Renewable sources made up the vast majority of new generating capacity last year, a new report found. But the world’s energy transition still needs to speed up.
A common refrain from people opposed to renewable energy sources like solar and wind is that they aren’t reliable, because they only generate power when the sun shines or the breeze blows.
It’s a persistent complaint. I’ve been reporting on energy issues for years now, and I recall one utility executive in Florida dismissing solar power because, despite having the official nickname the “Sunshine State,” the place can be partly cloudy sometimes.
But here’s some good news: Those views haven’t stymied the steady growth of renewable energy, according to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Renewables are now way ahead in new capacity.
A new report from the agency, which helps governments to move away from fossil fuels, shows renewable energy dominating new power production worldwide. And solar power is leading the way, despite its critics.
In 2021, renewables made up 81 percent of new electricity capacity (all the new plants and other infrastructure that generate power), according to the agency’s report. That compares with 79 percent in 2020. In the same two years, renewables increased to more than 38 percent of total capacity (all the infrastructure, new and old) from just under 37 percent.
But: Most actual electricity still comes from fossil fuels.
Overall, fossil fuels continue to account for the majority of the power we use. And new carbon-emitting plants are being added in places like Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Reducing fossil fuel use and developing more renewables in Africa is expected to be a major focus next month at COP27, the global climate summit meeting in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
Cause for optimism?
I spoke with Doug Vine, director of energy analysis at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a group focused on accelerating the global transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, about the report. He said he was guardedly encouraged.
“It is true that we are seeing a rate of decline in new coal and natural gas, but still, there’s a lot of existing coal plants and natural gas plants,” Vine said. In some countries, like India and China, 70 percent or more of the mix is still fossil fuels, he noted. “We need to structurally change the system or retire that.”
Part of the appeal of coal-fired and natural gas units stems from their ability to provide power on demand, no matter the weather or time of day. Plus, in the past, they were among the most affordable sources of electricity.
Resolving the reliability problem.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrated the economic volatility of fuels like natural gas, which was already losing the price war to solar and wind power.
The same utility executive in Florida who spoke dismissively of solar power a decade ago told me privately at the time that the “holy grail” of electricity was inexpensive, long-lasting storage — a statement that virtually everyone in the energy sector would still probably agree with. Better battery technology will further enable the growth of solar and wind power and, eventually, solve what some consider the problem of reliability.
Solar already leads the growth in renewable energy with more than half of the new capacity, about 133 gigawatts of the 257 total in renewables added in 2021. Wind power was second, affirming a longtime trend. Though hydroelectric power provides the largest percentage of renewable electricity capacity, it contributed a little more than 7 percent of the new renewable energy generation.
Still, Vine said the renewable energy growth would need to continue to accelerate by as much as three or four times the current annual pace by 2030 to meet global climate goals. Last month, the Solar Energy Industries Association said that solar power was poised to do its part. According to the association, solar installations will nearly triple to 336 gigawatts by 2027, from 129 today.
At the same, renewables have been facing strong headwinds related to the global supply chain shortages brought on by Covid-19, regulatory hurdles and construction delays linked to long delays in securing permits.
And some of the gains in renewables have been offset by the retirement of nuclear power plants across the world — a steep loss in electricity generation because of the technology’s ability to produce large amounts of power around the clock.
“There’s a lot of challenges,” Vine said. “One of the things we need to see is the world coming back to normal again.”
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Your feedback: Beware of bears.
In response to our newsletter about composting, Sibylle Hechtel in Boulder, Colo., wrote:
I enjoyed the article about composting. However, you mention rats and raccoons, but in the west (Colorado, California, etc.) we have a different animal problem: bears! Bears will try to open compost containers, and, if the city does composting, they require bear-proof compost containers. They also require bear-proof trash cans in bear-prone locations. We have a bear that regularly crosses our back yard, so I’m very careful about what goes into the compost.
Solid advice. If you live in bear country, keep those compost bins sealed. Also, watch out for the packages on your front porch. Bears like those, too.
Essential news from The Times
Gas prices and your mood: The cost of fuel influences how Americans think about their personal circumstances, the wider economy and even the state of the nation.
Another messy museum protest: Climate activists smuggled mashed potatoes into an art gallery in Germany and threw them on the glass protecting a painting by Monet.
The biodiversity crisis: Emperor penguins have been listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because their sea-ice habitat is shrinking.
Who blew up the pipeline? Denmark, Germany and Sweden are all investigating the sabotage of a Baltic Sea gas line.
How to protect your home: Tips for homeowners and renters that could help mitigate damage from increasingly severe weather events.
From outside The Times
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New Jersey is suing five oil companies and the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group, saying they knowingly deceived the public about global warming, WHYY reported.
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From Yale Environment 360: Global deforestation dropped by 6.3 percent in 2021, according to a new report.
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From Politico: Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s new prime minister, says she wants to make climate change a right-wing issue.
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Vox explained why recycling will be critical to the electric car industry.
Before you go: When life is built around snow
In the Pacific Northwest, glaciers and winter snows on two huge, dormant volcanoes have fed rivers across generations, a seasonal equilibrium that has shaped businesses, communities and cultures. But the reliability of snow has been shattered by climate change. Some residents see days of despair ahead. Others say that the local traditions of tenacity and adaptation will find a way.
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Manuela Andreoni, Claire O’Neill and Douglas Alteen contributed to Climate Forward. Read past editions of the newsletter here.
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