Here’s the good and bad news about coal in 2022
The International Energy Agency (IEA) today released “Coal 2022,” its annual market report on the fossil fuel’s sector. Here’s where the world currently stands, according to the report, which is considered a global benchmark for the demand, supply, and trade of coal.
Expand Expanding CloseEurope’s largest bank vows to stop funding new oil projects globally
London-based HSBC, the largest bank in Europe and the 8th largest bank in the world, has announced that it will stop funding any new oil and gas developments globally.
Expand Expanding CloseOil-funded lobbyists are trying to trick you into killing more whales
The fossil fuel industry is utilizing think tanks and lobbyists in a push to oppose wind power in the North Atlantic, claiming they want to save whales, even though the largest source of whale death and disruption is transatlantic shipping powered by their own product: oil.
Expand Expanding CloseThe real reason Joe Manchin is sabotaging the US clean energy plan [update]
Coal investor and US Senator Joe Manchin III (D-WV) opposes his own political party’s clean energy program. And since not a single Republican will support the infrastructure bill that contains the program, Manchin has disproportionate power to sink the US plan to decarbonize in order to slow global warming and meet the Paris Agreement target of net-zero by 2050. Why does he oppose it?
Expand Expanding Close26% of US households use electricity as their only energy source – but there’s a caveat
In 2020, 26% of US households – that’s 32.25 million out of 123.53 million homes – used electricity as their only source of energy, according to the US Energy Information Administration. But what the EIA doesn’t note is what fuels that “electricity as the only source of energy.”
Expand Expanding CloseIt turns out humans are responsible for many more oil slicks than we realized
A team of scientists developed the first global map of chronic oil slicks in the world’s oceans, and found that more than 90% come from humans – significantly more than previously reported.
Expand Expanding CloseIn a world first, solar and wind generated 10% of power for 50 countries in 2021
Wind and solar, the fastest-growing sources of electricity, reached a record 10% of global electricity in 50 countries in 2021, according to a report released today by independent energy think tank Ember. Overall, clean sources generated 38% of the world’s electricity in 2021, beating coal, at 36%.
Expand Expanding CloseIllinois to shut all fossil fuel plants by 2045 and invest $580M a year in renewables [Update]
The solar industry in Illinois is reaping the rewards of the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that passed five months ago.
Expand Expanding CloseThe US could save $5.6B a year if it switched from coal to solar – study
Electricity from solar is cheaper than sourcing it from coal-fired power plants, according to a new article published in the journal Energy and Environmental Materials.
Expand Expanding CloseCoal production will rise to its highest-ever levels in 2022, says IEA
Coal production is forecast to reach an all-time high in 2022, and then after a couple of years, plateau as demand flattens, according to the latest annual market report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), released today.
Expand Expanding CloseUS to boost current natural gas capacity 6% by 2025 – but why?
Between 2022 and 2025, 27.3 gigawatts (GW) of new natural gas-fired capacity is scheduled to come online in the US, boosting its existing capacity of 489.1 GW as of August 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Here’s where it’s headed.
Expand Expanding CloseWhy did a Gulf of Mexico oil drilling lease sale just happen under Biden?
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held a lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday for oil and gas drilling rights. Why did the Biden administration hold an auction for fossil fuel drilling, on the heels of COP26, where countries agreed to “phase down” fossil fuels?
Expand Expanding CloseThe US’s third-largest utility will shut down 55% of its coal fleet by 2030
Atlanta-based Southern Co., the US’s third-largest utility, will terminate around 55% of its coal fleet by 2030. Southern Co. is working toward achieving net zero by 2050.
Expand Expanding CloseUS coal-powered electricity will grow in 2021, but don’t panic. Here’s why
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is projecting that there will be 22% more coal-fired electricity generation in the US in 2021 than in 2020 due to higher natural gas prices – but the coal spike won’t last.
Expand Expanding CloseThe British have a gas shortage, so they’re Googling electric cars like crazy [Update]
Analysis of Google search data revealed that online searches for electric cars in the UK exploded 1,600% on September 24 – the day that gas shortages became a widespread problem across the country.
Expand Expanding CloseEGEB: China led as the world installed 6.1 GW of offshore wind in 2020
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- 6.1 GW of global offshore wind was installed in 2020, down slightly from a record 6.24 GW in 2019.
- More than half of the world’s fossil fuels have to stay buried to slow global warming.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: World’s largest offshore floating wind farm is now complete
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- The world’s largest floating offshore wind farm, the Kincardine Offshore Wind, is now installed.
- The IMF is undermining global climate goals by advising countries to invest in fossil fuels.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: A Florida nonprofit ran a solar boot camp with guaranteed jobs for 27 young adults
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- A Florida solar boot camp provides guaranteed jobs for young adults.
- The Swiss government says it can reach net zero by 2050 – with fossil fuels.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
The IPCC climate change report – what it says and what we can do
The world’s largest-ever report about climate change was published today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations group of nearly 200 leading climate scientists that looked at more than 14,000 scientific papers. It’s pretty grim – but far from hopeless. There are things we all can and must all do. As US Senator Ed Markey says, “We can’t agonize – we must organize.”
Expand Expanding CloseEGEB: Petroleum use dropped a record 15% in the transport sector from 2019 to 2020
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- From 2019 to 2020, petroleum consumption decreased in every energy-consuming sector.
- 25 fossil fuel giants used Facebook ads to fight President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: Maryland offshore wind plans make a great leap forward
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- Baltimore-based US Wind announces a new offshore wind farm and other major developments.
- Costa Rica is considering a permanent ban on fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: Watch the TVA blow up its oldest coal-fired plant (and they want to replace it with natural gas)
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- The Tennessee Valley Authority implodes its oldest coal-fired power plant.
- The UK’s Ministry of Justice installs £1.1 million of roof-mounted solar on courts and prisons.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: In 2020, the US produced the lowest energy emissions in nearly 40 years
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- In 2020, due to the pandemic, US energy emissions fell to the lowest level since 1983.
- Belfast, Maine, sees 7 megawatts of community solar launch for Central Maine Power customers.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
EGEB: Final turbine is in place at the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- The final floating turbine is connected at the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm in Scotland.
- 2021’s most and least energy-expensive states, according to a new WalletHub study.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.