Rhein on Energy and Climate

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Siemens, one of the global giants in power equipment, wants to become the major manufacturer of solar thermal power plants. To this end, it will acquire the Israeli company Solel, which has pioneered that technology during the past two decades. Solar thermal power technology concentrates the sunlight by sophisticated mirror systems and produces steam up… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Iran shows increasing signs of its determination to develop a military nuclear capacity and to become the leading power in the Middle East. This is no rejoicing prospect for any country on earth, big or small, distant or close. It is bound to make the Middle East an even more instable region, challenging Israel’s military… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The Final Declaration approved at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh proposes a framework for “strong, sustainable and balanced growth” as the basic paradigm for the 21st century. But in the long term, global economic growth cannot be sustainable. It is bound to run into increasing ecological constraints. A system is sustainable as long as it… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Accounting jointly for about six percent of global C02 emissions air lines and shipping companies constitute an increasing burden for the planet, as the volume of air and sea transport, of goods and passengers, keeps rising in the wake of globalisation. Until now both sectors have escaped any climate regulation, due to complex international legislation,… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The southern Mediterranean countries have a vital interest in engaging in the fight against climate change. Their share in global green house gas emissions may still be small, but bound to rise due to population growth and increasing energy demand; and sooner or later the international community will ask them to contribute their fair share… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The Copenhagen Climate Conference is most likely to end in a failure, due to the complexity of the proposed solutions and the diversity of positions of the key actors. But this must not be the end of the story. Humanity has no option but to continue acting against climate change if it wants to avoid… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Whatever the outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Conference, humanity will need a simple and effective tool for making fossil energy increasingly more expensive and renewable energies relatively cheaper. An excise tax on coal, oil and gas would constitute such a tool. • The tax should be specific and not ad valorem, levied at the import… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

It appears almost certain that the US Congress will not be in a position to pass a climate act in time for the Copenhagen Climate Conference due to start in 90 days. The very cautious bill that the House passed in June goes far beyond what the Senate with its narrow Democratic majority is ready… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Humanity is at the very beginning of a long process which will lead one day to the electric car. This is the impression one gathers from the 2009 International Automobile Exhibition in Frankfurt. At present, no more than a few thousand electric cars are running on the roads or streets in Japan, Europe and the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Munich, the third biggest German city with a population of one million people, has announced its intention to make its electricity supply “green” by 2025. This will happen in two stages. As early as 2015, all private households will be provided with electricity from water, biomass, solar and wind, and by 2025 the city also… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein