU Energy ministers over the opening of EU gas and electricity markets.

13 October 2008- In addition to the agreement regarding Europe’s energy market liberalisation, last week’s Energy Council meeting has also seen ministers placing great emphasis on making progress on energy efficiency. The Council called for the gradual phase-out of normal “incandescent” light bulbs by 2010.

13 October 2008 - X, a generator and trader of renewable energy has filed a complaint with the European Commission regarding territorial restrictions under national renewable energy support schemes. The complaint argues these closed support schemes infringes EU’s fundamental rule of free trade in goods and services within Member States.

13 October 2008 - The European Council has confirmed its determination to reach an agreement in December regarding climate and energy policy.

13 October 2008- The Energy Council finally reached an agreement last week over the opening of EU gas and electricity markets. The Third Energy Liberalisation Package also put the emphasis on energy efficiency while setting the agenda for further discussions on EU’s energy security.

6 October 2008- Finally, it was the current financial crisis that triggered the long-awaited approval of the extension of the tax credits for renewable energy in the US. As expected, the solar and wind industries welcomed the news. Some reactions from the main stakeholders.

6 October 2008 - Following a government reshuffle, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced the creation of a new ministry dealing with energy and climate change issues, the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Ed Miliband has been appointed the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

25 September 2008 - Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be self-sustaining by 2030, a new report by consultants McKinsey suggests.

22 September 2008 - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have agreed to delay approval for the EU Climate and Energy Package. Environmental Ministers of the so-called Visegrad Group have proposed March 2009 as the new deadline.

16 September 2008 - Reactions following ITRE’s committee vote on the RE-Directive have been mixed, especially on the issue of biofuels. The overall RE-Directive amendments however are met with some more positive reactions. Here are some of the most relevant reactions from politicians, NGOs and stakeholders in the business.

12 September 2008 - Last week, the Industry and Research Committee of the European Parliament approved ‘rapporteur’ Turmes’ proposal of amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive. An overview of the most important amendments in the following issues: Targets; Transport; Reporting; Biomass, Markets and Certificates; Other Provisions.

11 September 2008 - MEPs of the EU Parliament’s ITRE committee have voted to keep a proposed 10% target for all road transport fuels by 2020, with an interim target of 5% by 2015. However, the new draft legislation considers that at least 40% and 20% of the above mentioned targets respectively, must come from renewable electricity, hydrogen or non-traditional biofuels.

11 September 2008 - The European Parliament’s industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee approved a draft legislation that could pave the way to ensure that 20% of Europe energy mix comes from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from about 8.5% today.

10 September 2008- A draft opinion document by Hungarian MEP Gyula Hegyi proposes that the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology should be a result of competition and therefore not subsidised with public money.

9 September 2008- The African Union Commission (AUC) and the European Commission (EC) have agreed on a bilateral energy cooperation strategy that addresses key energy challenges and covers energy security, access to renewable energy sources, and issues of climate change.

8 September 2008 – A US Department of Energy’s report on a 20% wind power scenario found out that offshore wind capacity could be about one-sixth of total wind power generation by 2030. Prospects for offshore wind projects from New York to Texas are rapidly and steadily rising.

8 September 2008 - Wind energy now provides 20,152 MW of electricity generating capacity in the United States, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) revealed last week.

8 September 2008 - The amendments presently discussed within the industry and energy (ITRE) committee of the European Parliament will largely affect the market of voluntarily purchased green power. Thus states RECS International, the association that advocates free trade of green energy certificates.

5 September 2008- In his nomination acceptance speech at the last night of the Republican National Convention, presidential candidate John McCain said that the best way to end US dependence on foreign oil is by drilling new wells off-shore.

5 September 2008 - This week in Valencia, the international photovoltaic industry again has substantially revised its targets. Thanks to rapidly decreasing production costs of solar cells, it is expected that by 2020 12% of the European electricity demand will be supplied by the sun.

2 September 2008- The ITRE committee’s decision to weaken previous proposals for reducing CO2 emissions of the average new car sold in Europe in 2012 to 120 g/km triggered different reactions from stakeholders. Here are some of them.

2 September 2008 – The differences between the Council and the Parliament regarding amendments of the Commission’s proposal for a Renewable Energy Directive are decreasing gradually. A final agreement before the end of 2008 is still regarded as a possibility. But biofuels are still a hot issue.

1 September 2008 - A new report by Dutch Taskforce Energy Transition has concluded that biomass, and by extension biofuels, is essential for achieving a sustainable energy system.

1 September 2008 - The ‘Biomass, Hot issue’ report recently published has shed some light on the three growing concerns about the role of biofuels that have led to serious questions concerning their sustainability: rising food prices, accelerating deforestation, and doubts about the greenhouse gas benefits.  

29 August 2008 - During a speech where he accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Barack Obama has promised he will invest $150 billion over the next decade in ‘affordable, renewable sources of energy such as wind power, solar power and the next generation of biofuels.’

28 August 2008 - The climate talks in Accra (Ghana) of last week have induced some optimism about the progress in the negotiations.

26 August 2008 – In most cases, energy subsidies, intended to help the poor, are blocking more effective forms of pro-poor policies, while increasing the greenhouse gas emissions. Thus says a new UN Environment Report.

26 August 2008 - The average new car sold by German manufacturer BMW AG in 2007 consumed 7.3% less fuel than in the previous year, four times the average rate of others major manufacturers, according to a report by sustainable transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E).

30 July 2008- The UK government’s quality label for carbon offset credits to be officially launched soon is expected to stick to its original proposal that only carbon credits formally certified through compliance market schemes such as the EU ETS and UN CDM would meet the grade, thereby excluding voluntary verified credits (VERs).

29 July 2008 - Over a quarter of the EU electricity demand could be covered by wind energy in 2030 if governments and industry research resources across Europe are mobilised via the coordination of investment at a regional and national level, the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) from Europe’s main wind lobby organisation concludes.

29 July 2008 - The solar PV sector is building momentum across Europe thanks to feed-in tariffs adopted at national levels, which are helping to increase development activity and scaling up projects size, according to a new study from Emerging Energy Research (EER).

28 July 2008 - New calculations about the indirect land-use for the production of biofuels are clear: the greenhouse gas emissions exceed by large the avoided emissions from fossil fuels.

25 July 2008 - Norway has been given the green light for a huge state investment in the Test Centre Mongstad (TCM). The project is expected to be the first step towards a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution.

25 July 2008 - Socialist MEP Britta Thomsen from the ITRE committee truly believes the 10% biofuels target for 2020 should be kept because some biofuels are part of the solution to the transport sector emissions. Furthermore, she truly believes a binding 10% biofuels target will be included in the Renewable Energy Directive (RE-D), now under preparation, although the ENVI committee lately tried to water down the target.                                                 

24 July 2008 - The UK is trying to weaken EU legislation that tries to increase the amount of renewable sources in the energy mix, the Guardian newspaper reported, despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s call last month to start a ‘green revolution’ to fulfill their share of the 20% EU renewables target for 2020.

23 July 2008 - A cross-party group of 25 MEPs has sent a letter urging the EU Council and Commission to take action to promote the construction of a ‘supergrid’ across the Europe-Mediterranean region linking renewable energy sources, and to include a strong ‘solar plan’ in the Initiative for a Mediterranean Union.

21 July 2008 - The European Commission has made clear it will not negotiate the binding character of the biofuels target. The Commission also expects to stick to the 10 % target by 2020, although it recognises it might have to negotiate with the EU Parliament about the final amount.

19 July 2008 - Former vice-President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore has challenged the US to commit to producing 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal power.

19 July 2008 - Al Gore’s challenge for the US to produce all its electricity from renewable energy sources triggered quick reactions from the two US Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

17 July 2008 – OECD countries have been applying costly and ineffective ways of supporting biofuels production. The support, estimated at 7 billion Euros in 2006, only achieved a 1% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction in transport, says a report from the OECD published yesterday.

16 July 2008 - Offshore wind development could soon receive a boost thanks to new global satellite maps being developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that shows ocean areas where winds could generate wind energy.

16 July 2008- The European Commission has launched a consultation among all interested stakeholders to get their views on the need for a ‘Biomass for Energy Sustainability’ scheme, and specific key principles and criteria to be developed at EU level. The scheme aims to ensure the avoidance of environmental risks.

15 June 2008 - German Christian-Democrat MEP Christian Ehler has drafted a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) proposal that calls for the EU to make available a fund of up to €500 million for the construction of at least 12 demonstration plants by 2015.

15 July 2008- Norway and Sweden have agreed to go ahead with their plans to establish a common green certificate market in the near future, although when exactly remains unclear.

14 July 2008 - With an updated report about the possibilities for Carbon Capture, transport and Storage (CCS) in the harbour area, the city of Rotterdam is aiming at developing a mature industrial activity in fifteen years. The report was presented to the Dutch government, asking for support.

14 June 2008 - The European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) last week voted to scale down the Commission’s initial proposal of 10% renewable sources in transport by 2020 to 8-10%, with an intermediate target of 4% by 2015, and with only part of it made up by biofuels.

14 July 2008 - With the goal to steer transport towards sustainability, the European Commission has proposed a new ‘greening transport’ package of legislation by which lorries using major European roads could soon be charged for certain environmental costs.

11 July 2008 - Slowly but gradually, the shipping industry tries to get rid of its grubby image. The International Maritime Organisation is presently discussing global standards for CO2 emissions from ships. But will they be in time to withstand pressure from the EU, demanding mandatory standards?

11 July 2008 - Despite global economic slowdown, the global carbon market was valued at €38 billion during the first half of this year, €22.2 billion more than the €15.8 billion over the same period last year, according to Point Carbon’s Carbon Market Monitor’s Mid Year Review.

10 July 2008 - The European Parliament voted this week 640 to 30 in favour of including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2012. The Directive will apply to all airlines regardless of their nationality or where they are flying to, or from, within the EU-27 area.

9 July 2008 - Following the Gallagher review, the UK Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly has announced she ‘intends to consult formally on slowing down the rate of increase in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

9 July 2008- A new report by the chairman of the UK’s Renewable Fuels Agency, Ed Gallagher, has called for the UK to delay by three years its target of requiring 5% of all fuels sold domestically to come from renewable sources by 2010. The report also proposes an EU-wide target for renewable transport fuels of between 5 and 8% for 2020, while it clearly rejects calls for a moratorium on biofuels.

8 July 2008- The Group of Eight countries has agreed to adopt a global goal of at least 50% reduction of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, leaders did not agree on mid-term targets and did not set a base year from which emissions would be cut.

2 July 2008 - Despite the unstable financial markets, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries attracted 60% more investment in 2007 than in 2006. Over 93 billion Euros entered the sustainable energy sector in 2007, according to the latest estimates of the UN Environment Programme.

30 June 2008- According to the new Biofuels Barometer prepared by Observ'ER, the European Union biofuel consumption in 2007 reached approximately 7.7 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe), representing 2.6% of the energy content of all fuels used in road transport in Europe, nearly half of the 5.75% target for 2010.

30 June - Today in The Hague, the Conference on CCS in a low carbon energy future started. Politicians, businessmen, scientists, think tanks and other stakeholders agree on the need for cooperation. Especially, they agreed on the need for governmental financial and policy support.

25 June 2008 - (Montel Powernews) - The German solar industry is willing to put EUR 2 billion on the table for a quarter of the shares in the intended German grid company (Netz AG) in order to be able to influence the expansion to suit decentralised energy structures.

23 June 2008- Qatar Petroleum and Shell have launched a joint research collaboration on further understanding carbonate reservoirs and CO2 storage. Together they will contribute with up to $70 million over a 10-year period aiming to provide the foundation for new CO2 storage technologies that can be applied in Qatar, elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond.

22 June 2008 - GE Energy Financial Services has released a study that estimates that the 5200 MW of new wind energy projects that began operating in 2007 have a positive net present value (NPV) of $250 million to the US Treasury after deducing the cost of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) that is set to expire.

21 June 2008 - A group of top companies has delivered a statement with a list of recommendations on climate to Prime Minister Fukuda of Japan, ahead of the G8 summit next month. Business leaders urge to establish a global carbon market and to set an ‘aspirational’ target for cutting GHG emissions.

19 June 2008 - Yesterday the European Parliament voted in favour of full ownership unbundling of vertically-integrated power companies in the electricity market as the only option for these companies. MEPs also decided to require system operators ‘to give priority to generating installations using renewable energy sources or waste producing combined heat and power.’

19 June 2008 - A number of European associations related to energy efficiency called on the EU Council to introduce a mandatory energy efficiency target of 20% by 2020, replacing the non-obligatory target in the current Energy and Climate Package.

18 June 2008- The EU has initiated a joint anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigation on imports of subsidised 'B-99' biodiesel from the United States.

18 June 2008 - After the EU Trade Commission decided to initiate anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigations into US biodiesel imports, the two main stakeholders involved - the EBB and the NBB – did not wait long to react.

18 June 2008- A new report requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety has confirmed the comparative advantage biofuels in tropical climates have over biofuels in temperate climates - such as Europe and the US- in terms of effective use of land resources.

18 June 2008 - Today, the German government has approved the second part of the Climate Bill, with a target of 40% less greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 (compared to 1990). Part II contains new laws about energy efficiency and the extension of the power grid.

18 June 2008 - Although some issues concerning the Energy and Climate package of the European Commission are still ongoing, the topic on trade of certificates seems to be resolved.

18 June 2008 - The emerging European Solar Thermal Electricity Industry Association (Estela) has decided to put some pressure on EU authorities to go through with the long-time planned project regarding solar energy imports from Northern Africa.

17 June 2008 - With a good climate and a vast areas in the Pampas region ideal for the production of biodiesel feedstocks, Argentina expects to be among the world’s top three biodiesel producers in 10 years time, according to Carlos St. James, President of the Argentine Renewable Energies Chamber and Managing Director of the biofuels consultancy Santiago & Sinclair LLC.

14 June 2008 - Spanish companies Iberdrola Renovables and Gamesa reached an historical agreement last Friday involving the purchase and sale agreement for wind turbine generators amounting to a total of 4,500 MW.