Less than two decades ago, South Australia generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state’s electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis – so how did it happen? Michael McGreevy, Flinders University and Fran Baum, Flinders University The Conversation […]
Even as people are suffering through the harshest winter storm Texas has seen in decades, the reasons for the state’s devastating power grid failure have become a political battleground. While vulnerable people freeze in their homes, pundits snipe about whether wind turbines are to blame. By Jennifer Layke, Karl Hausker and Lori Bird World Resources […]
Electricity generated by nuclear power plants, wind turbines and solar panels results in negligible greenhouse gas emissions, even when their manufacture, construction and maintenance is taken into account. To the casual observer, nuclear power and renewables might appear to be equally desirable in the effort to decarbonise energy systems. But in fact, there are major […]
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, some countries have announced significant spending pledges to support a green recovery. Germany leads the way with a €40 billion (£36 billion) commitment to climate-related spending. The UK government’s plans, meanwhile, have centred on a £3 billion funding package, announced in July, which aims to improve the energy […]
On a farm in O’Neill, Nebraska, Mike Zakrzewski wakes up every morning to tend his cattle and grow corn and soybeans on the farm he’s known since childhood. The youngest of nine children, he began farming with his dad in 1982, eventually buying the land from his parents and raising two children there with his […]
If each U.S. state took full advantage of its renewable resources, how much electricity would it produce? How much of its own electricity consumption could renewable energy fulfill? Would in-state renewable generation be enough to charge electric vehicles and power electric heating, too? The answer, in almost every state, is a resounding yes. By Maria […]
While wind farms aren’t quite the bird slayers they’re often portrayed to be – one study found that they cause 0.4 deaths per gigawatt hour (GWh) of electricity generated, compared with 5.2 dead birds for every GWh generated by fossil-fuelled power stations – wildlife collisions with turbines and power lines are likely to be an […]
The world has a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to pour investment into clean energy and create millions of new jobs, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Its “sustainable recovery plan” for the coronavirus pandemic lays out a series of measures that the agency says would ensure 2019 was the “definitive peak” for global emissions. By Josh Gabbatiss Carbon Brief Launched […]
Natural gas is a versatile fossil fuel that accounts for about a third of U.S. energy use. Although it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants than coal or oil, natural gas is a major contributor to climate change, an urgent global problem. Reducing emissions from the natural gas system is especially challenging because […]
Cities of all sizes around the country are taking control by pledging to reach community-wide goals of 100% renewable energy. However, many of these cities are unsure of how to meet these commitments. Although the renewable energy potential throughout the U.S. is strong, cities are facing other types of challenges that are hindering their ability […]
The costs for solar, wind and battery storage have dropped markedly since 2010 and are expected to decline further in the near future. This rapid fall in costs could have a large effect on energy system investment and policies, but has not been fully captured in energy modelling. This is particularly relevant for China, which is now debating […]
Over many decades, the centralized power grid — a one-way flow of electricity, generated by large, remote power plants and distributed over miles of transmission lines to homes and businesses — succeeded in delivering electricity across continents to billions. But in recent years the system’s shortcomings have become increasingly evident. By Justin Gerdes Ensia The […]
Living on an island forces one to be an innovator in ways large and small. For the 50 or so year-round residents of Isle au Haut, an island off the coast of Maine, innovation can look like using PVC pipe as a curtain rod because there are no real curtain rods at hand — or […]
Amid the economic and social fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people see the process of restarting society as a chance to do things differently. Some organizations are calling for big investments in infrastructure, both to generate jobs and to promote green economic growth. But projects that sound worthy in the abstract can meet stiff […]
Recently, we passed a major milestone for clean energy in the United States. More than 100 million people now live in places committed to 100 percent clean energy. That’s almost one in three people in this country, representing 163 cities, 13 counties, eight states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. By Michael Brune Sierra Club This milestone […]