That we are living in science fiction was brought home to me last week when I put down Kim Stanley Robinson’s superb climate-futures novel The Ministry for the Future and picked up Bill McKibben’s New Yorker letter on climate, warning of the melting of the Thwaites Glacier, “already known as the ‘doomsday glacier’ because its
The UK has now set in law the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation of a 78% emissions reduction by 2035. As part of the sixth Carbon Budget – set to run from 2033 to 2037 – therefore, the UK will aim to reach the nearly 80% reduction on 1990 levels. This is 15 years earlier than
In less than a decade, solar power will be economic in comparison to local fossil fuels globally, while wind will be economic in more than half of cases. This is according to a new report from thinktank Carbon Tracker, which found currently around 60% of solar generation and 15% of wind generation is economic when
The tougher target for carbon reduction could dramatically reshape the fortunes of several industries – for better or worse Boris Johnson’s plan to accelerate the UK’s climate ambitions over the next 15 years, revealed last week, will hasten progress towards a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The new target – to cut the UK’s carbon emissions
In closing President Joe Biden's global climate summit, world leaders shared stories of their own nations' drives to break away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels WASHINGTON -- World leaders shared tales of climate-friendly breakthroughs — and feverish quests for more — to close President Joe Biden's virtual global climate summit on Friday, from Kenyans abandoning kerosene
Annual battery storage installations will exceed 10 GW/28 GWh in 2021, following a particularly strong year in 2020, despite the challenges created by the global pandemic, writes IHS Markit analyst Mike Longson. Combined solar and storage will be a core focus for new deployment in 2021, as the front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter energy storage markets are
A few years ago, fluctuations and complex storage solutions were the main factors hampering solar growth. Today, the sector is poised to leverage technologies to make a decisive leap. With a sustainable future around the corner, it will be innovative battery storage that will drive solar PV to become more powerful and efficient than ever
Great Britain’s grid hit the greenest it has ever been on Monday 5 April at 1pm, with carbon intensity dropping to 39gCO2/kWh. A combination of sunny and blustery weather, together with low demand due to it being Easter Monday, helped renewable energy to dominate the mix, said National Grid ESO. Wind power made up 39%,
The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme is to close early on 31 March following repeated delays and administrative issues. The government confirmed the decision to close the scheme was made following a review, stating that it was designed to provide a short-term economic boost while tackling climate change. This follows reports that the scheme would
Scotland has fallen just short of its goal of 100% of its electricity consumption being from renewables in 2020, reaching 97.4% in the year. This target was set in 2011, a year in which renewables generated 37% of Scotland’s electricity demand. Whilst the country missed out on the target by less than 3%, an 8%