Positive developments: rise in electric cars, ever cheaper renewables, moves towards energy efficiency
| The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilisation we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not identifying the solutions, but rolling them out with great speed. Some key sectors are already racing ahead, such as electric cars. They are already cheaper to own and run in many places – and when the purchase prices equal those of fossil-fueled vehicles in the next few years, a runaway tipping point will be reached. Electricity from renewables is now the cheapest form of power in most places, sometimes even cheaper than continuing to run existing coal plants. There’s a long way to go to meet the world’s huge energy demand, but the plummeting costs of batteries and other storage technologies bodes well. And many big companiesmare realising that a failure to invest will be far more expensive as the impacts of global heating destroy economies. Even some of the biggest polluters, such as cement and steel, have seen the green writing on the wall. Buildings are big emitters but the solution – improved energy efficiency – is simple to achieve and saves the occupants money, particularly with the cost of installing technology such as heat pumps expected to fall. Guardian 31st Oct 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/31/reasons-to-be-hopeful-the-climate-solutions-available-no |
New Study: Electricity would already be Cheaper today with a Full Supplyof 100% Renewables.
New Study: Electricity would already be Cheaper today with a Full Supply
of 100% Renewables. New short study by the Energy Watch Group (EWG) finds:
Electricity would already be cheaper today with a full supply of 100%
renewables.
In the coalition negotiations for the new German government,
both ambitious climate protection and the reduction of electricity prices
play a central role. The previous government still expects only 45%
renewables in the electricity mix by 2025.
A new short study by the Energy
Watch Group offers an answer to the rising energy costs: The study
calculates that a full supply with 100% renewables would already be
economically competitive today compared to the current energy system based
on coal, natural gas and nuclear. By 2025 at the latest, an energy system
based on 100% renewables would then be significantly cheaper than power
generation with fossil fuels.
Sonnenseite 28th Oct 2021
US military blazes trail for 100 per cent renewable energy economy
| US military blazes trail for 100 per cent renewable energy economy with carbon neutral synthetic fuel. Carbon neutral synthetic fuel whose production is powered by renewable energy is a practical way of long-term storage of renewable energy. But it is no surprise that the big energy corporations with their fossil fuel and nuclear power interests don’t advise Governments to support this – but when it can help the US military, well, it’s just chocks away chaps! The irony is that this system was researched in the UK only a few years ago at a pilot stage, and then – you’ve guessed it – completely ignored by the UK Government in favour of kooky ideas like small nuclear reactors and blue hydrogen – not to mention large nuclear power plant that take forever to be built incredible cost! 100% Renewables 31st Oct 2021 https://100percentrenewableuk.org/us-military-blazes-trail-for-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-economy-with-carbon-neutral-synthetic-fuel |
Portugal’s success in cutting greenhouse emissions through its offshore floating wind and solar plants
Portugal is the EU country that has been most successful at cutting
greenhouse gas emissions since 2005, partly through the use of floating
wind and solar plants located off its coast. Today, 65 percent of all the
electricity consumed in Portugal comes from renewable sources.
France24 30th Oct 2021
The French Négawatt program presents its 2022 scenario for getting France to fully renewable nuclear-free energy system
A nuclear-free future is possible, according to Négawatt. The Négawatt association presented its 2022 scenario for a France with fully renewable and nuclear-free electricity production by 2050. It hopes that its proposals, which are urgently to be implemented, will be taken up by the presidential candidates.
Energy consumption halved, electricity production 100% from renewable sources, 500,000 jobs created… This is what France could look like in 2050, if we are to believe the latest edition of the Négawatt scenario published on Tuesday 26 October .
The trajectory described by the eponymous association is not science fiction, assures its director, Stéphane Chatelin. Developed from detailed modeling of our energy system, this scenario shows that it is possible to achieve carbon
neutrality in 2050 without resorting to nuclear power. And proposes a concrete strategy to achieve it.
Reporterre 26th Oct 2021
ICLEI launches its 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Energy Compact
On 24 September 2021, ICLEI’s 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Energy Compact was officially launched at the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy, which calls for local governments to make ambitious voluntary
commitments to catapult themselves towards 100% renewable energy usage at the latest by 2050.
ICLEI’s Energy Compact complements its existing work in the renewable energy space, including the 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Roadmap project, and the 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Network.
On their way to 100% renewable status, cities and regions that join ICLEI’s Energy Compact are encouraged to achieve several milestone targets by 2030 at the latest, such as achieving 100% renewable energy use
in local government operations, and achieving SDG7, among others.
ICLEI 5th Oct 2021
https://iclei.org/en/media/iclei-launches-its-100-renewables-cities-and-regions-energy-compact
The RTE (Electricity Transport Network) Energy Futures 2050 study shows that $100 renewables is feasible
The RTE (Electricity Transport Network) Energy Futures 2050 study, which
will be published on Monday, October 25, shows that it is possible to move
towards 100% renewable energy. We therefore have the choice and the study
of RTE, as well as the other recent scenarios, should allow a real
democratic debate on this issue.
Reseau Climate Action 20th Oct 2021
Large windfarm development off the coast of Suffolk
Leading utility Iberdrola announces new investment plans at today’s
Global Investment Summit. Leading renewable energy utility Iberdrola is set
to invest an additional £6bn in its offshore wind farm development off the
coast of Suffolk, the company confirmed at today’s Global Investment Summit
hosted by Boris Johnson. Speaking at the Summit, Iberdrola’s chairman and
CEO Ignacio Galán announced a new £6bn investment in offshore wind
projects, in addition to the £10bn already being invested by the company
to double renewable generation capacity between 2020 and 2025. The £6bn
investment will go towards Iberdrola subsidiary ScottishPower’s East Anglia
Hub, a wind farm development off the coast of Suffolk, consisting of three
wind farms: East Anglia ONE North, East Anglia TWO and East Anglia THREE.
Business Green 19th Oct 2021
https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4038888/iberdrola-floats-gbp6bn-boost-uk-offshore-wind-industry
ALL UK energy can be obtained from renewables – Prof Mark Barrett
How we can get ALL our energy from renewables – a talk by Professor Mark
Barrett- talk slides published! Professor Mark Barrett from UCL has given a
talk about how ALL UK energy can be supplied by renewables. He focused on
heat in particular.
100% Renewables 18th Oct 2021
France’s Global Chance association recommend renewable energies, see nuclear power as unsustainable
Ten-year delays, unequal access, vulnerability … For the members of the
Global Chance association, chaired by the polytechnician Bernard Laponche,
nuclear energy is not up to the challenge of ecological transition. On the
contrary, they promote renewable energies, the sources of which are “in
essence local and sovereign”.
La Croix 18th Oct 2021
https://www.la-croix.com/Debats/Lenergie-nucleaire-repond-pas-defi-climatique-2021-10-18-1201181087
Research shows that a rapid truly green energy transformation will achieve a near-net-zero emissions energy system
Rapidly decarbonising the global energy system is critical for addressing climate change, but concerns about costs have been a barrier to implementation. Most energy-economy models have historically underestimated deployment rates for renewable energy technologies and overestimated their costs.
The problems with these models have stimulated calls for better approaches and recent efforts have made progress in this direction. Here we take a new approach based on probabilistic cost forecasting methods that made reliable predictions when they were empirically tested on more than 50 technologies.
We use these methods to estimate future energy system costs and find that, compared to continuing with a fossil-fuel-based system, a rapid green energy transition will likely result in overall net savings of many trillions of dollars – even without accounting for climate damages or co-benefits of climate policy.
We show that if solar photovoltaics, wind, batteries and hydrogen electrolyzers continue to follow their current
exponentially increasing deployment trends for another decade, we achieve a near-net-zero emissions energy system within twenty-five years. In contrast, a slower transition (which involves deployment growth trends that are lower than current rates) is more expensive and a nuclear driven transition is far more expensive. If non-energy sources of carbon emissions such as agriculture are brought under control, our analysis indicates that a rapid green energy transition would likely generate considerable economic savings while also meeting the 1.5 degrees Paris Agreement target.
Oxford University 14th Sept 2021
Many businesses urge UK government to incentivise the uptake of genuinely clean energy
The government is facing yet more calls to slash VAT rates on domestic renewable energy and clean technology systems so as to incentivise the uptake of green solutions that can reduce household carbon emissions and
shield consumers from volatile gas prices.
In a letter to the government yesterday, nearly 30 companies and organisations from across the energy
sector argued steps needed to be taken to bring down the cost of a number of clean technologies, arguing that domestic zero carbon energy systems remained “unaffordable” for many households.
The coalition – which includes the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), EDF, Nissan, and Ovo Energy – called on the government to slash VAT on a range of domestic energy saving materials, including energy storage systems, domestic EV chargers, heat pumps, and solar PV installations.
Business Green 15th Oct 2021
https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4038700/energy-players-vat-scrapped-green-home-solutions
European Commission urges member states to speed up solar energy deployment
The European Commission (EC) has urged member states to accelerate solar
deployment in order to tackle Europe’s rising electricity prices and has
released a ‘toolbox’ to address the short-term impact of prices and
strengthen resilience against future shocks.
Speaking at a press conference
earlier this week (13 October), the EC Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson,
called the current situation in Europe, which has pushed energy prices up
to record levels, “exceptional” but urged member states to future proof
their countries from further shocks.
PV Tech 15th Oct 2021
Renewables winning bigtime, as nuclear power stagnates.
“We simply don’t have the time to waste attention, intelligence, manpower and funding for fantasy technologies that might or might not work, more likely, some time in the 2030s or 2040s, while affordable concepts from efficiency to renewables are readily available,” Schneider said, referring to the fourth-generation of nuclear power plants that several governments across the planet are presenting as a viable option. “Gen IV designs are PowerPoint reactors – they don’t exist. And the best example is Bill Gates, who started a company in 2006 to develop and promote a new design. Fifteen years later, he has nothing to show – no licensed design anywhere, no site, no prototype.”
Renewables vs. Nuclear: 256-0 PV Magazine, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 EMILIANO BELLINI
The latest World Nuclear Industry Status Report shows that the world’s operational nuclear capacity grew by just 400 MW in 2020, with generation falling by 4%. By contrast, renewables grew by 256 GW and clean energy production rose by 13%. “Nuclear power is irrelevant in today’s electricity capacity market,” the report’s main author, Mycle Schneider, told pv magazine.
Global nuclear power capacity including grew by just 400 MW in 2020, according to the latest annual edition of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, published by French nuclear consultant Mycle Schneider. The lackluster results for nuclear compare to 256 GW of newly deployed renewable energy capacity last year, including 127 GW of PV and 111 of wind power.
Continue readingSizewell C nuclear project no longer viable, with new developments in cheaper wind power- energy expert
Nuclear power has become “outdated by technology” and offshore wind can
produce power more quickly and cheaply, an energy scientist told the BBC.
Professor in energy and climate change Charlie Wilson said there was no
longer a good case for a new £20bn Sizewell C plant on the Suffolk coast.
He said new ways to store wind turbine energy meant supplies could be
maintained even in low winds.
EDF, the firm behind Sizewell C, said nuclearwas key for UK energy needs.
The government said nuclear was vital for the
“UK’s low-carbon energy future”. Prof Wilson, of the the Norwich-based
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East
Anglia, said nuclear power cost twice as much as wind power. Electricity
generated by wind turbines costs about £40 per megawatt hour, compared to
£92.50 which is the projected cost of the latest nuclear plant being built
at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, he added.
He said in the past nuclear power
was seen as key because in any weather it provides the same baseload power
– baseload refers to the minimum amount of electric power needed to be
supplied to the electrical grid at any given time. “The view in the
1970s-1990s was that you needed this large firm baseload power generation
like nuclear,” he said.
“The game-changing technologies around storage and
flexibility mean intermittent renewables – like large offshore wind farms –
are now viable as a reliable generation source.
BBC 25th Sept 2021
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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