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Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Spectator
What Trump gets right about Britain's windfarms
Donald Trump is often treated in Britain as a know-nothing who speaks off the top of his head on subjects he does not understand. No one is keener to try to make this point than the BBC. Yet not for the first time, it turns out that he is bit more on the ball than some of his critics. After his game of golf at his Turnberry course in Ayrshire, western Scotland on Sunday, the president retorted: 'It's probably the best course in the world. And I look over the horizon and I see nine windmills at the end of the 18th. I said: 'Isn't that a shame?''. It was enough to provoke the BBC into providing what it saw as an explainer. Scottish environmental correspondent Kevin Keane was especially excited by Trump's comment suggesting that Britain 'get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil'. Protesting, somewhat pedantically, that there are no 'windmills' in the sea off Britain, just wind turbines which generate electricity rather than mill corn, Keane went on to assert that it isn't possible to 'bring back the oil' because North Sea oil in running out and will decline even were it not for the UK government's refusal to issue licenses for oil and gas extraction there. There are, in fact, several oil and gas companies which are very keen to invest in new exploration – but the government has made their lives near impossible. Not only has the search for new oil and gas fields there been effectively banned, but companies exploiting established fields are subject to a 'windfall' tax which increases the effective levies on their operations to nearly 80 per cent. The extra tax was introduced by the previous government in 2022 when there really were windfalls being made owing to high global prices following the end of the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yet the tax has lived on in spite of prices falling back a long way. The BBC also ignores the potential for shale gas in Britain – a putative industry which has since been banned by the present and the previous governments. Various estimates have put the amount of shale gas available beneath Britain to be equivalent to between 10 and 50 years' current usage. That certainly could be a growing industry – if only it were allowed. Britain's energy sector, asserts the BBC, 'needs wind…to replace the jobs which are already being lost in oil and gas'. That overlooks two problems with the UK's wind industry. Firstly, it has been pretty feeble at creating jobs. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) the UK has 0.3 per cent of global jobs in renewable energy – yet it has one per cent of the Earth's population and has set itself tougher 'net zero' targets than all but a handful of other countries. Why hasn't it landed more jobs? One important factor is that Britain has the highest industrial energy prices in the world – thanks in large part to net zero targets, carbon levies and so on. It is just so much cheaper to produce wind turbines – and other manufactured goods – in China, where 60 percent of electricity generation still comes from cheap coal. Secondly, Britain does not have the grid infrastructure to support the large number of turbines which have been built in and around Scotland in recent years. On windy days, turbines there often have to be switched off because the transmission wires cannot cope. When this happens, owners of wind farms receive generous compensation in the form of what are known as 'constraint payments' – which cost energy consumers £1.5 billion last year. The wind farms which Trump feels are spoiling the view from his Scottish golf courses are not just unsightly – they are costing UK consumers a fortune and struggling to keep the lights on.


Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Clean Energy's ‘Unstoppable' Global Growth
Current Climate brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability every Monday. Sign up to get it in your inbox. AFP via Getty Images F or decades, big shifts in U.S. policy have set the standard for the rest of the world. But when it comes to the Trump Administration's efforts to accelerate the use of oil, gas and coal, there's little indication the world will follow. There's a simple reason: solar, wind and other renewable power sources are cheaper and their capabilities are growing much faster than fossil fuels. A new assessment by the U.N.'s International Renewable Energy Agency found that 91% of clean energy projects added in 2024 were cheaper to build and operate than those using fossil fuels. An estimated $2 trillion was invested in clean energy last year, or $800 billion more than for new fossil fuel projects, a 70% increase over the past decade. And on average, solar power systems were 41% less expensive than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative, while onshore wind projects were 53% less costly, the report found. Overall, wind was the cheapest source of new renewable electricity last year, averaging 34 cents per kilowatt hour, followed by solar at 43 cents/kWh. Globally, a record 582 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity was added in 2024, resulting in $57 billion in cost savings, according to IRENA. Beyond cost and climate benefits, increased use of renewable power also helps boost the energy security of individual nations, particularly those that are resource-poor, by reducing their dependence on imported fossil fuels. 'The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough,' said UN Secretary‑General António Guterres. 'This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility.' Even in the U.S., clean energy projects continue apace. Though President Trump's new budget eliminates federal incentives for large-scale solar and wind projects in the U.S., those changes phase in over the next two years, giving big utilities time to add more capacity in the near term. This year alone, a record 32.5 gigawatts of utility-scale solar will likely be added to the domestic grid, along with 7.7 GWs of wind power and 18.2 GWs of new battery storage capacity, according to an Energy Information Administration estimate. By comparison, just 4.4 GWs of new gas-fired power will likely be added. Clean power 'is no longer a promise, it is a fact' that can't be stopped, Guterres said. 'The fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.' The Big Read Newsday via Getty Images New York City's Congestion Pricing Is Working The latest data from TomTom shows that New York City's congestion pricing is working as planned. Real-time traffic patterns from January through mid-July indicate that downtown Manhattan has experienced a notable decrease in motor vehicle congestion and a corresponding drop in travel times. The amount of time drivers spend in rush hour has decreased, and average speeds for motorists in their cars have increased. Congestion decreased by nearly 4% year over year in the first four months of 2025, from 26.2% to 22.8%. Travel times for motorists decreased by 90 seconds per six miles as average car speeds increased slightly from 16.3 km/h to 17.1 km/h (note: motorists still have average speeds slower than many bicyclists). July congestion continued to drop, from 24.4% to 22.3%, with only half the month measured. Introduced on January 5, 2025, NYC's congestion toll was the first of its kind in the United States. The scheme requires drivers to pay a fee—based on the time and duration of their visit and their vehicle type—to enter the lower part of Manhattan, from the southern end of Central Park to the city's financial district. Read more here Hot Topic Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists' senior policy director, and UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain on the possibility of the EPA abandoning the 'Endangerment Finding' and its efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (Note: 'On Monday, June 30, 2025, EPA sent over its 'Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards' proposal to the Office of Management and Budget,' an EPA spokesperson told Forbes . 'The proposal will be published for public notice and comment once it has completed interagency review and been signed by the Administrator.') What impact do you anticipate from the elimination of the Endangerment Finding? Cleetus: We need to see what's in the actual proposal, what exactly they're going to say. But it's so clear in this case that there's no rational basis to undermine or overturn the Endangerment Finding or to roll back all of these regulations that are meant to protect public health. Of course, this would be challenged in a variety of ways, including just the science, putting forward what is the latest science, which is even more dire and compelling since the 2009 Endangerment Finding. That record, the science is very, very clear and there will be a variety of challenges to what EPA puts forward. But we need to see what's in the actual proposal, how exactly they are setting up this evasion of their responsibility. If this happens and is upheld in court, is there any ability at the state or local level in the U.S. to maintain certain aspects of climate-oriented regulations? Cleetus: I don't want to speculate too far into the future because we don't know what EPA will release. What I can say is this administration and the EPA has shown itself to not care about public health at all and to be boosting fossil fuels in every way it can. And not only that, they are really overreaching in ways that go beyond what's legally their mandate to do. We have not seen Congress stand up strongly. We are a democracy, and there are supposed to be checks and balances. The courts have a role, Congress has a role, and policymakers are supposed to be looking out for the public interest. As far as what comes next, I think anybody who cares about public health and welfare understands that climate change is a reality and it's on our doorstep. Wherever you live in this country, it is showing up in your community. There's no denying it. This is not a political issue. It doesn't matter if you're in a Red state or a Blue state. These climate impacts are being experienced by communities everywhere in this country. So any policymaker who's looking out for their constituents, any lawmaker who's thinking about the public has to take it seriously. Given the increasing frequency of severe weather events fueled by a changing climate, how does eliminating the Endangerment Finding at this time strike you? Swain: As everyone else has characterized it–anyone who knows anything about climate change or climate policy or carbon emissions or extreme weather or anything else–it would effectively end the federal government's ability to regulate greenhouse gases as a pollutant that can cause harm. That's a big deal because it is the primary regulatory or legal mechanism by which the federal government has done so in many cases in recent years. We've already seen dramatic rollbacks in other pollution regulations, dramatic rollbacks and support for green energy and for expanding the electrical grid and everything else, so this is on top of all of that. Practically speaking, the U.S. is only one country of course. This doesn't affect any other country's regulations of greenhouse gases. But the U.S. is one of the largest global emitters. And it has historically been a role model for much of the rest of the world in large-scale environmental policies. I think this marks the end of that era pretty definitively. We are seeing, in general, far more extreme heat events, even more record-shattering heat events. We're seeing more extreme downpours of rain like the ones we've seen in Texas and so many different places around the country this summer. And we are seeing intensification of hurricanes and of wildfires. Even though the U.S. is not the only global emitter and the U.S. does not control global climate policy, it is still bad news to the extent that it raises the potential of extra fractions of a degree of warming this century, even just based on what's happening in the U.S., because it slows progress in a very important country from a global perspective. It also sends a signal globally that not everyone is cooperating, and that signal of cooperation itself is an important part of getting buy-in from all nations. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images What Else We're Reading Trump cancels $4.9 billion loan for the biggest U.S. transmission line project. The Grain Belt Express was to bring huge amounts of cheap wind and solar from the plains to the East ( Canary Media ) The International Court of Justice says wealthy nations must curb global warming. The UN court said they must address climate change's 'urgent and existential threat" ( Reuters ) California needs a little less farmland – and a lot more solar power ( Los Angeles Times ) An electricity affordability crisis is coming. It sure looks that way, at least ( Heatmap ) As U.S. retreats on climate, China and Europe are going green together. They promise new efforts to cut emissions as China positions itself as the world's one-stop shop for clean energy tech ( New York Times ) How a California cloud-seeding company became the center of a Texas flood conspiracy. Rainmaker was accused of causing the flood after conducting operations in the area ( Los Angeles Times ) More From Forbes Forbes With Tariffs Looming, Automakers' EV Incentives Are Booming By Jim Gorzelany Forbes China, India's Coal Usage Delivers Energy Transition Reality Check By Gaurav Sharma Forbes Solid-State Batteries Still Face Hurdles But The Prize Is Huge For EVs By Neil Winton


Iraq Business
3 days ago
- Business
- Iraq Business
Iraq to produce 12GW of Solar Power by 2030
By John Lee. The Iraqi Oil Ministry's Undersecretary for Distribution Affairs, Ali Maarij, has said that Iraq aims to incorporate 12 Gigawatts (GW) of solar power into its energy mix by 2030, alongside intensified efforts to capture natural gas and reduce flaring. He made the comments at a ceremony to launch a major new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on the status and outlook of Iraq's energy transition. Maarij described the report as the result of close cooperation between the Iraqi government-represented by the Ministries of Oil and Electricity-and IRENA. He noted that it offers a comprehensive assessment of Iraq's current energy landscape, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities along the path to cleaner energy. For more details on the report click here. (Source: Ministry of Oil)


Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Why increasing renewable energy alone can't solve climate crisis
The world added about 582 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity in 2024, representing an increase of 15% over the previous year, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA). This was the largest annual increase in renewable energy capacity in any single year. Currently, the installed capacity of renewable energy across the globe stands at more than 4,442 GW, and around 30% of the world's electricity is produced from renewable sources. The new report by IRENA, which was released on July 10, also said that at the current rate of growth, the world would come close to achieving its target of tripling renewable energy installed capacity by 2030. This target is considered crucial for limiting global warming and was part of the agreement made at the COP28 meeting in Dubai in 2023. The rapid growth of renewable energy might give the impression that the world has made good progress on meeting its climate objectives. However, renewable energy has not even begun to replace fossil fuels at the global level. As of now, it is catering mainly to the rising electricity demand, which has increased three times since 1990 and is projected to grow even higher. While only around 10% of new electricity installed capacity in 2024 was fossil fuel-based, the use of fossil fuels, in absolute terms, is still growing, according to the IRENA report. Between 2012 and 2023, global electricity generation grew by 2.5% every year on average, and renewable energy expanded at a rate of about 6% during the same time. This has led to a steady rise in the share of renewables in the electricity generation mix. However, fossil fuels currently account for more than 70% of global electricity production. In absolute terms, more fossil fuels are being burned today than 10 years ago to produce electricity. To make matters worse, the increase in the use of fossil fuels is expected to continue for at least a few more years. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions have reached record highs in recent years. Moreover, electricity is still only a small slice of total energy use. Just 20% to 22% of the total energy consumed in the world every year is in the form of electricity. Only 30% of electricity generation comes from renewable sources. This means that about 6% of the world's energy consumption comes from clean sources. More than 90% still comes from fossil sources. Note that there are some countries, mainly in the Nordic region, where renewables account for a significantly higher share of total energy consumption. However, the special conditions existing in these countries are difficult to replicate elsewhere. According to projections, by 2050, even in the case scenarios, not more than 40% to 45% of the world's total energy consumption would come from clean sources. This means that energy transition, which involves moving away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, on its own, is unlikely to help tackle the climate crisis. That is why carbon removal interventions, which are yet to become viable, assume great importance in the fight against global warming. Regional imbalance in growth of renewables There are other concerns with the manner in which the global energy transition is currently taking shape. So far, the bulk of renewable energy deployment has taken place in a handful of countries, while the others have been left behind. The IRENA report pointed out that while renewable capacity increased by 15% globally in 2024, in Africa it grew by just 7%, and that too from a very low base. Africa is where the largest number of people without access live. The IRENA report said 71% of the renewable capacity addition last year took place in Asia. This is slightly misleading as China alone accounted for more than 62% of global additions — that is, 364 GW of the 582 GW installed globally. The whole of Africa together got less than 1%. For the last few years, China has been consistently installing more renewable energy than the rest of the world combined. Apart from developed countries, China, and some large players such as India, the renewable energy footprint has not grown at a fast pace. It is true that these are the countries that also happen to be the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Effective energy transition here would be more consequential from the climate change perspective than in, for example, Africa. However, this kind of lopsided deployment of renewable energy, coupled with the fact that China has a near monopoly on the production and supply chains of most of the renewable systems, could leave many countries and regions behind once again. Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, might be available universally — unlike, say, petrol that is found in only limited geographies — but the technologies needed to harness this energy are getting increasingly inaccessible. China dominates the production and manufacturing of solar PV systems, for example, but also consumes more than half of it. Large buyers such as the United States and India corner most of what is exported. There is little supply for others. Also, manufacturing outside of China, which could have filled the gap, is struggling. This is because other countries are not able to compete with China's economies of scale, low labour costs, or state subsidies. China's control over the renewable energy system has begun to appear similar to the OPEC countries' hold over global oil supplies. Energy security has emerged as one of the foremost concerns of countries, pushing many of them to secure whatever option is available to them, irrespective of whether it is clean or not. The transition to clean and renewable energy systems is not as simple as it is sometimes made out to be. There are several layers of complexity which make the goal of curbing global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius look increasingly unrealistic to achieve.


Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Non-fossil power hits 50% of India's installed capacity; ₹4 lakh crore saved in 2024: Joshi
New Delhi: New Delhi: India's renewable energy capacity has exceeded 245 GW, comprising 116 GW of solar and 52 GW of wind power, Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said, highlighting the government's strategic push for clean energy transition. He stated that over 50 per cent of the country's installed power capacity now comes from non-fossil sources, five years ahead of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) deadline. Addressing the Mercom India Renewables Summit in the national capital, the minister outlined five key government priorities—strengthened power purchase agreements (PPAs), robust grid and storage infrastructure, domestic manufacturing, land-use optimisation, and improved access to finance. According to Joshi, these reforms are aligned with India's 2030 target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity. Citing a recent International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report, he said that India saved nearly ₹4 lakh crore in 2024 through reduced fossil fuel imports and health-related costs, which includes $14.9 billion in fossil fuel savings, 410.9 million tonnes of CO₂ avoided, and $31.7 billion worth of air pollution and health-related benefits. Rooftop solar, BESS and green hydrogen push The Minister said that the government's rooftop solar initiative, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, has received over 58.7 lakh applications and led to 17.2 lakh installations so far. In parallel, a ₹5,400 crore Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme has been launched for 30 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), projected to attract ₹33,000 crore in investments. He informed that a comprehensive transmission plan has been drawn up in coordination with the Ministry of Power, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Central Transmission Utility (CTU), and POWERGRID for evacuating 500 GW of non-fossil power by 2030. PLI, ALMM and land-use reforms To boost domestic manufacturing, Joshi said that the ₹24,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is promoting Aatmanirbharta in solar and wind manufacturing. He also announced the expansion of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), with List-II for solar PV cells set to be implemented from June 2026. The Ministry is encouraging innovation in land utilisation by supporting floating solar, canal-top solar, agrivoltaic installations, and deployment in tribal and remote areas. MSMEs and startups are being supported to scale clean energy innovations. Green hydrogen mission rollout Joshi said the National Green Hydrogen Mission is progressing with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore. So far, 3,000 MW of electrolyser manufacturing capacity has been allocated and over 8.6 lakh tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production approved. The minister said the sector continues to benefit from enabling policy initiatives to support its long-term sustainability.