Escalating energy prices are the biggest cause of more households going into fuel poverty.  The average domestic dual fuel bill is at a record high of £1,365 per annum. This creates severe additional hardship for some six million  fuel-poor households in the UK, according to Consumer Focus, a consumer organisation. The problem is even more acute if living off the mains gas grid and using oil or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), where average fuel bills are c. £2,100 per annum. The UK government’s Electricity Market Reform (EMR) holds no beneficial impact on bills between now and 2016...

What is the current situation in developing and developed countries concerning the production of biofuels?In economic terms, first-generation biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel posit divergent stories across countries. In Brazil bioethanol production costs have declined after sustained efforts by the government since the mid-1970s, with research and development, an integrated institutional approach and yield enhancement. The same can’t be said of India’s bioethanol programme, which began in 2003. Bioethanol programmes to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions also have a long way...

The coming of the long awaited Electricity Market Reform poses a most interesting prospect for the New Year, as it began progress in the House of Commons in November 2012. The bill aims to provide certainty to investors and bring forward the investment in new infrastructure needed to move toward a diverse, low-carbon economy as affordably as possible.  The intent is that this will also support the creation of over 250,000 energy-related jobs.According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) the amount of market support to be available for low-carbon electricity investment (...

The European Union is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050, in the context of necessary reductions by developed countries as a group. At the end of 2011, the European Commission published the Energy Roadmap 2050, which explores the challenges posed by delivering the EU's decarbonisation objective while at the same time ensuring security of energy supply and competitiveness. It is clear that to achieve these levels of decarbonisation major investments will be needed to replace the current carbon intensive generation park.These investments will...