Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumUN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for even lower costs
NEW YORK (AP) The global switch to renewable energy has passed a positive tipping point where solar and wind power will become even cheaper and more widespread, according to two United Nations reports released Tuesday, describing a bright spot amid otherwise gloomy progress to curb climate change.
Last year, 74% of the growth in electricity generated worldwide was from wind, solar and other green sources, according to the U.N.s multiagency report, called Seizing the Moment of Opportunity. It found that 92.5% of all new electricity capacity added to the grid worldwide in that time period came from renewables. Meanwhile, sales of electric vehicles are up from 500,000 in 2015 to more than 17 million in 2024.
The three cheapest electricity sources globally last year were onshore wind, solar panels and new hydropower, according to an energy cost report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Solar power now is 41% cheaper and wind power is 53% cheaper globally than the lowest-cost fossil fuel, the reports said. Fossil fuels, which are the chief cause of climate change, include coal, oil and natural gas.
The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Tuesday morning speech unveiling the reports. We are in the dawn of a new energy era. An era where cheap, clean, abundant energy powers a world rich in economic opportunity.
https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-solar-wind-power-fossil-fuels-6aca4846e594ea8405f91edda39a03ad
Meanwhile Donny Shit for Brains wants to double on fossil fuels.

vayeah2
(2 posts)good
hunter
(39,675 posts)... tend to have the most expensive electricity.
At the moment 82% of my electricity is coming from "renewable" sources but I still have to pay for gas power plants that are idling, ready to pick up the load when the weather changes or the sun goes down. I also have to pay for the additional infrastructure required to bring me this "renewable" electricity.
https://www.caiso.com/todays-outlook/supply
None of this shit is going to "save the world." It might even be accelerating the inevitable collapse of our world civilization as it dangles a false hope in front of us as our consumption of fossil fuels increases.
A comparison of France to Germany, Denmark, or England is always informative.
https://app.electricitymaps.com/zone/FR/72h/hourly