Gas and renewables: partners or adversaries

Oil companies and environmentalists disagree on whether the rise of gas will help or hinder the move away from fossil fuels

International oil companies claim gas and renewables are ideal bedfellows, while many environmentalists believe the rise of gas, particularly shale gas, will delay the world's shift away from fossil fuels.  There has been a lot of talk across the EU about the need for gas to provide back-up generation for intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar.But "as Germany's experience clearly demonstrates, this factor has been - exaggerated by opponents of renewable energy", Jonathon Porritt, a prominent UK environmentalist and founder of non-profit sustainability consultancy Forum For The Future, tells Petroleum Economist.Still, clearly, until eagerly anticipated breakthrough