wind energy

By Kerstine Appunn | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – More areas in Germany are going to be designated to onshore wind energy, with state governments ways of interfering being limited by new federal rules. German states will have to actively look for areas that can be designated for wind farm construction in order […]

Batteries

California Milestone: State for First Time briefly Generates 103% of its Electricity from Renewables

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On one day in May, Lauren Sommer at NPR reported, California ran for several hours on 103% renewable electricity, which means it generated enough electricity from wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and battery to fulfill the entire needs of the state plus to be able to export a bit to neighboring […]

Climate Crisis

‘Open Your Hearts’: The Movements Taking Climate Action Where Leaders and Media Won’t

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Donna Katzin and William Minter | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – Media, politicians, and policymakers tend to focus on the most visible issues. The attention the war in Ukraine has received in the first half of 2022, for example, is unrivaled in the United States at least since the shock of 9/11 […]

Batteries

It is now Cheaper to Switch from Coal directly to Wind and Solar than to Natural Gas

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Matthew Gray at Transition Zero writes that it is now cheaper in North America and Europe to switch from coal plants directly to wind, solar, battery renewable energy sources than it is to switch to methane (“natural”) gas. TZ figures transition costs in expenditure of carbon dioxide, and finds that […]

Australia

3 ways Australia can become a Renewable Energy Superpower – without Leaving anyone Behind

The Conversation

By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University | – Australians will bear yet another blow to our cost of living in July when electricity prices will surge up to 18.3%, which amounts to over A$250 per year in some cases. This is partly due to geopolitical tensions driving up the cost of generating electricity from […]

Climate Crisis

Majority of Germans favor higher top Tax Rate to finance Climate Protection – Poll

Clean Energy Wire

By Edgar Meza | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – Some 66 percent of German households are in favour of raising the top tax rate to finance climate action, according to a survey conducted by the ifo Institute in cooperation with the forsa opinion research institute. Researchers asked households about their preferences with regard to […]

Belgium

Dumping Russian Gas: 4 European countries seek 65 GW Offshore Wind by 2030, as EU Pledges $314 bn. for Green Energy

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Anyone who follows the climate emergency and extreme weather events would think the serial catastrophes of the past couple years would be enough to put the governments into crisis mode in moving swiftly to green energy. It turns out that for Europe, at least, it took the Russian invasion of […]

Climate Crisis

Renewables provide 50% of German electricity in 1st quarter ’22 as Berlin Seeks Escape from Russian Gas

Clean Energy Wire

By Edgar Meza | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Renewable energy sources accounted for 50 percent of electricity consumption in Germany in the first quarter of 2022 – around nine percentage points more than in the same period last year, according to a report by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research […]

Climate Crisis

Wind and Solar generate Fully 20% of US Electricity in April for First time as Renewables Jump to 26.5%

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United States generates 6.5% of its electricity from dams, producing hydroelectricity, mainly in the West. Up until about a decade ago, that was the major renewable source of electricity in the country. In 2021, the total proportion of renewables in the US energy mix was 20%, i.e. 13.5% came […]