Green Energy

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The US management of the Covid-19 crisis has been horrible compared to Europe, as the famous chart makes clear. I don’t know if the bar-goers actually know how to read a chart, but that line going up is the US and that is bad, and the line hugging the bottom […]

Germany

Over Half of Germany’s Power Use in 1st Half of 2020 was from Wind and Solar, as Coal Sank

Clean Energy Wire

By Julian Wettengel | – Renewables covered more than half of Germany’s power consumption in the first six months of 2020, according to a first estimate by think tank Agora Energiewende*. As coal use dropped and demand was low due to the coronavirus crisis and energy sector emissions fell significantly. Germany will most likely reach […]

Climate Crisis

The Corporations that are Swinging behind Green Energy may make all the Difference in Climate Emergency

The Conversation

By Zdravka Tzankova | – The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea My new analysis of companies that seek to buy renewable electricity finds that business is becoming a powerful new ally in the U.S. political battle to stop climate change. Driven by pressure from environmental groups and […]

Green Energy

In 2020, Wind and Solar could cover nearly Six Months of Germany’s Annual Power Demand

Benjamin Wehrmann

(Clean Energy Wire) – The amount of electricity produced with renewable energy sources in Germany within one year could theoretically power the country for 172 days, energy provider E.ON has calculated. Germany’s “Green Energy Day” thus would be on 20 June in 2020 – 47 percent of the whole year, and more than two weeks […]

Climate Crisis

New German Coalition Gov’t Turbocharges Renewable Energy

Clean Energy Wire

By Julian Wettengel | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – The German government has agreed to remove key hurdles to the rollout of renewable energies that had begun to slow the country’s landmark energy transition. The deal between chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and its coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), settles disputes […]

Climate Crisis

Coronavirus Effect: In One Year, Share of Coal in German Public Power Supply Cratered to 16% from 30%

Clean Energy Wire

By Freja Eriksen | — ( Clean Energy Wire) – Coal’s share in Germany’s net public power production fell to around 16 percent in April 2020, shows data by Fraunhofer ISE’s Energy Charts. The institute’s Energy Charts project does not include data on the amount of power the generating facilities consume themselves to operate, or […]

Climate Crisis

Lowest Solar bid in World History for new Abu Dhabi Facility, as expensive Coal, backed by Trump, declines further

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Abu Dhabi has accepted a historically low bid of 1.35 cents a kilowatt hour for a new giant 1.5 gigawatt solar farm, to be built at al-Dhafra by the largely government-owned French consortium Électricité de France (EDF) and China’s Jinko. The price is 44% less than was paid for the […]

Climate Crisis

Even German Conservatives, Corporations make Green New Deal, Climate “Top Priority” after Pandemic

Julian Wettengel

By Julian Wettengel | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Top politicians from Germany and more than 60 large companies have warned that the climate crisis must continue to be a top priority, even as the world economies grapple with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Ahead of this week’s digital Petersberg Climate Dialogue, […]

Climate Crisis

US Oil “Technically Worthless,” and Coal Plants Shuttered, as a Tidal Wave of Bankruptcies Looms

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – May contracts for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil went as low as -$37.63 on Monday. So report Jillian Ambrose and Martin Farrer at The Guardian. The price, well below zero, was a first for the US oil market, and showed the conviction of traders that the economy would not […]