Articles by
Toby Couture
How to Triple Annual Renewable Energy Deployment and Beyond
By
Toby Couture
To triple or more the annual levels of renewable energy deployment, all countries need to play a part. A mix of technologies will be required beyond solar, including both onshore and offshore wind, geothermal, wave and tidal power, as well as biogas, depending on the local context, and local resource availability. To absorb the growing volumes of low-cost renewables, the “electrification of everything” needs to broaden, and deepen, powering a growing share of heating and cooling demand (= ca. 50% of global energy demand) as well as a growing share of transportation-related energy demand (= ca. 30% of global energy demand).
FITs Drive 9,000 MW Boom in Vietnamese Solar Rooftops
By
Toby Couture
Vietnam has just witnessed a veritable solar tsunami, with installations jumping from about 400MW in 2019 to 9.500MW by the end of 2020. This is unprecedented for the rooftop solar PV market in any market I can think of - other markets like Japan, China, and Germany have each seen annual deployment levels between 7-15GW, but significant shares were made up of large ground-mounted systems.
Senegal launches breakthrough policy for Solar PV
By
Toby Couture
Senegal's new policy offers a direct cash payment ranging from USD cents 8.6 to 12.9/kWh, making projects easier to finance. By offering to buy the surplus generation at specific rates, and differentiating these rates by technology and project size, Senegal's new policy is now among the most sophisticated policies to support distributed generation anywhere in the world.
How Electric Vehicles Will Sweep the World
By
Toby Couture
Car sharing platforms like Autolib in Paris and Multicity here in Berlin, and electric scooter-sharing company Emmy, combined with dozens of similar initiatives across the US and Europe are facilitating the adoption of electric vehicles in a way that would have been unthinkable a decade ago: a simple registration process, company-backed insurance plans, free parking, combined with low-cost, per-minute usage (ranging from EUR 0.20 – 0.30 per minute, or USD $0.23 – 0.34) are helping to make electric vehicle usage not only easy and affordable, but perhaps most critically, they are helping to make it scalable.
World Future Council: How to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy
By
Toby Couture
The goal of fully transitioning the world’s total energy mix toward renewable energy sources is no longer a utopian ideal: it is being achieved in a number of places around the world today. Hundreds of jurisdictions across the globe have set 100 % renewable energy (RE) targets and are beginning the journey toward a fully fossil-and nuclear-free society.
The Future of Feed-in Tariffs: Presentation
By
Toby Couture
The webinar attempts to provide a global perspective on the future of feed-in tariffs by evaluating these arguments in more detail. The webinar will reflect on what these changes could mean for the renewable energy industry, and what implications it could have for sustaining the flow of finance to the sector worldwide.
The Future of Feed-In Tariffs: Introduction
By
Toby Couture
FITs seem to be losing ground as concerns over electricity costs and the desire of regulators to expose renewable energy technologies to price signals now dominate the discussion.
REW: The Lesson in Renewable Energy Development from Spain
By
Toby Couture
While most commentators have attributed the deficit to the growth of renewable energy, the origins of the tariff deficit pre-date the rise of renewable energy in Spain. In the early 2000s, and again between 2005 and 2008, rising natural gas costs also contributed significantly to its growth, as utilities were not allowed to fully pass on the rising cost of fuel.
Toby Couture’s Comments on LA’s 50 MW Feed-in Tariff Addition
By
Toby Couture
Toby Couture, one of the world’s authorities on feed-in tariffs, was recently asked to take a look at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s announcement of an additional 50 MW in its feed-in tariff program. . .
Renewables International: Review of Polish feed-in tariff bill
By
Toby Couture
Poland is a major consumer of coal, and its politicians have been staunch opponents of feed-in tariffs, which have become the standard policy to promote renewables in the EU. Now, the Poles have come up with a bill to implement feed-in tariffs. Our colleague, energy policy expert Toby Couture, takes a look at the proposal, which he sees as a step in the right direction. . .
Feed-in Tariffs or Bidding: How Best to Assign Renewable Contracts
By
Toby Couture
Toby Couture on Bidding and Tendering
