A decline in fossil fuel power is now ‘inevitable’, the report’s authors say.
Finally some good news.
the bad news is:
Clean power sources have already helped to slow the growth in fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the last 10 years.
at first that sounds great but what that really means is fossil fuel use is still increasing; that 30% figure does not tell the whole story.
If the data is correct, these are the last years of fossil growth - from now on, renewables will be outpeacing the growing demand
if their interpretation of the data is correct. we’ll see.
Took the words out of my mouth. Though having over 70% renewables by 2030 feels like a stretch to me. Certainly would be great but I have my doubts. Maybe only my inner pessimist speaking.
It’s a stretch but not a massive one - I think 2035 is more realistic. Solar deployments double around every 3 years so it’ll double by 2027 and quadruple by 2030 and so on unless some limiting factor is reached
You might want to do some basic math on the current rates at which renewable energy and global energy demand is growing.
The world burned 140,000 TWh worth of fossil fuels last year, a new record because global energy demand is still growing faster than total new renewable generation.
Let’s say we built an island of floating PV panels in the ocean large enough to generate that much energy.
It would be the 8th largest country in the world.
No we’re not going to hit 70% by 2035 even assuming it maintains exponential growth, not even close.
It would be the 8th largest country in the world.
That doesn’t seem correct. If you assume 250kwh per square meter per year, it sums to something linke 500000km2 or 700x700km square. And in the hottest regions it’s more like 500kwh per m2 per year
Pretty achievable with a 200% carbon tax
Fossil fuels would have declined even more if it wasn’t for the fossil fuel’s anti-nuclesr campaign.
… let’s just celebrate a win, okay. No need to cast shadow on who scored in who’s own goal
is it a win tho fossil fuel usage is still rising, the way renewable energy is being deployed in capitalist countries is that they are just another path for exploitation not a replacement for fossil fuels.
path for exploitation
Why is that?
Fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation in the US has been decreasing along with the increase in renewable generation capacity, so what you’re saying is false
YeaH, even the US is moving toward renewables and there are some highlights like steel production, but way too slowly, way too many lowlights, like peak fossil fuel production and export. That data shows we’re heading in the right direction, but all too slowly, we may not keep the pace, and could even see future growth in fossil fuels, all else being equal.
I know it’s a reflection of data predictability but I’m especially frustrated they don’t see EVs getting above 30% of the fleet. I hear Biden trying to be encouraging, but this data shows us nebpver meeting his 2030 goal for transportation
Nuclear is expensice as shit tho, you can get way more energy from renewables with that money
Or the subsidies on fossil…
Are we replacing infrastructure or are we just adding capacity?
What is this number if you exclude China?
Adding capacity. Fossil fuel usage is still growing.
Are we replacing infrastructure or are we just adding capacity?
They are ultimately going to wind up as one and the same. We need to add more capacity before we can rid ourselves entirely of fossil fuel. Using grid power for things like HVAC, cooking, and electric vehicles means those devices get more CO2 efficient as the grid generation gets more efficient.
What is this number if you exclude China?
According to this source, largely unchanged. China’s a touch above the average, but relies heavily on fossil fuel, with a large share of that being very dirty coal. Its campaign to install renewables is encouraging, though.
I feel like Chinas carbon emissions will just disappear suddenly. Yeah, they’re using way too much coal, and still growing with fossil fuels, but consider their growth in renewables. The good thing about dictatorships is that it’s possible to build out renewables faster than the rest of the world combined, but among the many bad parts is you’re not balancing supply with demand. There’s no way they don’t suddenly have a huge glut of power and have to decide what to shut down permanently
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Energy think tank Ember found that major growth in wind and solar helped push global electricity production past this milestone in 2023.
Its authors say that this rapid growth has brought the world to a crucial turning point where fossil fuel generation starts to decline.
“You also have the invasion of Ukraine which increased the sense of urgency around transitioning to clean power and getting off relying on fossil fuels - not just coal but also gas, and particularly from Russia.
Plans were put in place to help individual member states reach renewable energy targets and deploy technologies at a national scale.
“Certainly you can’t ignore that there was some demand [based] impact on the decrease in use of fossil fuels, but also there was a significant role of wind and solar replacing it.”
Normally this would have meant that the clean energy capacity added around the world last year would have caused fossil fuel generation to drop by 1.1 per cent.
The original article contains 796 words, the summary contains 162 words. Saved 80%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
good bot
This article is about global electricity production, not all energy combined. This is an important nuance, as much energy consumption uses fossil fuels directly, namely cars, many (older) house or industrial processes. Only a small fraction of this is electricity, and in the grander scheme, the “renewable” part is only a fraction: https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption.
So, while this is a step in the good direction, it is only a very small one.
@BlackLaZoR@BlackLaZoR@kbin.run would you mind updating the title to reflect this?
EVs should pass 20% of the market share this year, and with their sales steadily increasing, I wouldn’t be surprised if the global EV market share passes 50% before the end of the decade, so the faster we get electricity production 100% renewable, the more removing ICE vehicles will be effective
I have updated the title. I do believe however that in the context of exponential growth of renewable energy this isn’t a massive difference
Excellent news.
It really needs to mention the US, though. I know this is about Europe, and trying to celebrate good news, and you’re probably tired of us making everything about the US, but we’ve “earned” our place in any article about climate change or carbon emissions.
My country deserves to be named and shamed for lagging in something so critical. It needs to be nagged continuously to catch up. It needs to be reminded of the impact it has made and continues to make. There are still so many people who don’t believe it’s real or don’t think it will impact them and don’t care who it does impact, so many both politicians and constituents who can’t look beyond their immediate desires.
Trump: “Hold my beer!”
Who the helll thought a minority of renewables sufficient?
Who the helll [sic] thought a minority of renewables sufficient?
Where are you getting this from?
30% its in the title
30% its [sic] in the title
Right, but I don’t see anything in the title or the article itself about 30% being “sufficient.” To the contrary, the article quotes Sarah Brown, energy think tank Ember’s European program director:
The EU is “very much on the way” to its goal of having renewable sources account for 72 per cent of power generation by 2030.
This article is a celebration of a milestone that was crossed for the first time, no mention of 30% being sufficient. You’re assigning meaning that’s not there.
My point is that they are horrendously failing us because 30% is nowhere near where we need to be
“sufficient”. Where did you get THAT from?
Their job is to pass legislation that is sufficient to curb the climate catastrophe. This shows that they are woefully incapable of doing their job
Holy Strawman, Batman!