[en] The current situation of the Slovak energy sector and its development since 1990 (Gross Domestic Product, primary energy sources, final energy consumption, energy intensity, electricity intensity, electricity consumption) is presented. A marked dependence on energy imports explains the necessity for energy conservation in Slovakia. Energy intensity in Slovakia is steadily decreasing, still there is significant technical potential for energy conservation. The estimates of technical potential for energy conservation in industry, transport, households and services are presented, and energy conservation barriers are enumerated. The development of air pollution since 1990 in Slovakia is presented and the environmental impact of the energy sector as the most important polluter is shown. The situation and development of greenhouse gases (GHG) production in Slovakia and the share of energy sector in GHG production is shown. (author)

[en] The paper examines the prospects for Russian gas output and export under different price development. Growth of gas production and transportation costs, following an increase of gas export and production, is estimated. An attempt is made to determine the relation of efficient (from the point of view of gas companies) gas export volumes to prices on external energy markets. The paper presents a quantitative estimate of the possible impact of domestic gas price policy on gas output in Western Siberia. (author)

[en] The world natural gas markets are analysed, with a special focus on the countries of Northeast Asia (NEA). The natural gas demands of China, Japan and South Korea, until the year 2020, is projected, considering a possible share of Russian gas. The resource potential of natural gas from the Siberian platform and the Sakhalin shelf is given as a sound basis for fuelling Russia's position in the natural gas market of NEA countries. Development of the powerful gas industry in the East of Russia faces some particular conditions that can decrease the effectiveness of investments. The eastern geopolitical direction is very important for Russia and the necessity to create a favourable political and economic environment for oil and gas export is of prime interest, as stressed in Energy Strategy for Russia till the Year 2020. In this context, the long-term market for natural gas in East Siberia and the Far East of Russia is investigated. Possible routes of natural gas export from Russia to NEA countries include three main directions: to the west of China with connection to the 'West-East gas pipeline', a route through and/or round Mongolia and, finally, a route along the Trans-Siberian or Baikal-Amur railroads to Russian ports in the Far East. As a result of complex studies, three stages in the creation of the unified gas pipeline system are suggested. Evaluation of the investments required for construction of such a natural gas pipeline system, expected gas volumes and prices on the markets show its high economic efficiency. In conclusion, the most valuable ideas are stressed. (author)

[en] Presently, Grenada's power sector is fully dependent on fossil fuel imports for meeting the country's electricity demand. Electric utilities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in general, face high cost of electricity generation due to diseconomies of scale in production, consumption and logistical aspects. Grenada's private power monopoly is no exception and the high cost of import dependent electricity generation places an increasing burden on economic development. In light of rapid technological and economic improvement of renewable energy technologies (RETs), the country's abundant sources of renewable energy should be harnessed. Benefits are envisaged to include lower electricity cost, better environmental performance and a safer and diversified supply of energy. However, barriers for shifting power production towards meaningful contributions from RETs exist, both in government and industry. This work analyses important economic interactions between the power sector and economic development, bringing to attention the importance of power sector reform. Further, present problems of integrating RETs into the grid, ranging from technical and regulatory issues to shareholder interest are investigated. A summary and analysis of past research into renewable sources of energy (RES) underscore the potential for power production from RETs in Grenada. (author)

[en] The demand imposed by the variability of wind power input have pushed the technical performance and cost requirements for energy storage to the forefront. In principle, wind turbine generators can be integrated with almost any kind of energy storage technology. However, the most appropriate energy storage system depends on the system size and the type of energy being delivered. Because most commercial wind turbines are designed to deliver electrical power, the vast majority of systems that do incorporate energy storage use batteries. Large systems using batteries have not been shown to be viable. Up to now, most efforts and success in reliably and economically integrating storage with wind turbine generators have been concerned with relatively small power plants, less than about 1 kW. Very small wind/storage systems, where the wind turbine is dedicated to charging conventional lead-acid batteries, currently dominate the market for wind power/energy storage hybrid power systems. These systems are well developed and proven. So-called 'village scale' hybrid power generating systems using energy storage (about 5 kW to 100 kW capacity) are now the subject of considerable product development and commercialization. The key technical problem for off-grid or stand-alone wind power systems of this size that must deliver well-regulated (i.e. high quality) AC power may well be to implement the most reliable and cost effective short term and highly responsive energy storage systems (on the scale of 1 second to 10 minutes). Such storage schemes must respond effectively to the wind power fluctuations and the load demand fluctuations to maintain network stability. Pumped hydro and underground compressed air storage will probably find some applications in larger scale wind power plants where they can work with the wind power plant to deliver baseload power to the grid, however the number of applications for these systems is limited. (author) 3 figs., 1 tab., 45 refs

[en] In this article the main directions of state policy in the field of energy conservation are considered. An analysis of the energy and economic situation are carried out and the conditions and directions of development of the fuel and energy complex in Ukraine are shown. The subject of energy conservation policy is determined, its priority directions chosen, the evaluation of energy consumption efficiency and potential for energy conservation and also necessary costs for its realisation are discussed. An analysis of energy consumption is given and its structure and dynamics are shown. The environmental problems of the fuel and energy complex in Ukraine are also considered. The main directions of markets reformation in the energy sector are discussed. Energy carrier prices and their development since 1990 are shown. (author)

[en] The tremendous changes that have been taking place in the world energy sector raise two obvious questions: What is the motivation behind them, and what are their consequences? These two questions are addressed in the present paper. It is argued that corporate investment and mergers are often motivated to increase the size of a company rather than its profits, and that many mergers actually reduce corporate efficiency rather than improve it. Evidence in support of this position is reviewed and related to the restructuring and mergers taking place in the energy sector. (orig.)

[en] Competitive conditions in energy markets can develop in a variety of unexpected ways. My note describes four plausible scenarios of the future. Competition and regulatory authorities should take a broad view and maintain preparedness to act innovatively as new circumstances evolve. (orig.)

[en] Low environmental damage is one of the main justifications for solar energy, especially now that supply security has slipped from public consciousness. In recent years there has been much progress in the analysis of environmental damages, in particular thanks to the ExternE (external costs of energy) Project of the European Commission. This note presents a brief summary and comparison of external costs for the major energy technologies. Even though the uncertainties are large, the results provide substantial evidence that the classical air pollutants (particles, NO_x and SO_x) from fossil fuels impose a heavy toll, in addition to the cost of global warming. The external costs are especially large for coal; even for 'best available technology' they may be comparable to the price of electricity. For natural gas the external costs are about a third to a half of coal. The external costs of nuclear energy are small (at most a few percent) compared to the price of electricity, and so are the external costs of most renewable energy systems. Therefore, if the external costs of all energy sources were internalized by government regulations, most renewable energies would become much more competitive. (author)

[en] The liberalization of the energy industries has lowered prices for consumers. It is important that environmental policies and taxes are harmonized across borders in the energy markets. Grid charges must be transparent and clear to help avoiding cross-subsidization. The monopoly trends of mergers and acquisitions are countered by newcomers, brokers and financial solutions. (orig.)