ANALYSIS: Untangling the policy puzzle – Winning ways to combine carbon markets and energy efficiency « Carbon Pulse

As it stated in ANALYSIS: Untangling the policy puzzle – Winning ways to combine carbon markets and energy efficiencyPublished 17:44 on March 23, 2018 / Last updated at 17:44 on March 23, 2018 / Americas, Asia Pacific, EMEA, EU ETS, US / No CommentsHeightened efforts worldwide to drive emission cuts and boost energy savings are risking tangling companies up in costly red tape and ineffective incentives, but unlikely solutions could be found in a decades-old market and a policy on the verge of being abandoned.

Lawmakers fear Russian influence on energy markets

Lawmakers are expressing concerns following a new House committee report detailing how Russians attempted to use social media platforms to manipulate U.S. energy markets. Blumenthal is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has examined Russian meddling efforts on social media. "We are in effect inviting them to a social media buffet of options to interfere with our Democracy and undermine our way of life without adequate response," he said. Russia's energy success is intrinsically linked to the U.S., a likely cause for the social media behavior. The report is the latest effort from members of Congress to probe Russian meddling in the U.S. via social media.

House panel: Russia aimed to disrupt US energy markets using social media

as declared in Russia used several American social media accounts in an attempt to disrupt U.S. energy markets, according to a House committee report released Thursday. The committee surmised that the disinformation campaign on social media is connected to Russian fears that a strong U.S. energy economy could negatively impact Russia's oil and natural gas economy. Eastern and central European countries currently get about 75 percent of their natural gas from Russia, with southeastern European countries receiving nearly all of their natural gas from Moscow. For example, Poland recently signed a five-year deal with the U.S. to import liquefied natural gas to decrease dependency on Russian energy supplies, according to the report. U.S. energy exports to European countries are increasing, which means they will have less reason to rely upon Russia for their energy needs.

German minister: 'Strong neighbours' in Europe can create better energy markets

At this week's Energy Storage Europe event, Energy-Storage.News heard from German politician Thorsten Herdan that strong cooperation with other countries in Europe is vital for creating smarter, reliable and cost-effective energy networks. With energy storage still an early stage market, Herdan said he feels many questions still remain unanswered, despite the rapidly maturing technologies available. Market design changes across the continent could follow German modelIn the US, regulator FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has begun a process of allowing energy storage to participate in wholesale markets. "We are going for the next big step in the Energy Union where we are going to open up markets all around Europe. "We have this problem in Germany that our interconnectors from the North to South are not strong enough to transport for instance wind energy to the South.

State Department upheaval threatens bumpy ride for global energy markets

The latest upheaval in the US administration, with Rex Tillerson's departure as Secretary of State, threatens to add Washington to that list of capitals. And major energy producers are in the firing line. The State Department's new head Mike Pompeo, previously of the CIA, has, like Donald Trump, been notably hostile towards the Iran nuclear deal, and conspiratorial on Russia. But energy producers and investors should not treat the Washington reshuffle as a one-way ticket to higher revenues. With old alliances under strain and new ones nascent or paradoxical, energy producers are set for another testing year.

collected by :Victor Alphen