Another 0 coal country necessarily means we have a new world record, with many more nearing the finish line. Unlike racing, where only the winner gets to set a new record, every finisher in this event adds one more to the global total.
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust (Official Video)
So that is about to become Portugal and the UK.
One! One no coal country! Two! Two no coal countries! Ah, ha, ha ha!
These 10 Countries Are Phasing Out Coal the Fastest
The world has eight years to scale down its use of coal power from 36% of electricity generation in 2022 to less than 4% in 2030. To explore how such a quick phase-down might be achieved, we analyzed the 10 countries that have reduced coal power the fastest over any eight-year period since 2000. Greece and the U.K. achieved the fastest coal power reductions — moving at a quicker pace than what’s needed globally — followed by Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Romania, Germany, the United States and Chile.
Of the top 10 countries, only Portugal has reached zero coal power already.
Some other countries, such as Austria and Belgium, have also eliminated coal power entirely, but did not make the top 10 as they either used very little coal to begin with or phased it out over a longer time span.
The world needs to phase out total coal use from 36% of power generation in 2022 to 4% by 2030, a span of eight years.
So 4%/year would do it. Tough, but certainly possible. Turn it around, and we need to add enough renewables to cover 4% of demand each year. And look! Here it comes!
NYT gift link: Solar Farms Have a Superpower Beyond Clean Energy
The sites fight climate change and can help with another global crisis: the collapse of nature.
It’s not your average solar farm.
The glassy panels stand in a meadow. Wildflowers sway in the breeze, bursts of purple, pink, yellow, orange and white among native grasses. A monarch butterfly flits from one blossom to the next. Dragonflies zip, bees hum and goldfinches trill.
As solar projects unfurl across the United States, sites like this one in Ramsey, Minn., stand out because they offer a way to fight climate change while also tackling another ecological crisis: a global biodiversity collapse, driven in large part by habitat loss.
This is not news to regular readers here, but we have to keep emphasizing it.
A Little of Everything
Renewables
We were just saying about Portugal, weren’t we.
And the UK.
Storage
EVs
If you’re in Atlanta, let us know when you see one.
Heat Pumps
Countries and Regions
This is excellent news. It means that we can start to talk about Peak Oil.
Coal out, gas cut in half...Elections have consequences, you know.
Denial and Deception
In part because they are all false, denying that renewables are cheaper as well as cleaner.
This is a renewables and storage story, but I put it here because there is so much denialism about needing ridiculous amounts of storage.
As ever, more and more, there is far more good news on all of these fronts than I can include any more.
What do you think? After the elections and the Harris/Walz and other inaugurations, should I go back to all Renewable Days with Ys in Them? Or maybe just the days when I don’t have anything else scheduled.
- Wednesday Diabetes
- Thursday Good News Roundup
- Sunday Koan
Well, who knows what else might come up in January?
