
By Andy Rowell
According to a new analysis of data, last year solar was the "star performer" in terms of new electricity generation, as renewables once again outstripped fossil fuels.
The annual survey by REN21, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, found that "Newly installed renewable power capacity set new records in 2016, with 161 gigawatts (GW) added, increasing the global total by almost 9% relative to 2015."
Of the renewables, "solar PV was the star performer in 2016, accounting for around 47% of the total additions." Solar was followed by wind at 34 percent and hydropower at 15.5%."
Renewable Energy Booming After a Decade of Progress https://t.co/0xYvbCaBWk @EnergyCollectiv @cleantechnica— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)1501279513.0
The good news for people fighting the fossil fuel industry is that for "the fifth consecutive year, investment in new renewable power capacity (including all hydropower) was roughly double the investment in fossil fuel generating capacity, reaching USD 249.8 billion."
And "the world now adds more renewable power capacity annually than it adds in net new capacity from all fossil fuels combined."
The report also blows another argument often used by the fossil fuel industry that because renewables are intermittent, on the days the sun does not shine and wind does not blow, that you need a baseload provided by fossil fuels to back them up.
"The myth that fossil and nuclear power are needed to provide 'baseload' electricity supply when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing has been shown to be false," said the report.
In 2016, for example, Denmark and Germany successfully managed peaks of 140 percent and 86.3 percent of electricity generation from renewable sources. In several countries, including Portugal, Ireland and Cyprus, they were able to achieve annual shares of 20 to 30 percent electricity from variable renewables without additional storage being added.
The new data was released just as it was announced that, despite the best efforts of Donald Trump to promote fossil fuels, California has set an ambitious goal to be 100 percent renewable by 2045.
We know Trump is an oil man through and through. As Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, recently pointed out: Trump is "working in every way imaginable to increase the production of fossil fuels domestically, even as he engages in a diplomatic blitzkreig to open doors to American fossil-fuel exports abroad … The president is remarkably consistent when it comes to pushing coal, oil, and gas on foreign leaders."
But back home, the states are fighting back.
A bill introduced by California Senate President Kevin de León (D) would simultaneously limit California's hydrocarbon consumption as well as set strict renewable targets, 60 percent by 2030, and 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.
It has officially cleared the committee stage, with reports that it will be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. As one commentator noted, "Perhaps most striking is that Californians want this bill. They have come out en masse to support it, and with this kind of public support and commercial potential, the bill has a great chance of success."
Backed by people power rejecting Trump's fossil fuel agenda, once again the Sunshine State leads the way.
New EarthX Special 'Protecting the Amazon' Suggests Ways to Save the World’s Greatest Rainforest
To save the planet, we must save the Amazon rainforest. To save the rainforest, we must save its indigenous peoples. And to do that, we must demarcate their land.
A new EarthxTV film special calls for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people that call it home. EarthxTV.org
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Anke Rasper
"Today's interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The report, released Friday, looks at the national climate efforts of 75 states that have already submitted their updated "nationally determined contributions," or NDCs. The countries included in the report are responsible for about 30% of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions.
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India's New Delhi has been called the "world air pollution capital" for its high concentrations of particulate matter that make it harder for its residents to breathe and see. But one thing has puzzled scientists, according to The Guardian. Why does New Delhi see more blinding smogs than other polluted Asian cities, such as Beijing?
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In a historic move, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) voted Thursday to ban hydraulic fracking in the region. The ban was supported by all four basin states — New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York — putting a permanent end to hydraulic fracking for natural gas along the 13,539-square-mile basin, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
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Colombia is one of the world's largest producers of coffee, and yet also one of the most economically disadvantaged. According to research by the national statistic center DANE, 35% of the population in Columbia lives in monetary poverty, compared to an estimated 11% in the U.S., according to census data. This has led to a housing insecurity issue throughout the country, one which construction company Woodpecker is working hard to solve.
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