According to leading global investment firm Morgan Stanley the continuous drop in costs and the benefits surrounding green energy make it a rapidly more appealing option than its carbon-emitting cousins. A top analyst at the firm says green energy will overtake fossil fuels by 2020. There was no clear answer what they ment by “overtake”, but I quess it is overtake in investments and not overtake in amount of power generated.
Numerous key markets have reached an inflection point where renewables will have become the cheapest form of new power generation by 2020.
In 2016, the price of solar panels dropped 30%. They’re expected to fall another 20% this year. Wind power runs around $30 per megawatt hour (MWh), while natural gas is about $40-$60/MWh.
There is needs for breakthrough is in storage. While peak energy use occurs in the early morning and evening hours, solar energy is best collected at midday, while wind energy is best gathered at night.
The claim is that higher capacity batteries like Tesla’s Powerwall 2 are the answer so the storage market alone is expected to grow from $300 million to as much as $4 billion within the next three years.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Energy and Environment
We’ve been underestimating the solar industry’s momentum. That could be a big problem.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/25/weve-been-underestimating-the-solar-industrys-momentum-that-could-be-a-big-problem/
Analysts have been underestimating the expansion of solar energy for nearly two decades, scientists report in a new study released Friday. And that could be a serious problem for the industry and, maybe, the planet.
If policymakers believe solar is growing more slowly than it actually is, they may be less likely to prioritize the kinds of research and development that will help better integrate renewables onto the grid, such as improving battery storage technology. This could lead us to continue relying on more carbon-intensive energy sources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Power Company Kills Nuclear Plant, Plans $6 Billion In Solar, Battery Investment
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/17/09/03/0543221/power-company-kills-nuclear-plant-plans-6-billion-in-solar-battery-investment
After being unable to complete the Levy County Nuclear Plant a few years ago, Duke energy abandoned it, leaving rate payers on the hook. Duke is now in the process of settling legal action as a result. As part of the settlement Duke will construct or acquire 700MW of solar capacity over four years in the western Florida area, construct 50MW of battery storage, undertake grid modernizations and install 530 electric car charging stations.
Power company kills nuclear plant, plans $6 billion in solar, battery investment
Duke Energy Florida is just the latest utility to walk away from nuclear.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/08/florida-power-company-exchanging-nuclear-plans-for-solar-plans-cutting-rates/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Solar Companies Are Scrambling to Find a Critical Raw Material
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/17/11/13/2059233/solar-companies-are-scrambling-to-find-a-critical-raw-material
Prices of polysilicon, the main component of photovoltaic cells, spiked as much as 35 percent in the past four months after environmental regulators in China shut down several factories. That’s driving up production costs as panel prices continue to decline
Solar Companies Are Scrambling to Find a Critical Raw Material
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-13/solar-companies-grapple-with-unexpected-shortage-of-key-material
Solar manufacturers are being battered by higher costs and smaller margins after an unexpected shortage of a critical raw material.
Prices of polysilicon, the main component of photovoltaic cells, spiked as much as 35 percent in the past four months after environmental regulators in China shut down several factories.
That’s driving up production costs as panel prices continue to decline, and dragging down earnings for manufacturers in China, the world’s biggest supplier. Canadian Solar Inc. and Hanwha Q Cells Co. have already reported steep declines in profit, and other companies will probably be affected as well, including JA Solar Holdings Co., which reports results Wednesday, and JinkoSolar Holding Co., the biggest publicly traded panel producer.
“There’s just not enough polysilicon in China,” said Carter Driscoll, an analyst who covers solar companies for FBR & Co. “If prices don’t come down, it will crush margins.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
New study reaches a stunning conclusion about the cost of solar and wind energy
https://thinkprogress.org/solar-wind-keep-getting-cheaper-33c38350fb95/
Building new renewables is now cheaper than just running old coal and nuclear plants.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Engineering the climate — is it a good idea?
http://www.dw.com/en/engineering-the-climate-is-it-a-good-idea/a-41006048
To fight global warming, some say humans will have to manipulate the climate system. But such intervention could have serious ramifications for people and the planet.
The year is 2050, the global average temperature has soared past the 2-degree Celsius (3.6-degree Fahrenheit) threshold, and the planet is being besieged by drought, rising sea levels, and extreme rainfall.
Unrest has broken out in South America over companies grabbing vast tracts of land for a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technique that uses bioenergy crops. This technique is widely favored by the European Union, whose member states’ ongoing use of coal means they’ve failed to meet their emission reduction targets.
Tensions between the United States and China are mounting over the latter’s plans to counter drought and crop failure by spraying large quantities of sulphate aerosol into the stratosphere, thereby reflecting sunlight into space to reduce global temperatures.
The American public fears the impact of this form of solar radiation management (SRM) on the global climate system, while a Chinese-led coalition hopes it will negate the worst effects of warming.
CDR and SRM are in actual fact still in their experimental infancy
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://ylioppilaslehti.fi/2018/08/kaikki-loppuu-pian/
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Essentially, the administration’s argument is that future warming will be so severe that there’s no point in doing anything to stop it.”
The Trump Administration Forecasts 7 Degrees Fahrenheit of Global Warming by 2100
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a23516268/trump-nhtsa-global-warming-2100/
They’re using this extreme warming to justify repealing laws designed to reduce it.
In an environmental impact statement published in July, the NHTSA predicts nearly twice as much warming as the maximum allowed by the Paris Agreement: about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, or nearly 4 degrees Celsius.
What’s more, the NHTSA uses that extreme warming prediction as a reason to justify rolling back environmental regulations aimed at curbing emissions from cars and trucks. Essentially, the administration’s argument is that future warming will be so severe that there’s no point in doing anything to stop it.