IRENA forecasts further solar and wind power cost downfall

In its recent report The Power to Change: Solar and Wind Cost Reduction Potential to 2025, International Renewable Energy Agency finds that by 2025 – with the right regulatory and policy frameworks in place – average electricity costs could decrease 59% for solar photovoltaics (PV), 35% for offshore wind, 26% for onshore wind, and up to 43% for concentrated solar power compared to 2015.  

Over 127 thousand Ukrainian homeowners received "warm credits" for energy efficiency improvement

Since the beginning of so called "warm credits" loan program, total amount of loans provided to Ukrainian homeowners have reached UAH 2 billion (around $80 million). Last week was record high in terms of program activities - 6352 new loans were provided for total amount of UAH 104 million ($4 million). 

Remarkable decline of the solar power auction prices in developing countries

Based on the “levelised cost” of electricity, which estimates the net present value of the costs of a generating system divided by the expected output over its lifetime, solar power is getting close to gas and coal as an attractively cheap source of power. Auctions of long-term contracts to purchase solar power in developing countries such as South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Peru and Mexico provide real-world evidence of this phenomena.

U.S. researchers: climate change is a significant threat to the human health

New report The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment, published by U.S. Global Change Research Program, examines how climate change is already affecting human health and the changes that may occur in the future. Climate change endangers people's by affecting food and water sources, the air we breathe, the weather we experience, and our interactions with the built and natural environments.

EV battery prices are expected to drop 2-4 times in next six years

IEA's report states that the year 2015 saw the global threshold of 1 million electric cars on the road exceeded, closing at 1.26 million. In 2014, only about half of today's electric car stock existed. 2015 also saw more than 200 million electric two wheelers on the road,and 170 000 buses, primarily in China.

The water footprint of energy

Water and energy are connected and highly interdependent - we need water for our energy systems and we need energy systems for our water. For example, in the United States, more freshwater (41 percent) is used to cool power plants than for any other use. From other side, about 8 percent of global energy generation is used for pumping, treating, and transporting water.

Global electricity output from wind and solar will surpass nuclear electricity in 8 years and coal – in 20 years

Bloomberg's  New Energy Outlook 2016 forecasts a significantly lower track for global coal, gas and oil prices than previous projection,  and also shows a steeper decline for wind and solar costs. BNEF’s long-term forecast sees $11.4 trillion investment in global power generation capacity over 25 years, with electric vehicles boosting electricity demand by 8% in 2040.

Researchers: all 36 countries with emission caps under the Kyoto Protocol met their commitments

The results of the analysis, published in the Climate Policy journal, show that significant efforts, made by the EU, Japan and others countries, signed up to the Kyoto Protocol, helped them to collectively surpass their commitments. That might happen even without a rapid emissions drop in Russia, Ukraine and others as they shifted to market economies.

Scientists from Iceland convert carbon dioxide into basaltic rock

Turning Carbon Emissions to Stone from Earth Institute on Vimeo.

According to a paper published in the journal Science, carbon dioxide emissions from an   geothermal electric power plant have been captured, pumped underground and solidified. Scientists, working on a project called CarbFix were able to turn CO2 into a chalk-like solid material in two years, while earlier studies suggested it could take thousands of years for large amounts of carbon dioxide to be converted to chalk.

EU debates about energy efficiency target are ranging between 27% and 40%

The European Commission is studying a range of options for the revision of the 2030 energy efficiency target, from the current 27% target to the European Parliament’s preferred goal of 40%. The Commission’s own analysis shows that the higher the target, the better the results for jobs, energy security and economic turnover.

Carbon cap and trade system is the core of Ontario’s new climate action plan

Source: www.ontario.ca/page/climate-change-action-plan

Ontario Government made announcement about the province’s Climate Change Action Plan, which commits up to $8.3-billion over five years to driving down greenhouse gas emissions. It contains 76 new programs, including financial incentives for homeowners and landlords to retrofit buildings and for drivers to buy electric vehicles. A mid-term goal is to cut province’s GHG emissions by 37% below 1990 levels by 2030.

First ever grid-connected wave power station in Europe was launched in Gibraltar

Last month, the first ever grid-connected wave power station in Europe was opened for business in Gibraltar, tiny British territory. Eco Wave Power (EWP) developed innovative wave energy station, which is installed on the ammunition jetty and will be producing 15 percent of the territory's energy needs.

Human impact dominates global mean sea-level rise for last 40 years

Seas rose more than five inches in the 20th century, and it is expected that they may rise a couple more feet in the current century. Study, published in Nature Climate Change by an international team of scientists, presented results of analysis of the sea level rise for the last 3000 years.

While trying to lead climate change fight, U.S. ... leads global fossil fuels production race?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's report, the U.S. surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world’s top natural gas producer in 2011, and has led the world in both oil and gas production together for four years in a row. It is happened thanks to the fracking boom, which unlocked previously hard-to-reach shale oil and gas.

CEM7 launched new campaigns on energy efficiency and renewable energy to help meet Paris commitments

The seventh Clean Energy Ministerial meeting (CEM7) with participation of 23 countries and the European Union announced new commitments to expand clean energy deployment and cut global carbon emissions while driving economic growth.

Environmental and climate impacts of Canadian tar sands are much larger than previously considered

The study, published in the journal Nature, proves that the production of tar sands and other heavy oil are a major source of aerosols, which can affect regional weather patterns and increase the risk of lung and heart disease. Heavy oil accounts for 10 percent of global crude oil production worldwide, mostly in Canada.

Three U.S. cents per kWh - new world record set by solar power plant in Dubai

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has received bids for the 800 MW Sheikh Maktoum Solar Park Phase III as low as 3.00 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. The lowest bid was submitted by a consortium of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Spanish developer FRV.