SUSTAINABLE & CLEAN ENERGY | ENERGY EFFICIENCY | LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT | CLIMATE CHANGE | ___________ TECHNOLOGY | POLICY | INVESTMENT

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Projected Earth power mix in 2050 - 100% clean energy



Researches from Stanford University developed  Green New Deal roadmaps for each of 143 countries, representing 99.7% of global human-produced CO2 emissions. Approach is based on transitioning each country’s all-purpose energy (electricity, transportation, building heating and cooling, industry, etc.) to 100% clean, renewable electricity and heat that is provided by wind, water, and solar (WWS) power after accounting for energy efficiency.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

European Green Deal: putting Europe on track to reach net-zero global warming emissions by 2050



European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced hotly anticipated European Green Deal on 11 October 2019,  and on 11 December she outlined a long list of policy initiatives to support Green Deal, including major policy area:
Clean energy - Opportunities for alternative, cleaner sources of energy
Sustainable industry - Ways to ensure more sustainable, more environmentally respectful production cycles
Building and renovating - The need for a cleaner construction sector

Sunday, December 15, 2019

COP25 in Madrid: any achievements?

COP25 was closed with feeling of big disappointment among majority of participants. Member states failed to come to agreements regarding critically important issues, including set up  of  global carbon trading system and a system to accumulate and transfer new finance to countries facing  devastating impacts of climate change.
According to Paris Agreement, countries need to revisit their climate pledges by 2020. However, China and Brazil opposed placing any obligation on countries to submit enhanced pledges next year, arguing it should be each country’s own decision. Small island countries supported by EU countries insisted on inclusion of a clear call for enhanced ambition in 2020.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Investments in clean energy by developing countries declined in 2018


Developing nations are moving toward cleaner power but not nearly fast enough to limit global CO2 emissions. Due to economic slowdown, investment in new wind, solar, and other non-large hydro renewables projects in China fell to $86 billion in 2018 from $122 billion in 2017. 
Financing of clean energy projects in India and Brazil also slipped $2.4 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively from the year prior.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3-5 million years ago and back then...

... the temperature was 2-3°C warmer, sea level was 10-20 meters higher than now,  World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stated in a news release.


Since 1990, there has been a 43% increase in total radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases (LLGHGs) – the warming effect on the climate - by long-lived greenhouse gases. CO2 accounts for about 80% of this, according to figures from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration quoted in the WMO Bulletin

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Renewable energy is now the cheapest source of power generation in some countries


Breakdown of utility-scale solar PV total installed costs in G20 countries, 2018
         Source: IRENA, 2019

Released just before UNFCCC's COP25 IRENA's report reveals the latest cost trends for each of the main renewable power generation technologies.