Renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically
By Oliver Milman 01/30/23
It is cheaper to build solar panels or cluster of wind turbines and connect them to the grid than to keep operating coal plants.
RENEWABLES
RENEWABLES
In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, Native American author Robin Wall Kimmerer writes of the “Honorable Harvest” as a means of maintaining a habitable Earth for future generations. Discussing energy, she reflects that “[it] does not mean we can’t consume the energy we need, but it does mean that we honorably take only what is given. The wind blows every day, every day the sun shines, every day the waves roll against the shore, and the Earth is warm below us. We can understand these renewable sources of energy as given to us, since they are the sources that have powered life on the planet for as long as there has been a planet. We need not destroy the Earth to make use of them. Solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal energy – the so-called “clean energy” harvests – when they are wisely used, seem to me to be consistent with the ancient rules of the Honorable Harvest.”
In 2021, the U.S. installed record amounts of utility-scale solar (12.8 GW) and wind (10.8 GW). Based on this dramatic shift to renewable energy, a record eight states generated more than 30% of their in-state electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and geothermal) in 2021. South Dakota joined low as states with the distinction of getting more than half of their in-state electricity from renewables, mainly wind. In California, solar (utility-scale and distributed] contributed 25% of the state’s total generation, with solar now competing with wind as a viable generation source for an increasing number of regions. On March 27, 2022, California obtained a full 93% of its grid electricity from renewables, with 69% coming from solar, based on 24-hour reporting from the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
CURRENT NEWS
KEY RESOURCES
Global Electricity Review 2022
03/30/22
Wind and solar, the fastest growing sources of electricity, reach a record ten percent of global electricity in 2021; all clean power is now 38% of supply. But demand growth rebounded, leading to a record…
EIA adds new forecasts of renewable diesel and other biofuels to Short-Term Energy Outlook
02/28/22
In our February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we introduced new forecasts of U.S. production, consumption, and the net of imports less exports of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and other biofuels in the United States. This new…
Clean Edge
06/15/21
Clean Edge, Inc. is a developer and publisher of thematic stock indexes tracking clean energy, transportation, water, and the grid...
EIA forecasts renewables will be fastest growing source of electricity generation
11/27/20
EIA expects non-hydroelectric renewable energy resources such as solar and wind will be the fastest growing source of U.S. electricity generation for at least the next two years. EIA’s January 2019 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO)…
U.S. renewable electricity generation has doubled since 2008
08/14/20
Renewable generation provided a new record of 742 million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity in 2018, nearly double the 382 million MWh produced in 2008. Renewables provided 17.6% of electricity generation in the United States in…
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
07/07/20
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, a centre of excellence, and…
TOP POLICIES
05/07/20
No single policy can solve climate change, but a broad portfolio of policies already available to policymakers can drive down emissions. The most-effective policies in each countries may vary, but new modeling abilities highlight a…
Renewable Energy
04/22/20
Renewable energy is derived from resources that are replenished naturally on a human timescale. Such resources include biomass, geothermal heat, sunlight, water, and wind. All of these sources have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are…
Renewable Energy
04/22/20
Renewables made up more than 17 percent of net U.S. electricity generation in 2018, with the bulk coming from hydropower (7.0 percent) and wind power (6.6 percent).
Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts
04/22/20
Wind and solar are powering a clean energy revolution. Here’s what you need to know about renewables and how you can help make an impact at home.
Renewable energy explained
04/22/20
The consumption of biofuels and other nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources in the United States more than doubled from 2000 to 2018, mainly because of state and federal government requirements and incentives to use renewable energy.…
MORE NEWS
Once Cheap, Wind and Solar Prices Are Up 34%. What’s the Outlook?
By Dan Gearino 10/20/22
Early last year, I thought the increase in wind and solar power prices was a blip. After all, one of the constants in my decade-plus covering energy was that wind and solar prices were in…
Green energy projects face stark environmental, local opposition nationwide
By Thomas Catenacci 10/17/22
International Climate Science Coalition Executive Director Tom Harris discusses how he was once a climate alarmist but now sees it as a scam on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
Greece’s entire electrical grid ran on 100% renewables for the first time
By Bill Chappell 10/13/22
Renewable energy sources covered Greece's electricity demands for about five hours last Friday, the Independent Power Transmission Operator, or IPTO, said. Renewables also posted a new record that day, reaching a peak of 3,106 megawatt…
Can renewables solve the inflation crisis?
By Dave Keating 10/12/22
Rising energy costs have been the main cause of rising inflation worldwide. Experts say the low-carbon energy transition could bring inflation down.
The new hurricane resiliency: being off the grid
By Niala Boodhoo 10/11/22
More than 4 million Floridians lost power after Hurricane Ian. But not communities like Babcock Ranch, a Southwest Florida development that bills itself as America’s “first solar-powered town.”
Babcock Ranch: Solar-powered “hurricane-proof” town takes direct hit from Hurricane Ian, never loses electricity
10/09/22
While hard-hit Fort Myers, Florida, continues its recovery from Hurricane Ian, some hope can be found 12 miles to the northeast at the planned community of Babcock Ranch. That's where Syd Kitson and his partners…
Global rise in electricity demand met entirely with renewables, report finds
By E&T Editorial Staff 10/05/22
The rise in wind and solar generation met over three-quarters of the demand growth in the first half of 2022, while hydro met the remainder, preventing a possible 4 per cent increase in fossil generation…
Clean energy projects surge after climate bill passage
By Jack Ewing and Ivan Penn 09/07/22
Investments in battery factories, solar panel manufacturing and mining will help the Biden administration meet targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
Negative Power Prices? Blame the US Grid for Stranding Renewable Energy
By Naureen S Malik 08/30/22
As energy costs soar around the world, a curious thing is happening with increasing frequency in power grids in certain corners of the US: Prices are plunging below zero.
Chart: America’s surge of spending on clean energy
By Ben Geman 08/23/22
A new report from the think tank RMI has a banger of a graphic that puts new and recent energy laws into historical context.
Rising fuel prices, Inflation Reduction Act incentives likely to spur rapid renewable energy growth: S&P
By Emma Penrod 08/18/22
The U.S is now on track to source 62% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040 thanks to recent state policy developments and the rising cost of fossil fuels, especially natural gas, according to…
Adding it Up: Groundbreaking Federal Investments into Clean Energy Innovation
By Nicholas Montoni 08/18/22
In the last year, three pieces of legislation have become law (or are poised to soon) that advance clean energy programs and provide funding to get the job done Total clean energy funding contained in…
Renewables will total 22 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2022, says government
By Zack Budryk 08/17/22
Renewable energy will comprise nearly a quarter of electricity generated in the U.S. this year, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The number represents an increase from 2020 and 2021, both…
Renewable Energy, Electrification Big Winners in Inflation Reduction Act
By Darrell Proctor 08/12/22
The U.S. House on Aug. 12 passed a bill with major implications for the power generation industry, joining the U.S. Senate in supporting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill, which now heads to President…
Rare earth minerals essential to renewable energy not as rare as advertised
By Scott Weiser 08/11/22
The confluence of the need for renewable energy with China’s dominance in the "rare earth minerals market" puts America’s supply chains for these essential components in a precarious position, say extraction and refining executives in…
Wrangling over renewables: Counties push back on Newsom administration usurping local control
By Julie Cart 08/04/22
Kings County Supervisor Joe Neves guided his pickup to a stop next to a long line of chain-link fencing. On one side of a gravel road stood row after row of glinting solar panels. The…
Geothermal heating and cooling: Renewable energy’s hidden gem
By Philip Warburg 08/04/22
Often described as a giant tower of Jenga blocks, Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences shows no outward signs of leading the race to sustainable energy design. No rooftop wind turbines grace its…
Sinema, Democratic leaders reach deal on changes to health and climate bill
By Jennifer Haberkorn 08/04/22
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said late Thursday she will support moving forward with Democrats’ health, tax and climate bill, a strong sign that the party will be able to advance some of its major policy priorities…
NYPA does not want new authority to build renewable generation, officials tell New York lawmakers
By Robert Walton 07/29/22
The New York Power Authority is the largest public power utility in the country by generation but officials told state lawmakers on Thursday that they do not support legislation enabling it to build more renewables…
Renewables industry marks slowest quarter since 2019 with installations down 55%
By Emma Penrod 07/27/22
Developers installed 3,188 MW of utility-scale clean power in the second quarter, 55% less than the same period last year, according to a new report from the American Clean Power Association.
In a twist, old coal plants help deliver renewable power. Here’s how.
By Elena Shao 07/15/22
The sites, once a source of greenhouse gases, have a useful feature: They’re wired to the electricity grid. For new ventures like solar farms, that can save a lot of time and money.
Wind and solar provided record 10% of world’s power in 2021
By Robert Rapier 07/04/22
Last week the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2o22 was released, covering energy data through 2021. The Review provides a comprehensive picture of supply and demand for major energy sources on a country-level basis.…
Cost of New Renewables Temporarily Rises as Inflation Starts to Bite
06/30/22
London and New York, June 30, 2022 – The cost of new-build onshore wind has risen 7% year on year, and fixed-axis solar has jumped 14%, according to the latest analysis by research company BloombergNEF…
In the Face of War and Pestilence, Clean Energy Keeps Growing
By Liam Denning 06/29/22
Covid-19’s remission wasn’t great for the energy transition. That’s the headline from BP Plc’s latest Statistical Review of World Energy. But 2021 was kind of a Newtonian year: an equal but opposite reaction to 2020’s…
Clean energy investment lags as oil and gas prices soar.
By Patricia Cohen 06/22/22
The head of the International Energy Agency said high prices for fossil fuels would probably persist for years.
Wind and solar power are ‘bailing out’ Texas amid record heat and energy demand
By Ella Nilsen 06/14/22
But unlike previous extreme weather events in Texas which led to deadly blackouts, the grid is holding up remarkably well this week. Several experts told CNN that it's owed in large part to strong performances…
Why we need to recycle clean energy technologies — and how to do it
By Jeff St. John 06/13/22
In the past decade, solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries have boomed in production volume and plummeted in price. That’s enabled many countries to accelerate the transition to lower-carbon electricity. It’s also helped electric…
California breaks record by achieving 100% renewable energy for the first time
By Evan Raskin 06/10/22
As Earth Month drew to a close, the state of California was recently able to produce virtually all of their energy needs from renewable sources for the first time ever.
Biden administration to cut costs for wind and solar energy projects
By Lisa Friedman 06/01/22
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the government would sharply reduce the fees it charges to companies that operate on public lands.
Booster is making renewable fuels accessible in ways a gas station cannot
By Lora Kolodny 05/25/22
Fuel delivery start-up Booster made its name filling up commuters’ cars while they were parked at the office. But after the Covid pandemic shifted so many to remote work, Booster CEO Frank Mycroft says, the…
Accelerated Clean Energy Development Could Save Americans $5 Billion Annually, Protecting against Inflation and Rising Natural Gas Prices
By Courtney Bourgoin and Others 05/24/22
With energy security, inflation, and gas and electricity prices flooding the news cycle, leaders are searching for solutions that will provide immediate and sustained relief. Global instability has once again put Americans at the mercy…
Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs
By Tim McLaughlin 05/12/22
After decades of struggle, the U.S. clean-energy business is booming, with soaring electric-car sales and fast growth in wind and solar power. That’s raising hopes for the fight against climate change.
Following record growth in 2021, renewables on track for new high
05/11/22
The world added a record 295 gigawatts of renewable power in 2021 and is on pace to surpass that amount in 2022, according to a new analysis from the International Energy Agency.
For the first time, US renewable energy output exceeds nuclear generation, EIA finds
By Elizabeth McCarthy 04/28/22
The growing number of large solar and wind energy projects resulted in renewable generation beating out nuclear energy last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday.
Voter Suppression in Texas, Where Renewables Out-generate Fossils
By Nexus Media 04/28/22
Renewable energy generation outpaced gas as the state’s primary source of electricity in the first quarter of 2022. Wind and solar produced more than 32 gigaWatt hours in Q1, compared to the 29.7 produced by…
The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle
By Jeff St. John 04/20/22
The proposed wind, solar and battery projects seeking interconnection to U.S. transmission grids today are enough to bring the country to 80 percent carbon-free electricity by 2030. But based on historical trends, less than a…
Renewables are growing — but a backlog of projects is holding up a greener grid
By Emily Pontecorvo 04/20/22
From where Joe Rand stands, there’s good news and there’s bad news about renewable energy development in the United States — and it’s hard to tell which is more significant.
New Data Finds Common Ground in Addressing Climate Resiliency Among Academics and Beltway Professionals
By Battelle Media Relations 03/08/22
A recent survey commissioned by global research and development organization Battelle ahead of its forthcoming Conference on Innovations in Climate Resilience shows that more than two-thirds of academics and Beltway professionals believe the implementation of…
Swap Russian gas for renewables, EU tells member states
By Joe Lo 03/08/22
The EU is urging its 27 member states to use taxes on energy firms and polluters to fund a transition from Russian gas to clean energy sources for heating, cooking and electricity.
US coal use on the rise, but renewables continue rapid growth
By Karin Kirk 02/25/22
In the U.S., the amount of coal burned to generate electricity peaked in 2007 and then, between 2007 and 2020, fell by more than 61 percent. But as the effects of Covid-19 continue to re-shape…
E.U. will unveil a strategy to break free from Russian gas, after decades of dependence
By Michael Birnbaum and Steven Mufson 02/24/22
For years, Europe’s dependence on Russian energy has held it back from taking powerful action against Kremlin mischief. But now, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is forcing a change unlike any before, driving the European Union to…
Corn-Based Ethanol May Be Worse For the Climate Than Gasoline, a New Study Finds
By Georgina Gustin 02/16/22
Ethanol made from corn grown across millions of acres of American farmland has become the country’s premier renewable fuel, touted as a low-carbon alternative to traditional gasoline and a key component of the country’s efforts…
2022 Outlook: US solar and wind boom continues despite supply chain woes, Build Back Better uncertainty
By Lulia Gheorghiu 01/21/22
Like 2020, 2021 has been a record-breaking year for deployment in the renewable energy sector, and experts say the next year will follow that trend. With the low cost of solar and onshore wind, analysts…
Inside Clean Energy: Wind and Solar Costs Have Risen. How Long Should We Expect This Trend to Last?
By Dan Gearino 01/20/22
For more than a decade, companies that wanted to buy wind and solar power got to enjoy the fact that the prices for renewable energy got cheaper almost every year.
Biden Orders Federal Vehicles and Buildings to Use Renewable Energy by 2050
By Lisa Friedman 12/30/21
President Biden on Wednesday set in motion a plan to make the federal government carbon neutral, ordering federal agencies to buy electric vehicles, to power facilities with wind, solar and nuclear energy, and to use…
Renewable Energy Sees Strong Growth But Not Enough
By Eduardo Garcia 12/29/21
The renewable energy sector saw record growth in 2021 but the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that the ongoing surge in investments won't be enough to put the world on track for net-zero emissions by…
US to add 200 GW of renewable capacity by 2026, but IEA warns 30 GW offshore target ‘challenging’
By Robert Walton 12/01/21
Renewable capacity in the United States will increase 65% from 2021 to 2026, adding more than 200 GW of emissions-free generation that will mostly be solar, according to a Wednesday report from the International Energy…
Rising costs may erase years of renewables’ progress — report
By David Laconangelo 12/01/21
The global rise in commodity prices is chipping away at the confidence of clean energy analysts, who say they are increasingly uncertain that renewables and batteries can sustain their long-running price declines.
Renewable energy in the U.S. nearly quadrupled in the past decade, report finds
By Tik Root 11/09/21
The proportion of electricity the United States gets from solar and wind nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020. While geothermal generation remained relatively flat, the three technologies combined for an annual increase of nearly 15…