Renewable energy made up half of world's new power plants in 2014

[mentalfloss]

Renewable energy made up half of world's new power plants in 2014

Renewable energy accounted for almost half of all new power plants in 2014, representing a “clear sign that an energy transition is underway”, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Green energy is now the second-largest generator of electricity in the world, after coal, and is set to overtake the dirtiest fossil fuel in the early 2030s, said the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2015 report, published on Tuesday.

“The biggest story is in the case of renewables,” said IEA executive director, Fatih Birol. “It is no longer a niche. Renewable energy has become a mainstream fuel, as of now.” He said 60% of all new investment was going into renewables but warned that the $490bn of fossil fuel subsidies in 2014 meant there was not a “fair competition”.

Amid the energy transition, the IEA said the price of oil, currently under $50 a barrel, was likely to recover only to $80 by 2020 and see modest growth beyond.

The IEA said investment in oil exploration and production was set to fall by 20% in 2015, as high cost projects in the US, Canada, Russia and Brazil continue to be shelved. But it said US shale oil producers could move back into profit with prices of $60-$70 a barrel.

Renewable energy made up half of world's new power plants in 2014: IEA | Environment | The Guardian

 

[Walter]

Another BS thread sourced from a BS site.

 

[Locutus]

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Good news. The more diversity we have in energy sources, the better.

 

[waldo]

Renewable energy made up half of world's new power plants in 2014

• China saw by far the biggest renewable energy investments in 2014 — a record $83.3 billion, up 39% from 2013. The US was second at $38.3 billion, up 7% on the year but well below its all-time high reached in 2011. Third came Japan, at $35.7 billion, 10% higher than in 2013 and its biggest total ever.

• A key feature of the 2014 result was the rapid expansion of renewables into new markets in developing countries. Investment in developing countries, at $131.3 billion, was up 36% on the previous year and came the closest ever to overhauling the total for developed economies, at $138.9 billion, up just 3% on the year. Additional to China, Brazil ($7.6 billion), India ($7.4 billion) and South Africa ($5.5 billion) were all in the top 10 of investing countries while more than $1 billion was invested in Indonesia, Chile, Mexico, Kenya and Turkey.

• Wind, solar, biomass and waste-to-power, geothermal, small hydro and marine power contributed an estimated 9.1% of world electricity generation in 2014, compared to 8.5% in 2013. This would be equivalent to a saving of 1.3 gigatonnes of CO2 taking place as a result of the installed capacity of those renewable sources.

• As in previous years, the market in 2014 was dominated by record investments in solar and wind, which accounted for 92% of overall investment in renewable power and fuels. Investment in solar jumped 29% to $149.6 billion, the second highest figure ever, while wind investment increased 11% to a record $99.5 billion. These expenditures added 49GW of wind capacity and 46GW of solar PV, both records.

 

[AnnaG]

I still think it would be cool to be able to scoot around in a steam-powered Dakota. Not pulling a wagonful of wood behind, though. I want a nuclear Dakota. There would be no need for heavy batteries and searching for fuel recharging (gas or electric) that way.

 

[waldo]

Renewable energy made up half of world's new power plants in 2014: IEA | Environment | The Guardian

good on ya mentalfloss, good on ya for shining the bright light on renewables growth!

 

[mentalfloss]

Another BS thread sourced from a BS site.

 

[waldo]

about the earlier reference casting doubt on China's efforts/resolve toward increasing renewables...

 

[Bar Sinister]

Not good news for Alberta and other oil producing provinces or for Canada as a whole either, but probably inevitable. It is an event that is entirely predictable given the instability of many oil-producing regions and the improvements in wind and solar technology.

 

[waldo]

Not good news for Alberta and other oil producing provinces or for Canada as a whole either, but probably inevitable. It is an event that is entirely predictable given the instability of many oil-producing regions and the improvements in wind and solar technology.

it's also an opportunity - Alberta plans to get 30 per cent of power from renewables by 2030

of course, calls for building a nuclear plant in Alberta have also started up again... not sure if the Alberta government is quite up for that PR landmine at this point.

... and then there is the Alberta government's own "Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions"... and whether it's mandate actually becomes more than what some currently label as platitude:

Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions has a portfolio of a dozen CCS projects that are at different stages of development, and there are a couple that promise to cut costs by at least a third. We now need to advance these technologies to demonstrate this kind of performance in field operations.

At the same time, Albertans are advancing carbon utilization technologies that produce high-value goods from greenhouse gases, including production of chemicals. Conversion of carbon to valued products often requires power input. Such a power source has to be GHG-free – another reason to want a greener grid.

Lastly, we are starting to see academic work on uses for oil that go beyond burning it in vehicles. Can we find major new uses, such as using it to make carbon-fibre products that can be used as advanced materials to replace structural steel, or as carbon-reinforced wood?

There is a long way to go to fully understand the opportunities to turn oil and carbon into value-added products, but we need to quicken our pace.

Just as the Stone Age never ended because we learned to use stones for higher-valued products, the oil age may not have to end if we can find uses for carbon and oil that are of high value and non-emitting.

​

Alberta Innovates

 

[darkbeaver]

We can see the progress in Nova Scotia where once the bush inhibited ones view of nature now exist miles of clear line of sight unimpeded by trees. We are assured that biomass shipped to Europe will further enhance the Nova Scotia forest recovery and in no way result in desertification of this province. Perhaps we will import soil from ??????? It's quite the stupidest idea imaginable.

Oil is renewable. There is no natural shortage of oil.

 

[waldo]

Oil is renewable. There is no natural shortage of oil.

say what! Respectively, D. B. Eaver... have you stopped taking your Giardiasis pills? Peak oil is guaranteed... either naturally or imposed!

 

[petros]

Here ya go kids, done without carbon taxes.


Saskatchewan aims to get half its power from renewable energy by 2030 - Saskatchewan - CBC News

 

[coldstream]

Renewable energy has become the most expensive, inefficient, environmentally destructive 'hustle' in recent history.

It's marked by thousands of abandoned wind turbines.. scarred landscapes to stripmine graphite for solar cells, far too costly for anykind of normal housing... toxic and indisposable battery systems.. thousands of miles of redundant and ineffective transmission lines.

Virtually all our energy comes from concentrated thermal energy burning fossil fuels.. or hydro power.. or nuclear thermal generation. And its all remarkably clean, efficient and environmentally benign compared to the alternatives.

 

[AnnaG]

Renewable energy? Odd term. Might I remind people that energy is a constant. It is a basic tenet of physics. =)
Our little hydro rig produces "renewable energy" from "renewable precipitation".

hahaha Gawd people are funny critters.