View source for Renewable energy

'''[[w:Renewable energy|Renewable energy]]''' is energy that is collected from [[w:renewable resource|renewable resource]]s that are naturally replenished on a [[w:Orders of magnitude (time)|human timescale]]. It includes sources such as [[sunlight]], [[w:wind power|wind]], [[rain]], [[w:tidal power|tides]], [[w:wave power|waves]], and [[w:geothermal energy|geothermal heat]]. Renewable energy stands in contrast to [[fossil fuel]]s, which are being used far more quickly than they are being replenished. Although most renewable energy sources are [[w:sustainable energy|sustainable]], some are not. For example, some [[w:biomass|biomass]] sources are considered unsustainable at current rates of exploitation.

[[File:Combined heat and power solar installation on barn roof in Western Europe 2.jpg|thumb|"I'd put my money on the sun and [[w:Solar energy|solar energy]]. What a [[w:Electricity generation|source of power]]!" - [[Thomas Edison]] in [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/magazine/03wwln-essay-t.html a conversation shortly before his death.] (1931) (A combined heat and power solar installation on a barn roof in Germany.)]]

[[File:Xingquanbao.eoliennes.jpg|thumb|"[[w:Cost of electricity by source|Wind [power cost] has plunged by 80% just in the past 11 or 12 years]]. . . . Things like [[w:Grid parity|wind and solar power really can already out-compete dirtier forms of electricity]], and we just need to build more of them quickly; we’re not adding them fast enough." - Daniel Cohan, Rice University. (May 30, 2022) (Wind turbines in Gansu province, China.)]]

[[File:Bill Gates MSC 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[https://www.ft.com/content/4f66ff5c-1a47-11e5-a130-2e7db721f996 "The only way you can get to the very positive {CO<sub>2</sub> reduction} scenario is by great innovation. Innovation really does bend the curve."] - Bill Gates, global philanthropist and founder of Microsoft. (June 25, 2015)]]

[[File:Abraham Archibald Anderson - Thomas Alva Edison - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|"The next big act belongs to the [[Engineering|engineers]]. [https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cop24-rulebook-time-for-engineers-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2018-12 Energy transformation for climate safety is our twenty-first-century moonshot."] - [[Jeffrey Sachs]], development economist. (Dec. 20, 2018) (Pictured above is [[Thomas Edison]], considered one of the greatest [[Invention|inventors]] and engineers of all time.)]]

[[File:VCY CG CB CV cent grp 121613 0517 02844 (13896600480).jpg|thumb|"A [[w:carbon tax|carbon tax]] will send a powerful price signal that harnesses the invisible hand of the marketplace to steer economic actors towards a low-carbon future." - [https://clcouncil.org/economists-statement/ "Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends"] signed by more than 3,500 economists. (Jan. 16, 2019) (Signatories included every then-living former chair of the US Federal Reserve, from left to right: Janet Yellen, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Paul Volcker).]]

[[File:East Anglia ONE windfarm construction 2.jpg|thumb|"[[w:Offshore wind power|Offshore wind]] is in a category of its own, as the only [[w:Variable renewable energy|variable]] [[w:Base load|baseload]] power generation technology." - [[w:International Energy Agency|IEA]] special report, [https://www.iea.org/reports/offshore-wind-outlook-2019 "Offshore Wind Outlook 2019."] (Nov. 2019) (The [[w:East Anglia Array|East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm]] under construction in the North Sea about 43 kilometers east of the English coast.)]]

[[File:Renewable Energy on the Grid.jpg|thumb|"Deploying today’s [[w:Renewable energy|renewables]] and improving [[w:Electric power transmission|transmission]] couldn’t be more important. [And] even as we deploy, deploy, deploy [[w:Solar power|solar]] and [[w:Wind power|wind]], the world is going to need some new clean electricity inventions too." - [[Bill Gates]], from his book, [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster''.]] (Feb. 16, 2021)]]

[[File:Secretary Jennifer Granholm (cropped).jpg|thumb|"[W]e can [[w:Low-carbon economy|remake our economies]], build [[w:Climate change mitigation#Mitigation by sector|new businesses]], and put millions upon millions of [[w:Green-collar worker|people to work]]. . . . For too long, the climate conversation has been viewed as [one] of trade-offs: the [[w:Climate|climate]] or the [[w:Economy|economy]]. No longer." - US Secretary of Energy [[w:Jennifer Granholm|Jennifer Granholm]], addressing the [[w:2021 Leaders Summit on Climate|2021 Leaders Summit on Climate]]. (Apr. 23, 2021)]]

[[File:PM Boris Johnson address at COP26 World Leaders Summit Opening Ceremony.jpg|thumb|"We can get real on [[w:Coal phase-out|coal]], [[w:Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles|cars]], [[w:Climate finance|cash]] and [[w:Deforestation|trees]]. . . . [W]e cannot and will not succeed by [[w:Government spending|government spending]] alone. . . . [Let us] in the next days . . . not only continue with . . . a [[w:Green industrial policy|green]] [[w:Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]], [but let] us also do enough to [[w:Climate change mitigation|save our planet and our way of life]]." - UK Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]], [https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/His_Excellency_Mr._Boris_Johnson%2CPrime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland.pdf welcoming the COP representatives to Glasgow]. (Nov. 1, 2021)]]

[[File:President Joe Biden at COP26.jpg|thumb|"[W]ithin the growing [climate] catastrophe, I believe there’s an [[w:Green growth|incredible opportunity . . . .  We have the ability to invest in ourselves]] and build an equitable [[w:Sustainable energy|clean-energy]] future and in the process create [[w:Full employment|millions of good-paying jobs]] [while we] [[w:Environmental justice|create an environment that raises the standard of living]] around the world." - US President [[Joe Biden]], [https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/11/01/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-cop26-leaders-statement/ addressing the COP26 international climate conference.] (Nov. 1, 2021)]]

[[File:Official portrait of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, November 2020 (cropped).jpg|thumb|"India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, [and] India will meet 50 percent of [[w:Electricity sector in India|its energy requirements]] from [[w:Renewable energy in India|renewable energy]] by 2030." - [[Narendra Modi]], Prime Minister of India since 2014, addressing the COP26 international climate conference. (Nov. 2, 2021)]]

[[File:Saul Griffith shot at Pop!Tech by Kris Krug (cropped).jpg|thumb|"The electrification of [[w:Effects of climate change on human health#Potential health benefits|things you do for climate is good for your health]]. The [[w:Indoor air quality#Air pollutants from indoor combustion|air in our homes will be cleaner]], our [[w:Electric car#Performance|cars zippier]] and [[w:Air pollution#Health effects|community air quality]] better, our [https://www.hcn.org/issues/55.4/infographic-energy-industry-why-electrify appliances faster and more high-tech,] like [[w:Smartphone|smartphones]] compared to [[w:Rotary dial|rotary phones]]. [https://corporate.enelx.com/en/question-and-answers/what-is-electrification The electrified future can be awesome."] - [[w:Saul Griffith|Saul Griffith]], Australian-American engineer, entrepreneur and [[w:MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur fellow]], [https://time.com/6113719/optimistic-fighting-climate-change/ writing on the need to "electrify everything, fast" to keep the earth habitable.] (Nov. 4, 2021)]]

[[File:2020-05-20, Sentinel-2A L1C, True color (1).jpg|thumb|"[https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-no-153-india-overtakes-china-as-the-worlds-most-populous-country/ India’s sheer size] and [https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/india-to-become-third-largest-economy-by-2030-31-says-s-p-global-124091901072_1.html its huge scope for growth] means that [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-be-largest-source-energy-demand-growth-2040-iea-2021-02-09/ its energy demand is set to grow by more than that of any other country in the coming decades.] . . . {T}he good news is that [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/india-renewable-energy the clean energy transition in India is already well underway."] - From [https://www.iea.org/commentaries/india-s-clean-energy-transition-is-rapidly-underway-benefiting-the-entire-world a commentary article] written jointly by the IEA's [[w:Fatih Birol|Fatih Birol]] and NITI Aayog's [[w:Amitabh Kant|Amitabh Kant]]. (Jan. 10, 2022) (Click on the image above to enlarge a satellite photo of the sprawling 2.2 gigawatt [[w:Bhadla Solar Park|Bhadla Solar Park]] in [[w:Category:Solar power stations in Rajasthan|Rajasthan, India]].)]]

[[File:HVDC Europe.svg|thumb|"[W]e’ll never build enough [[w:Battery storage power station|batteries to back up the grid]]. . . . The more robustly we deploy complementary resources, [[w:Electric power transmission|transmission]], and [[w:Energy demand management|{demand} flexibility]], the less [[w:Energy storage|storage]] we will need [thereby] reducing the overall [[w:Electricity pricing|costs of electricity]]." - [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan,] from his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock''.] (Mar. 29, 2022) ([[w:High-voltage direct current|HVDC]] transmission lines in Europe: existing {red}, under construction {green} and proposed {blue}. Many of these lines carry power from renewable sources.)]]

[[File:Vijay vaitheeswaran 2007.jpg|thumb|"[A] decarbonisation strategy [has been] accepted by those determined to [[w:Climate change mitigation|stabilise the climate]]. Make the [[w:Low-carbon power|power on electric grids emissions-free]], [[w:Grid parity|cheap]] and copious. Start [[w:Electrification#Electrification for sustainable energy|electrifying]] all processes [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out|that now require fossil fuels]] . . . where electrification is clearly possible. It does not deliver everything that is needed. But it delivers a lot." - Vijay Vaitheeswaran, [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2022/06/23/electrifying-everything-does-not-solve-the-climate-crisis-but-it-is-a-great-start writing as climate innovation editor at ''The Economist''.] (June 25, 2022)]]

[[File:Paul Krugman-press conference Dec 07th, 2008-1.jpg|thumb|"[[w:Renewable energy|Renewable energy]] technology has made revolutionary progress . . . . A moderate push from [[w:Climate change policy of the United States|public policy]] is all that it will take to [[w:Energy transition|transition]] to a much [[w:Green economy|greener economy]]. And the [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|Inflation Reduction Act]] will provide that push." - [[Paul Krugman]], winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences,  [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/opinion/climate-inflation-bill.html in a ''New York Times'' op-ed column.] (Aug. 8, 2022)]]

[[File:George Crabtree in his office.jpg|thumb|"If you want to [get to [[w:100% renewable energy|100% renewable energy]]], you're going to have to solve that problem of . . . long-term [[w:Grid energy storage|storage for the grid]] . . . . [Y]ou could do that with [[w:Energy storage#Mechanical|gravity storage]] [or] with a [[w:Energy storage#Chemical|chemical energy carrier]] [like] [[w:Hydrogen fuel|hydrogen]] or [[w:Hydrogen storage#Ammonia and related compounds|ammonia]] or another chemical energy medium which is yet to be discovered." - [[w:George Crabtree|George Crabtree]], Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research at [[w:Argonne National Laboratory|Argonne National Laboratory]]. (Nov. 17, 2022)]]

[[File:4MW single axis horizontal tracker in Vellakoil, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg|thumb|"[[w:Utility-scale solar|Utility-scale solar]] [[w:Photovoltaic system|PV {photovoltaic systems}]] and [[w:List of onshore wind farms|onshore wind]] are [now] the [[w:Levelized cost of electricity|cheapest options for new electricity generation]] in a significant majority of countries worldwide." - From [https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-power-s-growth-is-being-turbocharged-as-countries-seek-to-strengthen-energy-security the press release] accompanying the [[w:International Energy Agency|IEA]]'s [https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ada7af90-e280-46c4-a577-df2e4fb44254/Renewables2022.pdf "Renewables 2022" annual report.] (Dec. 6, 2022) (A 4 megawatt [[w:Solar tracker#Horizontal single axis tracker (HSAT)|single axis horizontal tracking system]] in [[w:Solar power in India#Tamil Nadu|Tamil Nadu]], [[w:Solar power in India|India]].)]]

[[File:Official Portrait of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.jpg|thumb|"[T]he change we need is to put [[w:Innovation|innovation]] at the heart of everything we do. . . . [M]ajor challenges like [[w:Energy security|energy security]] and [https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition net zero] will be solved by [[innovation]]. [https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/educational/explainers/tell-me-more/html/growth.en.html The more we innovate, the more we grow."] - UK Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] [https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/01/04/rishi-sunak-says-net-zero-will-be-solved-by-innovation/ in his first major speech of 2023.] (Jan. 4, 2023)]]

[[File:Canonization 2014-The Canonization of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II (14036966125).jpg|thumb|"[[w:Energy transition|[T]he transition]] to [[w:Renewable energy|renewable forms of energy]], properly managed, as well as efforts to [[w:Climate change adaptation|adapt to the damage caused by climate change]], are capable of [[w:Low-carbon economy#Benefits|generating countless jobs in different sectors]]." - [[Pope Francis]], in [https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html the English language version] of his [[w:Laudate Deum|"''Laudate Deum''" apostolic exhortation]], paragraph 10.  The Vatican released the document about a month before the COP28 climate conference to encourage the negotiators [https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/climate-change-its-human-causes-cannot-be-denied-papal-document-says-2023-10-04/ "to . . . allow for a decisive acceleration of energy transition."] (Oct. 4, 2023)]]

[[File:World PVOUT Solar-resource-map GlobalSolarAtlas World-Bank-Esmap-Solargis.png|thumb|"[[w:Solar energy|Solar energy]] is the [https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/solar/where-solar-is-found.php most widely available energy resource] on Earth . . . . [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41971-7 {An} irreversible solar tipping point may have passed where solar energy gradually comes to dominate global electricity markets."] - Click on the image above to enlarge a world map showing those regions with the greatest [[w:Photovoltaic system|photovoltaic power]] potential. (Oct. 17, 2023)]]

[[File:Bill McKibben, 2016 (cropped).jpg|thumb|"[[w:2023 heat waves|2023 will take the title {as the world's hottest year on record}]]. . . . And yet . . . [a]lmost simultaneous with the breakout in temperature, [[w:Energy transition#Drivers for current energy transition|there was a breakout in the installation of renewable energy]]. . . . There are plenty of other technologies we’re [currently] spending money on, [but in] the next few years . . . it’s [[w:Solar energy|sun]], [[w:Wind power|wind]], and [[w:Battery storage power station|batteries]] that matter. They’re cheap, and they’re ready." - [[Bill McKibben]], climate change activist and author, [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2023-in-review/the-un-announces-the-hottest-year writing in ''The New Yorker.''] (Dec. 12, 2023)]]

[[File:California electricity production by type.webp|thumb|[[w:Renewable_energy_in_California|"Something approaching a miracle has been taking place in California]] this spring. Beginning in early March, for some portion of almost every day, a combination of [[w:Solar power in California|solar]], [[w:Wind power in California|wind]], [[w:Category:Geothermal_power_stations_in_California|geothermal]], and [[w:Category:Hydroelectric power plants in California|hydropower]] has been producing [https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-major-advancements-renewable-energy-usage/ more than a hundred per cent] of [[w:Energy_in_California#Electricity|the state’s demand for electricity]]. . . . [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/07/climate/battery-electricity-solar-california-texas.html {A}t night, large utility-scale batteries . . . are often the single largest source of supply to the grid . . . ."] - [[Bill McKibben]], in [https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/california-is-showing-how-a-big-state-can-power-itself-without-fossil-fuels an article in ''The New Yorker''.] (Jun. 27, 2024) (Click on the image above to enlarge a "California electricity production by type" graph for 2001 to 2024.)]]

[[File:Texas electricity generation by type.webp|thumb|"At this point [https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-republican-war-on-renewable-energy/ the {Texas} legislature can’t do anything to stop] the growth of [[w:Solar power in Texas|solar]] and [[w:Wind power in Texas|wind]] and [https://www.wfaa.com/article/money/business/right-on-the-money/texas-on-track-to-become-number-one-battery-storage-for-electricity-expert-says/287-43511f55-91bb-49fb-a4dd-8429f0037b71 batteries] . . . . [https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/20/texas-electricity-demand-forecast-ercot/ The state desperately needs it.]" - University of Houston energy economist [https://uh.edu/uh-energy-innovation/uh-energy/about-uh-energy/faculty-engagement/energy-fellows/ed-hirs/index Ed Hirs,] describing the currently increasing supply of [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/texas-goes-green-how-oil-country-became-the-renewable-energy-leader Texas electricity generated by renewables;] from [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/us/texas-grid-renewables-battery-storage-solar.html an article in ''The New York Times''.] (Sep. 18, 2024) (Click on the image above to enlarge a "Texas electricity generation by type" graph for 2001 to 2024.)]]

== Quotes ==

===Before 2001===

* I'd put my money on the [[sun]] and [[w:Solar energy|solar energy]]. What a [[w:Electricity generation|source of power]]! I hope we don’t have to wait until [[w:Oil depletion|oil]] and [[w:Non-renewable resource|coal run out]] before we tackle that.
** [[Thomas Edison]] (in a conversation shortly before his death in 1931), as quoted in [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/magazine/03wwln-essay-t.html a June 3, 2007 essay entitled "Current Thinking" by the journalist and documentary filmmaker Heather Rogers published in ''The New York Times Magazine''.]

===2001 to 2010===

* Although [[w:Photosynthesis|photosynthesis]] typically has an [[w:Energy_conversion|energy conversion]] efficiency below three percent, it is, together with heat from the sun, the main energy source of all living organisms, and the energy source from which biomass and [[Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] are derived. Each year the [[earth]] receives an energy input from the sun equal to 15,000 times the world's commercial energy consumption and 100 times the world's proven coal, gas and oil reserves.
** Bernhard Scheffler, quoted by J. Clarke and D. Holt-Biddle in Coming Back to Earth, p. 78 (2002)

* There is one forecast of which you can already be sure: someday renewable energy will be the only way for people to satisfy their energy needs. Because of the physical, ecological and (therefore) social limits to nuclear and fossil energy use, ultimately nobody will be able to circumvent renewable energy as the solution, even if it turns out to be everybody’s last remaining choice. The question keeping everyone in suspense, however, is whether we shall succeed in making this radical change of energy platforms happen early enough to spare the world irreversible ecological mutilation and political and economic catastrophe.
** [[w:Hermann Scheer|Hermann Scheer]], member of the German Bundestag and President of the European Association for Renewable Energy, in his book [http://www.earthscan.co.uk/Portals/0/Files/Sample%20Chapters/9781844073559.pdf ''Energy Autonomy: The Economic, Social and Technological Case for Renewable Energy'' (2006).] Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9781844073559.

===2011 to 2020===

* [The] [[w:Solar energy|solar-energy]] firm known as [[w:Solyndra|Solyndra]], which the [[w:United_States_Department_of_Energy|[US] Energy Department]] had backed with [[w:Solyndra#Government support|a $535 million loan guarantee]] [made the] unexpected announcement last week that it is [[w:Solyndra#Shutdown and investigation|filing for bankruptcy, leaving hundreds of workers jobless - and taxpayers on the hook for almost all of its government-backed loan]]. . . . [I]t’s not too early to draw some policy lessons from Solyndra’s ignominious downfall. . . . [G]overnment is no better than the [[w:Private sector|private sector]] at picking [[w:Return on investment|industrial winners]] - and usually worse. . . . To the extent that government [[w:Unemployment#Remedies|creates jobs]] by [[w:Subsidy|subsidizing]] particular companies, it does so by shifting resources that might have created jobs elsewhere. [[w:Cronyism|Political favoritism]], or the appearance thereof, is an inherent risk . . . . When [[w:Green job|"green jobs"]] [[w:Election promise|promises]] don’t pan out, it does the [[w:Environmental movement|environmental cause]] more harm than good.
** [[w:The Washington Post|''The Washington Post'']] Editorial Board, in an editorial entitled [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lessons-from-the-solyndra-debacle/2011/09/08/gIQAXXuHDK_story.html "Lessons from the Solyndra debacle."] (September 8, 2011)

*More solar energy falls on Earth in one hour than all the energy our civilization consumes in an entire year. If we could harness a tiny fraction of the available solar and wind power, we could supply all our energy needs forever, and without adding any carbon to the atmosphere.
** From the [[w:Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey#Twelfth Episode: The World Set Free|twelfth episode]] of the U.S. science documentary television series ''[[w:Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey|Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]'', first broadcast on June 1, 2014.

* Renewable energy: dumbest phrase since [[Climate change denial|climate change]]. See the [[w:first_law_of_thermodynamics|first law of thermodynamics]], dumbass.
** [[Ben Shapiro]], [http://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/30089090699366400 ''Twitter''], {{#formatdate:2011-06-25}}, quoted in {{citation|date=2018-10-23|title=Prager University's slick production masks deep-seated hatred|author=Judah Weinerman|periodical=The Justice|url=http://www.thejustice.org/article/2018/10/prager-universitys-slick-production-masks-deep-seated-hatred}}

* Every percentage point increase in homegrown renewable energy makes us that much more energy secure. The progress in [[electricity]] is encouraging, but growth is not yet strong enough in renewable heat and transport to meet the government's objectives.
** Nina Skorupska, chief executive of the UK's Renewable Energy Association, as quoted in [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/26/wind-renewables-generated-fifth-britain-electricity-energy "Wind and other renewables generated a fifth of Britain's electricity in early 2014"] ''The Guardian.'' June 26, 2014.

* One of the [[w:Disruptive innovation|real breakthroughs]] is when someone figures out [[w:Energy storage|long-term storage capacity]].
** [[George Shultz]], US statesman and economist, discussing the need for improvements in batteries or other energy storage technology to better integrate [[w:Solar energy|solar]] and [[w:Wind energy|wind energy]] into the [[w:Electrical grid|electrical grid]], as quoted in [https://news.mit.edu/2014/george-shultz-climate-change-mit-talk-1001 "George Shultz: 'Climate is changing,' and we need more action: Former secretary of state - and former MIT professor - urges progress on multiple fronts"] ''MIT News.'' October 1, 2014.

* The only way you can get to the very positive scenario is by great [[innovation]]. [[w:Innovation|Innovation really does bend the curve]].
** [[Bill Gates]], global philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, arguing that the cost of reducing CO<sub>2</sub> emissions using existing technologies is "beyond astronomical." From [https://www.ft.com/content/4f66ff5c-1a47-11e5-a130-2e7db721f996 "Gates to double investment in renewable energy projects: Microsoft co-founder takes interest in new areas of research like in solar, high wind and new nuclear"] ''Financial Times.'' June 25, 2015.

* If you told me that [[innovation]] had been frozen and we just have today's [[Technology|technologies]], will the world run the [[Global warming|climate change]] experiment? You bet we will. We will not deny [[India]] coal plants; we will run the scary experiment of heating up the [[w:Atmosphere_of_Earth|atmosphere]] and seeing what happens. The only reason I'm optimistic about this problem is because of [[w:Innovation|innovation]]. . . . I want to tilt the odds in our favor by driving innovation at an unnaturally high pace, or more than its current business-as-usual course. I see that as the only thing. I want to call up India someday and say, "Here's a source of [[energy]] that is cheaper than your coal plants, and by the way, from a global [[pollution]] and local pollution point of view, it's also better."
** [[Bill Gates]], in [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/11/we-need-an-energy-miracle/407881/ "We need an energy miracle" (Interview with Bill Gates).] ''The Atlantic.'' November 2015 issue.

* Cheaper coal and cheaper gas will not derail the transformation and [[w:Decarbonisation|decarbonisation]] of the world’s power systems. By 2040, zero-emission energy sources will make up 60% of installed capacity.
** Bloomberg New Energy Finance report entitled [https://www.bloomberg.com/company/new-energy-outlook "New Energy Outlook 2016 (An annual long-term view of how the world's power markets will evolve in the future)"].

* We have long supported a [[w:carbon tax|carbon tax]] as the best policy of those being considered. Replacing the hodge-podge of current, largely ineffective regulations with a revenue-neutral [[w:Carbon_tax|carbon tax]] would ensure a uniform and predictable [[w:Carbon price|cost of carbon]] across the economy. It would allow market forces to drive solutions. It would maximize [[transparency]], reduce administrative complexity, promote global participation and easily adjust to future developments in our understanding of climate science as well as the policy consequences of these actions.
** [[Rex Tillerson]], Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, in a speech entitled [http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/company/news-and-updates/speeches/the-path-forward-in-todays-energy-environment "The Path Forward in Today’s Energy Environment"] delivered at the 37th Annual Oil and Money Conference in London on October 19, 2016.

* Rather than an eyesore on the roof, it becomes actually a feature of the home. People are going to start wanting to put [[w:Building-integrated photovoltaics|{building-integrated photovoltaics}]] on the front side of their home to show that they have solar.
** Christopher Klinga, technical director of the (U.S.-based) Architectural Solar Association, as quoted in [http://www.nbcnews.com/mach/innovation/next-solar-energy-revolution-hiding-plain-sight-n742111 "The Next Solar Energy Revolution Is Hiding in Plain Sight."] NBCNews.com. April 10, 2017.

* [W]ind and solar power have been rapidly winning market acceptance. Last year, the installed capacity of solar power in the United States nearly doubled. And wind is now being harnessed to produce 5.5 percent of America’s electricity, according to the [[w:Energy Information Administration |U.S. Energy Information Administration]].
** Norm Alster, journalist, in [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/business/mutfund/trump-coal-renewable-investing.html "Investing in Solar and Wind in a Coal and Oil Moment."] ''The New York Times.'' April 15, 2017.

* The transition to renewable energy can be greatly accelerated if the world’s governments finally bring the [[Engineering|engineers]] to the fore... I was recently on a panel with three economists and a senior business-sector engineer. After the economists spoke... the engineer spoke succinctly and wisely. “I don’t really understand what you economists were just speaking about, but I do have a suggestion... Tell us engineers the desired ‘specs’ and the timeline, and we’ll get the job done.” This is not bravado.... The next big act belongs to the engineers. [[w:Energy transition|Energy transformation]] for [[w:Climate security|climate safety]] is our twenty-first-century [[Apollo 11|moonshot]]. 
** [[Jeffrey Sachs]] in [https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cop24-rulebook-time-for-engineers-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2018-12 ''For Climate Safety, Call in the Engineers, Project Syndicate'']  (20 December 2018)

* A [[w:carbon tax|carbon tax]] offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed that is necessary. By correcting a well-known market failure, a carbon tax will send a powerful price signal that harnesses the invisible hand of the marketplace to steer economic actors towards a low-carbon future. . . . A consistently rising carbon price will encourage technological [[innovation]] and large-scale infrastructure development.
** "Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends: Bipartisan agreement on how to combat climate change." (Statement signed by more than 3,500 economists, including every living former chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve and 27 Nobel laureates.)
*** [https://www.wsj.com/articles/economists-statement-on-carbon-dividends-11547682910 Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends (The statement's original publication - subscription required to view in full.)] ''The Wall Street Journal.'' January 16, 2019.
*** [https://clcouncil.org/economists-statement/ Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends (Republication - no subscription needed to view.)] Republished by the Climate Leadership Council. Originally published on January 16, 2019.

* [[w:Offshore wind power|Offshore wind]]'s remarkable potential: [[w:List of offshore wind farms|The global offshore wind market]] grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, benefitting from rapid technology improvements and about 150 new offshore wind projects . . . in active development around the world. . . . Yet today's offshore wind market doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential - with high-quality resources available in most major markets, offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420,000 [terawatt-hours] per year worldwide. This is more than 18 times [[w:Electric energy consumption|global electricity demand today]].
** [https://www.iea.org/reports/offshore-wind-outlook-2019 "Offshore Wind Outlook 2019: World Energy Outlook special report."] [[w:International Energy Agency|International Energy Agency]]. (November, 2019)

* [[w:Offshore wind power|Offshore wind]] is in a category of its own, as the only [[w:Variable renewable energy|variable]] [[w:Base load|baseload]] power generation technology. . . . Offshore wind output . . . hourly variability is lower than that of solar [photovoltaics]. Offshore wind typically fluctuates within a narrower band, up to 20% from hour-to-hour, than is the case for solar [photovoltaics], up to 40% from hour-to-hour.
** [https://www.iea.org/reports/offshore-wind-outlook-2019 "Offshore Wind Outlook 2019: World Energy Outlook special report."] [[w:International Energy Agency|International Energy Agency]]. (November, 2019)

* The clean energy portfolios of some of the largest corporate buyers rival those of the world’s biggest utilities. These companies are facing mounting pressure from investors to [[w:Low-carbon economy|decarbonize]] - [[w:Power purchase agreement|clean energy contracts]] serve as a way to [[w:Energy management|diversify energy spend]] and reduce susceptibility to the tangible [[w:Climate risk|risks associated with climate change]].
** Kyle Harrison, sustainability analyst at [[w:Bloomberg L.P.#New Energy Finance|BloombergNEF]] and lead author of its ''1H 2020 Corporate Energy Market Outlook'' report, as quoted in a summary discussing the report entitled [https://about.bnef.com/blog/corporate-clean-energy-buying-leapt-44-in-2019-sets-new-record/ "Corporate Clean Energy Buying Leapt 44% in 2019, Sets New Record"], published on January 28, 2020.

* [N]ew [[w:Cost of electricity by source|renewable power generation projects now increasingly undercut existing coal-fired plants]]. On average, new [[w:Solar energy|solar]] [[w:Photovoltaics|photovoltaic (PV)]] and onshore [[w:Wind power|wind power]] cost less than keeping many existing [[w:Coal-fired power station|coal plants]] in operation, and [[w:Electricity market|auction]] results show this trend accelerating – reinforcing the case to [[w:Coal phase-out|phase-out coal]] entirely.
** [[w:International Renewable Energy Agency|International Renewable Energy Agency]] press release entitled [https://www.irena.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2020/Jun/Renewables-Increasingly-Beat-Even-Cheapest-Coal-Competitors-on-Cost "Renewables Increasingly Beat Even Cheapest Coal Competitors on Cost: Competitive power generation costs make investment in renewables highly attractive as countries target economic recovery from COVID-19, new IRENA report finds."] June 2, 2020.

* I think it’s clear now that [[w:Sustainable energy | energy has to be clean]]. . . . And [[w:Renewable energy commercialization | we should do it in ways that give jobs to everybody]]. . . . There’s [[w:Renewable energy transition | so much to do in renewable power]], there is [[w:Coal-fired power station | so little to do in coal]].
** [[w:William McDonough|William McDonough]], as quoted in [https://www.marketplace.org/2020/08/19/pollution-climate-change-waste-economy-architect-william-mcdonough/ "Eliminating the concept of waste from the economy"], from the ''Marketplace Morning Report'' segment of the US National Public Radio ''Morning Edition'' program, August 19, 2020.

===2021===

* An old proverb states: When the winds of change blow, some build walls . . . others build windmills. So, fellow windmill builders: Let’s push back on doubt and fear. [[w:2021 in climate change#Natural events and phenomena|Climate disasters worldwide]] tell us that the scariest thing we could do is nothing at all. . . . [W]e’ll all gain when we succeed - starting with [[w:Green job|jobs]]! We’re looking at a $23 trillion global [[w:Renewable energy industry|market]] in the [[w:Renewable energy|clean energy]] [[w:Energy transition|transition]] by 2030. . . . That means we can [[w:Low-carbon economy|remake our economies]], build [[w:Climate change mitigation#Mitigation by sector|new businesses]], and put millions upon millions of [[w:Green-collar worker|people to work]]. . . . For too long, the climate conversation has been viewed as a [[w:Zero-sum game|zero-sum game]]. One of trade-offs: the [[w:Climate|climate]] or the [[w:Economy|economy]]. No longer.
** US Secretary of Energy [[w:Jennifer Granholm|Jennifer Granholm]], addressing the [[w:2021 Leaders Summit on Climate|Leaders Summit on Climate]] organized by the Biden Administration. Excerpted from [https://www.energy.gov/articles/remarks-delivered-secretary-granholm-president-bidens-leaders-summit-climate "Remarks as Delivered by Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, President Biden's Leaders Summit on Climate, Session 4: 'Unleashing Climate Innovation.'"] (April 23, 2021)

* There are two practical ways to create the magic conditions that make [[w:Fusion power|fusion]] happen. One is called [[w:Magnetic confinement fusion|''magnetic confinement fusion'']] and the other is [[w:Inertial confinement fusion|''inertial confinement fusion'']]. There’s [[w:Gravitational compression|gravity]] too, of course, but for that you need scales bigger than can be created on Earth: you need, quite literally, [[w:Stellar nucleosynthesis|a star]]. The magnetic approach is to bind the hot matter in a reactor with an invisible web of magnetic fields. The inertial approach sets matter crashing into itself, thereby both heating and compressing it, and aims to get all the fusion done before the assembled star matter falls apart again. [[w:National Ignition Facility|NIF {the National Ignition Facility}]] uses lasers to do this.
** [https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Arthur-Turrell/161991650 Arthur Turrell,] from page 10 of his book, [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Star_Builders.html?id=dOR-EAAAQBAJ ''The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet''.] Published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. (Aug. 3, 2021)

* There’s one aspect of the current fleet of [[w:Magnetic confinement fusion|magnetic]] [[w:Fusion power|fusion]] machines that is holding back progress. It’s a lesson that has been learned time and time again in [[w:Nuclear fusion|fusion]]: . . . fusion works best on big scales. For conventional [[w:Tokamak|tokamaks]], the confinement of [[w:Fusion power#Plasma behavior|plasma]] gets better the bigger the machine is. . . . When it is completed, [[w:ITER|ITER]] will be [https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/nuclear-fusion-inside-the-construction-of-the-worlds-largest-tokamak the world’s largest tokamak,] and one of its key objectives will be to demonstrate net [[w:Fusion energy gain factor|energy gain]]. It’s a behemoth. . . . ITER will take up 180 hectares (equivalent to 250 soccer fields), and when finished, its structure will have a mass equivalent to three Eiffel Towers.
**[https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Arthur-Turrell/161991650 Arthur Turrell,] from pages 186-87 of his book, [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Star_Builders.html?id=dOR-EAAAQBAJ "The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet”.] Published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. (Aug. 3, 2021)

* Future Outlook: Global [[w:Offshore wind power|offshore wind energy]] deployment is expected to accelerate in the future, with forecasts from [https://www.4coffshore.com/ 4C Offshore] and [https://about.bnef.com/ Bloomberg New Energy Finance] indicating a sevenfold increase in global cumulative offshore wind capacity - to 215 [gigawatts] or more by 2030 (BNEF 2020; 4C Offshore 2021). As part of that predicted surge, [[w:List of offshore wind farms in the United States|the U.S. offshore wind energy market continues to expand]], primarily driven by increasing state-level procurement targets in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, an increased number of projects clearing major permitting milestones, as well as growing vessel, port, and infrastructure investments needed to keep pace with development.
** [https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/offshore-wind-market-report-2021-executive-summary.pdf "Executive Summary" for "Offshore Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition."] [[w:United States Department of Energy|US Department of Energy]], [[w:Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy|Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy]]. (Aug. 30, 2021)

* Solving climate change should taste at least as good as carrots, at best ice cream, but it should not be painful. . . . How do we ensure the lowest [[w:Cost of electricity by source|cost of energy]] while [[w:Electrification|electrifying everything]]? First, policymakers [[w:Regulatory reform|have to rewrite]] the [[w:Law of the United States#Federal law|federal]], [[w:State law (United States)|state]] and [[w:Law of the United States#Local law|local]] [[w:Statute|rules]] and [[Regulation|regulations]] that were created for the [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil-fueled]] world and which prevent the US from having [[w:Electricity pricing|the cheapest electricity ever]]. Our country needs to massively [[w:Scalability|scale up]] the industrial production of [[w:Technological change|technological solutions]], just as we did to win [[World War II]]. We cannot take our foot off the [[w:Innovation|innovation]] gas - although I'll argue that we don't need any [[w:Technological revolution|major breakthroughs]], as [[w:Incrementalism|thousands of little]] [[w:Invention|inventions]] and [[w:Experience curve effects|cost reductions]] are the key to achieving [[w:Climate change mitigation|our end goal]]. Finally, we must have cheap [[w:Credit|financing]] for our [[w:Energy transition|transition to a zero-carbon energy system]] with low-interest [[w:Green lending|"climate loans."]] Climate change will not be solved if only the richest 10% can afford it; we need mechanisms to bring everyone along for the ride.
** [[w:Saul Griffith|Saul Griffith]], Australian-American engineer, entrepreneur and [[w:MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur fellow]], writing in the "Preface" section of his book, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NI4TEAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future''. MIT Press. (October 12, 2021)]

* In 2006, I hosted a dinner after a screening of ''[[An Inconvenient Truth]]'', former vice president [[Al Gore]]'s seminal documentary on the [[w:Climate crisis|climate crisis]]. We went around the table for everyone's reaction to the film's urgent message. When it came to my fifteen-year-old daughter, Mary, she declared with her typical candor: "I'm scared, and I'm angry." Then she added, '''"Dad, your generation created this problem. You better fix it."''' . . . As a [[w:Venture_capitalist|venture capitalist]], my job is to find big opportunities, target big challenges, and invest in big solutions. I was best known for backing companies like [[Google]] and [[w:Amazon.com|Amazon]] early on. But the [[w:Effects of climate change|environmental crisis]] dwarfed any challenge I'd ever seen. . . . Eugene Kleiner, the late cofounder of [[w:Kleiner Perkins|Kleiner Perkins]] . . . left behind a set of twelve laws that [included the following:] ''There is a time when panic is the appropriate response.'' That time had come. . . . My partners and I made [[w:Climate change mitigation|climate]] a top priority. We got serious about investing in [[w:Clean technology|clean]] and [[w:Category:Sustainable technologies|sustainable technologies]] . . . . Our climate investments were [slow] out of the gate, and many of them failed. . . . But with patience and persistence [by 2019] our surviving cleantech investments began to hit one home run after the next. [However, we currently] have no time for a victory lap. . . . [[w:Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere|Atmospheric carbon]] already [[w:Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C|exceeds the upper limit for climate stability]]. . . . The effects of runaway [[w:Global warming|global warming]] are already plain to see: devastating [[Hurricane|hurricanes]], biblical [[w:Coastal flooding|flooding]], uncontrollable [[w:Wildfire#Climate change effects|wildfires]], killer [[w:Effects of climate change#Heat waves and temperature extremes|heat waves]], and extreme [[w:Drought#Precipitation deficiency due to climate change|droughts]]. . . . I must warn you up front: we're not [[w:Paris Agreement|cutting emissions]] [https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66256101 fast enough] to outrun [[w:2022 in climate change|the damage on our doorstep]]. I said this in 2007, and I say it again today: [https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2022 '''what we're doing is not nearly enough.'''] Unless we course correct [https://www.npr.org/2023/03/20/1162711459/cut-emissions-quickly-to-save-lives-scientists-warn-in-a-new-u-n-report with urgent speed] and at a massive [[w:Scalability|scale]], we'll be staring at a [[w:Tipping points in the climate system|doomsday scenario]]. The melting polar [[w:Ice sheet|ice caps]] will [[w:Sinking cities|drown coastal cities]]. [[w:Effects of climate change on agriculture|Failed crops]] will lead to [https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/19/climate-change-food-insecurity-hunger-drought widespread famine.] By midcentury, a billion souls worldwide could be [[w:Climate migrant|climate refugees]]. . . . Fortunately, we have a powerful ally in this fight: [[w:Innovation|innovation]]. Over the past fifteen years, [[w:Growth of photovoltaics|prices for solar]] and [[w:Wind power#Economics|wind power have plunged]] 90 percent. . . . [[w:Electric vehicle battery|Batteries]] are expanding the range of [[Electric vehicles|electrified vehicles]] at an [[w:Electric vehicle battery#Battery cost|ever lower cost]]. Greater [[w:Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] has sharply reduced [[w:Greenhouse gas emissions|greenhouse gas emissions]]. . . . While a good many solutions are in hand, their deployment is nowhere near where it needs to be. We'll need massive investment and [[w:Category:Climate change policy|robust policy]] to make these innovations more affordable. We need to scale the ones we have - immediately - and [[w:Invention|invent]] the ones we still need. In short, '''we need both the now and the new.'''
** [[w:John Doerr|John Doerr]], Chairman of the US venture capital firm [[w:Kleiner Perkins|Kleiner Perkins]] and creator of the [https://speedandscale.com "Speed & Scale Plan."] The quote is from the Prologue of his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Speed_Scale.html?id=11kwEAAAQBAJ ''Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now.'' (With Ryan Panchadsaram, contributor.) Portfolio / Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.] (Oct. 28, 2021)

* What do [[w:Climate change mitigation|we need to build]] to fight [[w:Global warming|global warming]]? . . . The answer is actually quite simple and requires no miracle technology: we must [[w:Electrification|electrify everything]], [[w:Climate crisis|fast]]. That means not just the [[w:World energy supply and consumption#Total energy supply|supply-side sources of energy]]; we’ve got to electrify everything on [[w:w:World energy supply and consumption#Final consumption|the demand-side]] - the things we use in our households and small businesses every day, including cars, furnaces, stoves, water heaters, and dryers. I’m optimistic because over the last two decades {we've made} advances and cost reductions in [[w:Electric vehicle|electric vehicles]], [[w:Solar cell|solar cells]], [[w:Electric battery|batteries]], [[w:Heat pump|heat pumps]], and [[w:Induction cooking|induction cooking]] . . . . People who are relying on [[w:History of climate change policy and politics|governments to solve this problem]] don’t understand [[w:Individual action on climate change|the power they have in their own hands and homes to fight global warming]]. . . . One astounding thing happens when we electrify everything: we would need only one-half of the [[w:Primary energy|primary energy]] that currently [[w:Energy economics|powers the economy]]. . . . The electrification of [[w:Effects of climate change on human health#Potential health benefits|things you do for climate is good for your health]]. The [[w:Indoor air quality#Air pollutants from indoor combustion|air in our homes will be cleaner]], our [[w:Electric car#Performance|cars zippier]] and [[w:Air pollution#Health effects|community air quality]] better, our [https://www.hcn.org/issues/55.4/infographic-energy-industry-why-electrify appliances faster and more high-tech,] like [[w:Smartphone|smartphones]] compared to [[w:Rotary dial|rotary phones]]. [https://corporate.enelx.com/en/question-and-answers/what-is-electrification The electrified future can be awesome.]
** [[w:Saul Griffith|Saul Griffith]], Australian-American engineer, entrepreneur and author of the book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Electrify.html?id=h-CCzgEACAAJ ''Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future''. MIT Press. (2021)] The quote is from a ''Time'' magazine article written by Griffith entitled [https://time.com/6113719/optimistic-fighting-climate-change/ "We Can Beat Climate Change If We Do One Thing Fast."] (November 4, 2021)

====How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (book)====

''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need''. Book by Bill Gates. Published by Alfred A. Knopf on February 16, 2021. ISBN 9780385546133 (hardcover), ISBN 9780385546140 (e-book). <br /> 
[[How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Main Wikiquote page for ''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'']] <br /> 
[[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Wikipedia page for ''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'']]

* When it comes to climate change, I know [[innovation]] isn’t the only thing we need. But we cannot [[w:Climate change mitigation|keep the earth livable]] without it. [[w:Environmental technology|Techno-fixes]] are not sufficient, but they are necessary.
** [[Bill Gates]], from page 14 of his book [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'' (2021)]].

* [W]e’re going to need ''much'' more [[w:Clean electricity|clean electricity]] in the coming years. Most experts agree that as we [[w:Electrification|electrify]] other [[w:Emission intensity|carbon-intensive processes]] like making [[steel]] and running [[Car|cars]], [[w:World energy supply and consumption|the world’s electricity supply]] will need to double or even triple by 2050. And that doesn’t even account for [[Population|population growth]], or the fact that people will get richer and use more electricity. So the world will need much more than three times [[w:Electricity generation|the electricity we generate now]].
** [[Bill Gates]], from page 79 of his book [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'' (2021)]].

* Deploying today’s [[w:Renewable energy|renewables]] and improving [[w:Electric power transmission|transmission]] couldn’t be more important. . . . Unless we use large amounts of [[w:Nuclear power|nuclear energy]] . . . every path to [https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition zero {net emissions}] in the United States will require us to install as much [[w:Wind power|wind]] and [[w:Solar power|solar power]] as we can build and find room for. It’s hard to say exactly [[w:Electricity sector of the United States|how much of America’s electricity will come from renewables]] in the end, but what we do know is that between now and 2050 we have to build them much faster - on the order of 5 to 10 times faster - than we’re doing right now. And remember that most countries aren’t as lucky as the [[United States]] when it comes to [[w:Solar power by country|solar]] and [[w:Wind power by country|wind resources]]. The fact that we can hope to generate a large percentage of our power from renewables is the exception rather than the rule. That’s why, even as we deploy, deploy, deploy solar and wind, the world is going to need some new clean electricity inventions too.
** [[Bill Gates]], from pages 83 and 84 of his book [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'' (2021)]].

* [I]t's . . . possible that some innovation will come along and make [other energy storage] ideas obsolete, the way the personal [[Computers|computer]] came along and more or less made the typewriter unnecessary. Cheap hydrogen could do that for storing electricity. . . . We could use electricity from a solar or wind farm to create hydrogen, store the hydrogen as a compressed gas or in another form, and then put it in a fuel cell to generate electricity on demand. [This] would solve the location problem; . . . although you can't ship sunlight in a railcar, you can turn it into fuel first and then ship it any way you like.
** [[Bill Gates]], from pages 93 and 94 of his book [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'' (2021)]].

* Over the past decade, [[w:Wind power#Wind power capacity and production|installed wind capacity]] has grown by an average of 20 percent a year, and [[w:Wind turbine|wind turbines]] now provide about 5 percent of [[w:World energy supply and consumption#Electricity generators are driven by|the world's electricity]]. Wind is growing for one simple reason: [[w:Wind power#Electric power cost and trends|It's getting cheaper]].
** [[Bill Gates]], from page 193 of his book [[w:How to Avoid a Climate Disaster|''How to Avoid a Climate Disaster'' (2021)]].

====COP26 Climate Conference in Scotland, UK====

[[w:2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference|26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (or "COP26")]], held in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom from October 31st to November 13th, 2021. (The quotes below are listed in the order used in [https://unfccc.int/cop-26/speeches-and-statements the UNFCCC's "COP 26 Speeches and statements" webpage.] The quotes are from the speeches as delivered; some of the [[English language]] speeches deviate slightly from the submitted speech transcripts.)

* [W]e [must] make this COP 26 in Glasgow the moment when we get real about climate change, and we can. We can get real on [[w:Coal phase-out|coal]], [[w:Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles|cars]], [[w:Climate finance|cash]] and [[w:Deforestation|trees]]. . . . But we cannot and will not succeed by [[w:Government spending|government spending]] alone. . . . [T]he task now is to work together to help our friends to [[w:Low-carbon economy|decarbonise]] using . . . the funds we have in [[w:Development aid|development assistance]] and working with all the [[w:International financial institutions#Multilateral Development Banks|multilateral development banks]] so that in the [[w:List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|key countries that need to make progress]], we can jointly identify the projects that we can help to [[w:Loan guarantee#Government loan guarantees|de-risk]] so that the [[w:Private sector|private sector]] money can come in . . . . [Let us] in the next days devote ourselves to this extraordinary task. So that we not only continue with . . . a [[w:Green industrial policy|green]] [[w:Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]], that is already creating millions of high wage, high skill [[w:Green job|jobs]] in [[w:Renewable energy industry|power]] and [[w:Environmental technology|technology]], taking our [[w:Economy|economies]] forward. Let us also do enough to [[w:Climate change mitigation|save our planet and our way of life]].
** [[Boris Johnson]], Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, welcoming the COP representatives to Glasgow during the opening ceremony of the World Leaders Summit. Excerpted from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41XyrAbDMOM a UN video of the speech on Youtube] and [https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/His_Excellency_Mr._Boris_Johnson%2CPrime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland.pdf the PDF text of the speech from the website for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.] (Nov. 1, 2021)

* [[w:Climate change|Climate change]] and [[w:Biodiversity loss|biodiversity loss]] . . . pose an even greater existential threat [than the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]], to the extent that we have to put ourselves on what might be called a [[w:War economy|war-like footing]]. . . . Putting a [[w:Carbon price|value on carbon]] . . . [is] absolutely critical. . . . [W]e need a vast military style campaign to marshall the strength of the [[w:World economy|global]] [[w:Private sector|private sector]][, which has] trillions at its disposal . . . . [E]ach sector needs a clear strategy to speed up the process of getting [[w:Innovation|innovations]] [[w:Diffusion of innovations|to market]] [and we] need to align private investment behind these industry strategies. . . . If we can develop a pipeline of many more [[Sustainable development|sustainable and "bankable" projects]], [[w:Scalability|at a sufficient scale]], it will attract greater investment. . . . [[Chief executive officer|CEOs]] and [[w:Institutional investor|institutional investors]] have told me that alongside [[Paris Agreement|the promises countries have made, their nationally determined contributions]], they need clear [[w:Signalling (economics)|market signals]], [[w:Trade agreement|agreed]] [[w:Multilateral treaty|globally]], so that they have the confidence to invest without [[w:Moving the goalposts|the goal posts suddenly moving]]. . . . [[w:Charles, Prince of Wales#Natural environment|[W]e are working]] to drive trillions of dollars in support of [[w:Energy transition|transition]] across ten of the most [[w:Greenhouse gas emissions|emitting]] and polluting industries [including] [[w:Environmental impact of the energy industry#Climate change|energy]], [[w:Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture|agriculture]], [[w:Greenhouse_gas_emissions#Transport of people and goods|transportation]], [[w:Health system|health systems]] and [[w:Environmental impact of fashion|fashion]]. . . . I can only urge you, as the world’s decision-makers, to find practical ways of overcoming differences so we can all . . . [[Climate action|rescue this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people]].
** [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], addressing the COP26 representatives during the opening ceremony of the World Leaders Summit. Excerpted from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCSWSpRaXfM a Sky News video of the speech on Youtube] and the pre-submitted text of the speech from princeofwales.gov.uk. Text of the speech has subsequently been made available at the website for the UK Royal Family, under the title [https://www.royal.uk/clarencehouse/speech/speech-hrh-prince-wales-opening-ceremony-cop26-glasgow "A speech by HRH The Prince of Wales at the Opening Ceremony of COP26, Glasgow."] (Nov. 1, 2021)

* [[Global warming|Climate change]] is already . . . [[w:Economic impacts of climate change|costing our nations trillions of dollars]] [and] we know that none of us can escape [[w:Effects of climate change|the worst that’s yet to come if we fail to seize this moment]]. . . . But . . . within the growing catastrophe, I believe there’s an [[w:Green growth|incredible opportunity . . . .  We have the ability to invest in ourselves]] and build an equitable [[w:Sustainable energy|clean-energy]] future and in the process create [[w:Full employment|millions of good-paying jobs]] [while we] [[w:Environmental justice|create an environment that raises the standard of living]] around the world. . . . When I talk to the American people about climate change, I tell them it’s about [[w:Green job|jobs]].  It’s about workers [and the] communities that will [[w:Green economy|revitalize themselves around new industries and opportunities]]. . . . So, [[w:Climate change mitigation|let’s get to work]].
** [[Joe Biden]], President of the United States, on Day 2 of [[w:2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference|the climate conference]] (excerpted from [https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/11/01/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-cop26-leaders-statement/ "Remarks by President Biden at the COP26 Leaders Statement"] at whitehouse.gov). (November 1, 2021)

*We are aware that [[w:List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|the industrialised countries have a particular responsibility]]. . . . [[w:Climate finance|The financing]] is essential if the industrialised countries are to maintain their credibility. . . . Ladies and gentlemen, with government activities alone we will not make progress. For this requires radical transformation of [[w:Individual action on climate change|how we live]], [[w:Climate change mitigation|work and conduct business]]. I therefore want to take this opportunity to make a very clear appeal for [[w:Carbon price|pricing for CO2 emissions]]. With this form of pricing, [[w:European Union Emissions Trading System|which we already have in the European Union]], which is [[w:Chinese national carbon trading scheme|to be introduced in China]] and which needs to be developed together with many others throughout the world, we could get our industries and businesses to find the technologically most effective and efficient ways to achieve [[w:Carbon neutrality|climate neutrality]]. We need to work out [[w:Low-carbon economy|how we can best integrate CO2-free mobility, CO2-free industry and CO2-free processes into our lives]]. My clear call in the Decade of Action, in the decade in which we now live, is for us to become more ambitious at a national level and at the same time to find global instruments that not only make use of [[w:Tax|taxpayers’ money]] but are also [[w:Efficiency|economically viable]]. And for me, the answer is CO2 pricing.
**[[Angela Merkel]], Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, on Day 2 of [[w:2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference|the COP26 climate conference]] (excerpted from [https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/speech-by-federal-chancellor-dr-angela-merkel-on-the-occasion-of-the-world-leaders-summit-at-the-26th-conference-of-the-parties-to-the-unfccc-cop26-in-glasgow-on-1-november-2021-1974784 "Speech by Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel on the occasion of the World Leaders’ Summit at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 November 2021"] at bundesregierung.de). (November 1, 2021)

*In the midst of this global brainstorming on [[global warming|climate change]], on behalf of India, I would like to present five [commitments] to deal with this challenge. First - India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030. Second - India will meet 50 percent of [[w:Electricity sector in India|its energy requirements]] from [[w:Renewable energy in India|renewable energy]] by 2030. . . . And fifth - by the year 2070, India will [[w:Carbon neutrality|achieve the target of Net Zero]]. . . . Today, when India has resolved to move forward with a new commitment and a new energy, the transfer of [[w:Climate finance|climate finance]] and low cost [[w:Clean technology|climate technologies]] have become more important. . . . India also understands [[w:Climate change and poverty|the suffering of all other developing countries]], shares them, and will continue to express [[w:climate justice|their expectations]].
** [[Narendra Modi]], Prime Minister of India since 2014, on Day 3 of [[w:2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference|the COP26 climate conference]] (excerpted from [https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/34466/National+Statement+by+Prime+Minister+Shri+Narendra+Modi+at+COP26+Summit+in+Glasgow "National Statement by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at COP26 Summit in Glasgow"] at mea.gov.in). (November 2, 2021)

===2022===

* India is pioneering a new model of economic development that [https://www.woodmac.com/horizons/india-net-zero-path/ could avoid the carbon-intensive approaches that many countries have pursued in the past - and provide a blueprint for other developing economies.] . . . [[w:Economic liberalisation in India#Credit boom of the 2000s|{India's} economic growth has been among the highest in the world over the past two decades]] {as [[w:Coal in India|coal]]} and [[w:Oil and gas industry in India|oil]] have so far served as bedrocks of India’s industrial growth and modernisation . . . . [[w:List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|India’s annual CO<sub>2</sub> emissions have risen to become the third highest in the world]] {but} [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-should-not-be-seen-as-3rd-or-4th-largest-ghg-emitter-due-to-low-per-capita-emissions-minister/article68654924.ece India’s CO<sub>2</sub> emissions per person put it near the bottom of the world’s emitters] . . . [https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-no-153-india-overtakes-china-as-the-worlds-most-populous-country/ India’s sheer size] and [https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/india-to-become-third-largest-economy-by-2030-31-says-s-p-global-124091901072_1.html its huge scope for growth] means that [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-be-largest-source-energy-demand-growth-2040-iea-2021-02-09/ its energy demand is set to grow by more than that of any other country in the coming decades.] . . . {T}he good news is that [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/india-renewable-energy the clean energy transition in India is already well underway.] . . . [[w:Fossil fuel subsidies|Subsidies for petrol and diesel]] were removed in the early 2010s, and [https://www.india-briefing.com/news/india-shifts-gears-pm-e-drive-scheme-replaces-fame-policy-34445.html subsidies for electric vehicles] were introduced in 2019. . . . {The country is} laying the groundwork to scale up important emerging technologies such as [[w:Green hydrogen#India|hydrogen]], [https://apnews.com/article/battery-storage-energy-india-renewables-solar-wind-electricity-81d938032e4d0ca148e7286fda2d8685 battery storage,] and [https://www.eco-business.com/news/indias-hard-to-abate-sectors-fall-short-of-renewable-energy-goals-study/ low-carbon] [https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2607381-india-mulls-government-support-for-green-steel steel], [https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/sustainability/decarbonising-cement-one-of-the-biggest-challenges-in-the-infrastructure-industry/articleshow/103881982.cms cement] and [https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/decarbonisation-of-fertiliser-sector-india-s-2070-net-zero-road-map-124021900996_1.html fertilisers.] . . . [https://www.economist.com/special-report/2024/04/22/going-green-could-bring-huge-benefits-for-indias-economy A transition to clean energy is a huge economic opportunity] {but [https://www.ft.com/content/7b509fb6-4616-4461-b94f-b2332bc28c76 support} from the international community is essential] to help shift India’s development onto a low-carbon path {and} [https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/net-zero-and-energy/scaling-clean-energy-financing-and-transition-strategies-for-indias access of low cost long term capital is key to achieve net zero.] . . . [https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/we-want-to-make-india-a-global-hub-for-green-hydrogen-production-pm-modi-101726043797943.html India aims to become a global hub for green hydrogen production and exports.] . . . As [[w:Economy of India|a large developing economy]] with [[w:Demographics of India|over 1.3 billion people]], [[w:Climate change in India#Adaptation|India’s climate adaptation]] and [[w:Climate change in India#Mitigation|mitigation ambitions]] are not just transformational for India but for the entire planet.
** From a commentary article written jointly by [[w:Fatih Birol|Fatih Birol]], the Executive Director of the [[w:International Energy Agency|International Energy Agency]], and [[w:Amitabh Kant|Amitabh Kant]], the CEO of the Indian think tank [[w:NITI Aayog|NITI Aayog]]. The article is entitled [https://www.iea.org/commentaries/india-s-clean-energy-transition-is-rapidly-underway-benefiting-the-entire-world "India’s clean energy transition is rapidly underway, benefiting the entire world,"] and was first published by ''The Times of India'' ([https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/on-track-for-2070-net-zero-target-indias-clean-energy-transition-is-rapidly-underway-benefiting-the-entire-world/ the original may be accessed here] - a subscription is required to view it in full). (Jan. 10, 2022)

* [T]he solution has to be real economy government regulations to ban or to make higher [the] cost of the brown and polluting industries. That said, there are parts of finance which are longer-term and [evaluate] [[w:Climate risk|climate risks]] . . . and these are asset owners, the pension funds, the wealth funds and the insurance companies who are not so transactional [and] they’re not [as] interested in a deal to be done today. And they are in fact often mandated by their governments to take into account climate risk. So, I think those players will step up in this instance [turmoil in energy markets following [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine]]] and [now who might be] investing for [an electricity generation project with a] 10-year horizon which you have to do with gas they will [say], "Let’s do it with renewables." And we’ve seen movements like that in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], where they’re pivoting towards [[w:Wind power|onshore wind]], which before the invasion was politically unviable because of the [[w:NIMBY|NIMBY factor]]. . . . [T]he pension funds and the actual asset owners . . . have a longer term of perspective. And they are actually driving the issue to their [[w:Category:Money managers|commercial managers who have to service them]] and they’re saying, "Look, we want you to act on climate change," and that's a huge driver.
** Dylan Tanner, executive director of Influence Map (a London-based think tank "that provides data and analysis on how business and finance are affecting the climate crisis"), in an interview on the [[w:Climate One|Climate One podcast]] entitled [https://www.climateone.org/audio/big-money-investment-managers-driving-corporate-action "Big Money: Investment Managers Driving Corporate Action".] (May 6, 2022)

* [A]s an [[w:Atmospheric science|atmospheric scientist]] and [[w:Environmental engineering|environmental engineer]], I focus most on [[w:Environmental technology|technologies]] — that’s what we think about most of what we need to be able to [[w:Renewable energy|clean up electricity]], what we need for [[w:Green vehicle|cleaner cars]]. But those aren’t going to [[w:Commercialization|make it to market]] and those aren’t going to [[w:Climate change mitigation|help cool the climate]] unless there are [[w:Climate change policy of the United States|policies that get those to be deployed domestically]]. And what we do domestically isn’t enough because [[w:List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|we’re only 1/7th of the world’s emissions]], so we need diplomacy to take what we do here in the U.S. and make sure that that starts being applied in other parts of the world as well. . . . [A]s I was looking at the diplomacy [I noticed that what] the United States really gets right is being reciprocal . . . when we do something, we usually insist that [[w:List of the largest trading partners of the United States|our trading partners]] go along as well. You even hear in Congress talk about if we ever did have a [[w:Carbon tax|carbon tax]], being sure it got applied as [[w:Carbon tax#Border adjustments, tariffs and bans|tariffs on goods that got brought in]].
** [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan,] professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, in an interview on the [[w:Marketplace (radio program)|''Marketplace Morning Report'' radio program]] entitled [https://www.marketplace.org/2022/05/30/a-3-pronged-approach-for-adopting-clean-power/ "A 3-pronged approach for adopting clean power",] in which he discusses his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock: How Diplomacy, Technology, and Policy Can Unlock a Clean Energy Future'' (March 29, 2022). Yale University Press.] ISBN 9780300251678. (May 30, 2022)

* [[w:Swanson's law|Solar has plunged by 90% in cost]]. [[w:Cost of electricity by source|Wind has plunged by 80% just in the past 11 or 12 years]]. . . . Things like [[w:Grid parity|wind and solar power really can already out-compete dirtier forms of electricity]], and [https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-electricity-growth-is-accelerating-faster-than-ever-worldwide-supporting-the-emergence-of-the-new-global-energy-economy we just need to build more of them quickly; we’re not adding them fast enough]. There are other technologies where we really need a big breakthrough. We don’t yet have affordable enough [[w:Heat pump|heat pumps]]. We don’t yet have a next generation [[w:Nuclear power|nuclear technology]] that’s cheap enough, if we ever will. [[w:Geothermal energy|Geothermal]] is really at the cusp of becoming something that I think could really take off. What I also see, though, is that what carries those cutting-edge technologies to the cheaper cost can’t just happen in the lab. [[w:Renewable energy commercialization#Public policy landscape|We need policies that pull those into the market]], that get them adopted more — because if we can [[w:Early adopter|adopt them while they’re at that edge; while they’re not quite cheap enough]], that can drive the [[w:Economies of scale|economies of scale]]; that can drive what technologists call [[w:Learning curve|learning by doing]].
** [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan,] professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, in an interview on the [[w:Marketplace (radio program)|''Marketplace Morning Report'' radio program]] entitled [https://www.marketplace.org/2022/05/30/a-3-pronged-approach-for-adopting-clean-power/ "A 3-pronged approach for adopting clean power",] in which he discusses his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock: How Diplomacy, Technology, and Policy Can Unlock a Clean Energy Future'' (March 29, 2022). Yale University Press.] ISBN 9780300251678. (May 30, 2022)

* [[w:Energy transition|The ability to use renewables for the lion’s share of a grid’s supply]], coupled with the fact that [[w:Cost of electricity by source#Global studies|renewables have been made cheap and are getting yet cheaper]], is the basis of a decarbonisation strategy all but universally accepted by those determined to [[w:Climate change mitigation|stabilise the climate]]. Make the [[w:Low-carbon power|power on electric grids emissions-free]], [[w:Grid parity|cheap]] and copious. Start [[w:Electrification#Electrification for sustainable energy|electrifying]] all processes [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out|that now require fossil fuels]] - such as [[w:Electric car|powering cars]], or [[w:Heat pump (disambiguation)|heating homes]] and [[w:Steelmaking|steel foundries]] - where electrification is clearly possible. It does not deliver everything that is needed. But it delivers a lot.
** [[w:Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran|Vijay Vaitheeswaran]], writing as an identified author in a special section of the June 25, 2022 edition of ''The Economist'' entitled "Technology Quarterly: Climate Technology / The Energy Transition." This quote comes specifically from an article in that section entitled [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2022/06/23/electrifying-everything-does-not-solve-the-climate-crisis-but-it-is-a-great-start "Electrical tension: Electrifying everything does not solve the climate crisis, but it is a great start. Vijay Vaitheeswaran reports on what the transition still needs."] [[The Economist|''The Economist''.]] (June 25, 2022)

* Even if you're a [[w:Climate change denial|climate denier]], you should be on board with what we're advocating. . . . Our central conclusion is that we should go full speed ahead with the [[w:Energy transition|green energy transition]] because it's going to save us money.
** Professor [[w:J. Doyne Farmer|Doyne Farmer]], director of the Complexity Economics programme, [https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/about Institute for New Economic Thinking at Oxford University's Martin School,] as quoted in a BBC News article entitled [https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62892013 "Switching to renewable energy could save trillions - study: Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world as much as $12tn (£10.2tn) by 2050, an Oxford University study says;"] the article was written by Jonah Fisher. The quote summarizes the findings from an open access Oxford University study entitled [https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2542-4351%2822%2900410-X "Empirically grounded technology forecasts and the energy transition"] written by [https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/people/rupert-way/ Rupert Way,] [https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-matthew-ives/ Matthew C. Ives,] [https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/people/penny-mealy/ Penny Mealy,] and Professor Farmer.  (Both the BBC News story and the Oxford University report were published on Sept. 13, 2022)

* [[w:Energy storage#Chemical|[Storing energy using] hydrogen]] . . . is getting a lot of play now. You could [[w:Hydrogen fuel|burn hydrogen in a gas turbine to produce electricity]]. You could use hydrogen in [[w:Fuel cell|fuel cells]] that produce electricity without combustion; still a chemical reaction. Or you could simply [[w:Hydrogen storage#Ammonia and related compounds|use hydrogen to create ammonia, NH<sub>3</sub>]], which is another liquid, as opposed to gaseous, chemical storage medium. . . . [E]xperts say that we could probably [[w:Energy transition#Renewable energy|convert the grid]] 80% to renewable - that's [[w:Wind power|wind]] and [[w:Solar power|solar]] - without having to deal with [the] long-duration storage problem. We'd still use [[w:Gas-fired power plant|gas]] [[w:Peaking power plant|peaker plants]] for . . . 20% of the electricity that we need. [[w:100% renewable energy|If you want to do the other 20%]], you're going to have to solve that problem of . . . long-term [[w:Grid energy storage|storage for the grid]], days in a row. And you could do that with [[w:Energy storage#Mechanical|gravity storage]]. You could do that with a [[w:Energy storage#Chemical|chemical energy carrier]]. It's done with [[w:Natural gas|methane]] now. So [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out#Natural gas|we've got to get rid of the methane]]. But you could have hydrogen or ammonia or another chemical energy medium which is yet to be discovered. That's the challenge. We can get to 80%, but we can't get to 100%.
** [[w:George Crabtree|George Crabtree]], Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research at [[w:Argonne National Laboratory|Argonne National Laboratory]], in an interview on the US National Public Radio ''Morning Edition'' program entitled [https://www.npr.org/2022/11/17/1137334846/the-crucial-need-for-energy-storage-is-key-to-the-future-of-clean-energy "The crucial need for energy storage is key to the future of clean energy."] (November 17, 2022)

* The global energy crisis is driving a sharp acceleration in installations of renewable power, with total capacity growth worldwide set to almost double in the next five years, overtaking coal as the largest source of electricity generation along the way and helping keep alive the possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C . . . . Global renewable power capacity is now expected to grow by 2,400 gigawatts (GW) over the 2022-2027 period, an amount equal to the entire power capacity of [[China]] today, according to [https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ada7af90-e280-46c4-a577-df2e4fb44254/Renewables2022.pdf Renewables 2022,] the latest edition of the [[w:International Energy Agency|IEA {International Energy Agency}]]’s annual report on the sector. . . . The amount of renewable power capacity added in Europe in the 2022-27 period is forecast to be twice as high as in the previous five-year period, driven by a combination of energy security concerns and climate ambitions. . . . Beyond [[Europe]], the upward revision in renewable power growth for the next five years is also driven by China, the United States and India, which are all implementing policies and introducing regulatory and market reforms more quickly than previously planned to combat the energy crisis. . . . China is expected to account for almost half of new global renewable power capacity additions over the 2022-2027 period. Meanwhile, the US Inflation Reduction Act has provided new support and long-term visibility for the expansion of renewables in the United States. . . . Utility-scale solar PV [photovoltaics] and onshore wind are the cheapest options for new electricity generation in a significant majority of countries worldwide. Global solar PV capacity is set to almost triple over the 2022-2027 period, surpassing coal and becoming the largest source of power capacity in the world. The report also forecasts an acceleration of installations of solar panels on residential and commercial rooftops . . . . Global wind capacity almost doubles in the forecast period, with offshore projects accounting for one-fifth of the growth. Together, wind and solar will account for over 90% of the renewable power capacity that is added over the next five years. . . . While China remains the dominant player [in photovoltaic supply chains], its share in global manufacturing capacity could decrease from 90% today to 75% by 2027. . . . Total global biofuel demand is set to expand by 22% over the 2022-2027 period. . . . In advanced economies . . . faster growth [in renewable power capacity] would require various regulatory and permitting challenges to be tackled and a more rapid penetration of renewable electricity in the heating and transport sectors. In emerging and developing economies, [faster growth] would mean addressing policy and regulatory uncertainties, weak grid infrastructure and a lack of access to affordable financing that are hampering new projects. . . . Worldwide, the accelerated case requires efforts to resolve supply chain issues, expand grids and deploy more flexibility resources to securely manage larger shares of variable renewables. The accelerated case’s faster renewables growth would move the world closer to a pathway consistent with reaching net zero emissions by 2050, which offers an even chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.
** From [https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-power-s-growth-is-being-turbocharged-as-countries-seek-to-strengthen-energy-security the press release] accompanying the [[w:International Energy Agency|International Energy Agency]]'s [https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ada7af90-e280-46c4-a577-df2e4fb44254/Renewables2022.pdf annual report on renewable energy, or "Renewables 2022."] (December 6, 2022)
:'''About the quote''': The above quote summarizing [https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ada7af90-e280-46c4-a577-df2e4fb44254/Renewables2022.pdf the IEA's annual renewable energy report for 2022] contains very few links to Wikipedia pages or to any other information sources. For further information about any of the words or phrases in the quote, please refer to the report. Also, the quote changes "2 400 GW" (in the original) to "2,400 GW" (using a comma as a thousands-separator rather than a space, following the typical English-language convention).

* We have taken the first tentative steps towards [[w:Fusion power|a clean energy source that could revolutionize the world]].
** [[w:Jill Hruby|Jill M. Hruby]], Administrator of the US [[w:National Nuclear Security Administration|National Nuclear Security Administration]], announcing that scientists at [[w:National Ignition Facility|Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility]] had achieved [[w:Fusion ignition|nuclear "fusion ignition"]] (a controlled [[w:Nuclear fusion|nuclear fusion]] reaction which produced more energy than was required to initiate it), as quoted in [https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/13/nuclear-fusion-passes-major-milestone-net-energy.html "Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Scientists generate more power than used to create reaction."] [[w:CNBC|CNBC]]. (December 13, 2022)

====Confronting Climate Gridlock (book)====

[https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock: How Diplomacy, Technology, and Policy Can Unlock a Clean Energy Future''.] Book by [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan.] Published by Yale University Press on  March 29, 2022. ISBN 9780300251678 (hardcover).<br />
(All page references below are to the hardcover version of the book).

* [[w:Offshore wind power|Offshore wind]] [[w:Wind turbine|turbines]] reach even higher and wider than land-based ones. Though twice as expensive as land-based wind, their costs are falling fast. That’s making offshore wind increasingly attractive in [[w:List of offshore wind farms|coastal regions of Europe]] and [[w:List of offshore wind farms in the United States|the northeastern United States]], where population density is high, land is scarce, and winds over the ocean far outpace those over land.
** [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan], from page 83 of his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock'' (2022).]

* [W]e’ll never build enough [[w:Battery storage power station|batteries to back up the grid]]. Batteries are [[w:Grid energy storage#Economics|costly to build and costly to operate]], since [[w:Electric battery#Performance, capacity and discharge|energy is dissipated each time]] they are charged and discharged. [[w:Electric power transmission|Transmission]] moves power more efficiently. [[w:Hybrid power|Complementary resources]] smooth out supply. [[w:Energy demand management|Demand flexibility]] narrows [[w:Load balancing (electrical power)|gaps and surpluses]] between [[w:World energy supply and consumption|supply and demand]]. The more robustly we deploy complementary resources, transmission, and flexibility, the less storage we will need to build and the less often we will have to deploy it, reducing the overall [[w:Electricity pricing|costs of electricity]].
** [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan], from page 96 of his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock'' (2022).]

* [[w:Hydrogen economy|[H]ydrogen has many potential uses]], including [[w:Energy storage#Chemical|electricity storage]], [[w:Hydrogen vehicle#Heavy trucks|trucking]], chemical production, and [[w:Hydrogen fuel|industrial heat]] - which means options for [[w:Hydrogen production|producing]] and [[w:Hydrogen infrastructure|distributing]] hydrogen deserve a closer look. "Hydrogen is [[w:Green hydrogen|hard to make]], [[w:Hydrogen economy#Infrastructure|hard to move]], and [[w:Hydrogen storage|hard to store]], but [[w:Sustainable energy#Hydrogen|once you’ve got it, it is a brilliant ingredient]]," [[w:Michael Webber|[Professor Michael] Webber]] told me.
** [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/daniel-cohan Daniel S. Cohan], from page 119 of his book [https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Climate_Gridlock.html?id=qC-PzgEACAAJ ''Confronting Climate Gridlock'' (2022).]

====US Inflation Reduction Act====

* The [provisions of the proposed [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022|Inflation Reduction Act of 2022]], including] expansion of the wind and solar credits, the exciting expansion, or creation, of additional credits in green hydrogen, the inclusion of hydrogen cars in electric car credits, the extension of the electric car credits - all those things are good [but they're] not enough. The question now is, what do we do next?
** [[w:Bob Inglis|Bob Inglis]], former Republican congressman from South Carolina and current executive director of [https://republicen.org RepublicEn,] as quoted in [https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2022/0801/Carrots-not-sticks-Senate-bill-may-offer-template-for-climate-action "Carrots not sticks? Senate bill may offer template for climate action."] ''The Christian Science Monitor;'' article by Stephanie Hanes. (August 1, 2022)

* The [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|Inflation Reduction Act]] calls for spending less than $500 billion over a decade, compared with the American Rescue Plan’s $1.9 trillion in a single year . . . . But if the spending isn’t very large, how can it have such a big impact? The answer is that right now we’re sitting on a sort of cusp. [[w:Renewable energy|Renewable energy]] technology has made revolutionary progress, and renewables are already cheaper in many areas than [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]]. A moderate push from [[w:Climate change policy of the United States|public policy]] is all that it will take to [[w:Energy transition|transition]] to a much [[w:Green economy|greener economy]]. And the Inflation Reduction Act will provide that push.
** [[Paul Krugman]], winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, in a ''New York Times'' op-ed column entitled [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/opinion/climate-inflation-bill.html "Did Democrats Just Save Civilization?"] (August 8, 2022)

* [The [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|Inflation Reduction Act]]] . . . doesn’t solve the climate challenge. This is the beginning . . . and the implementation is going to be everything. This is . . . like a starting gun for a race that's going to . . . hopefully define the coming decade of building something better.
** [https://evergreenaction.com/who/staff/sam-ricketts Sam Ricketts,] a co-founder and senior advisor for the climate change advocacy group [https://www.evergreenaction.com/ Evergreen Action,] in a Climate One podcast episode entitled [https://www.climateone.org/audio/inflation-reduction-act-what%E2%80%99s-sausage "The Inflation Reduction Act: What's in the Sausage?"] (August 10, 2022)

* I’m about to sign the Inflation Reduction Act into law . . . .  [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|The [climate component of this legislation]]] invests $369 billion to take the most aggressive action ever . . . in confronting the [[w:Climate crisis|climate crisis]] and strengthening . . . our [[w:Energy security|energy security]].
** US President [[Joe Biden]], excerpted from [https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/08/16/remarks-by-president-biden-at-signing-of-h-r-5376-the-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022/ "Remarks by President Biden At Signing of H.R. 5376, The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022"] at whitehouse.gov. (For more extensive excerpts from Biden's remarks see the [[Joe Biden#Remarks upon signing the Inflation Reduction Act|"Remarks upon signing the Inflation Reduction Act" section of the "Joe Biden" Wikiquote page]]). (August 16, 2022)

* {[[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|The US Inflation Reduction Act of 2022]]} is really good for a [[w:Developing country|developing economy]] [[w:Climate change in Indonesia#Mitigation approaches|like Indonesia]] due to [[w:Spillover (economics)#Globalisation|spillover effects]] because of [[w:Experience curve effects|lower costs]] {[[w:Technological change#Diffusion|for technologies]] that help [[w:Climate change mitigation|mitigate climate change]]}.
** [https://iesr.or.id/en/fabby-tumiwa Fabby Tumiwa,] Executive Director of the IESR, an [[w:Energy in Indonesia|Indonesian energy]] and [[w:Environmental issues in Indonesia|environmental policy]] think tank, as quoted in [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/08/inflation-reduction-act-america-world-diplomacy/671293/ "The Biggest Thing to Happen in International Climate Diplomacy in Decades: The Inflation Reduction Act could change the world in at least five ways."] ''The Atlantic''. (Quote transcribed by and article written by Robinson Meyer.) (August 31, 2022)

* [T]he analogy [regarding the three recent US climate laws] we’ve been thinking about is the backbone, the [[brain]], and the lungs. So, the backbone being the [[w:Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act|Bipartisan Infrastructure Law {November 2021}]] . . . . That law [includes] investment in US infrastructure [such as] roads and bridges, but [[w:Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act#Impact_on_environment_and_climate|including significant energy infrastructure]]. Then there's the brain, the [[w:CHIPS and Science Act|CHIPS and Science Act {August 2022}]], and [https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/chips-science-act-summary/ chips being the semiconductors that are in {electric vehicles, energy infrastructure, etc.} . . . and the science part authorizes additional investments from Congress in science {related to grid upgrades, zero emissions research, etc. by the} National Science Foundation and DOE {Department of Energy}]. And then the third piece is the lungs. So, [taking a deep breath] ''breathing'' into that [[w:Renewable energy|clean energy]] [[w:Renewable energy commercialization|economy]], [[w:Inflation_Reduction_Act_of_2022|the Inflation Reduction Act {August 2022}]] incentivizes [[w:Inflation_Reduction_Act_of_2022#Energy_and_climate_change|deployment of clean technologies and really focuses on lowering costs for American families]].
** [https://www.climateone.org/people/carla-frisch Carla Frisch,] Acting Executive Director of the [https://www.energy.gov/policy/office-policy Office of Policy] at the [[w:United States Department of Energy|US Department of Energy]], in an interview segment from a Climate One podcast entitled [https://www.climateone.org/audio/inflation-reduction-act-passed-now-what "The Inflation Reduction Act Passed. Now What?"] (September 23, 2022)

* Great, that is fantastic . . . . We want to be able to see energy - clean energy - produced in every pocket of the country. Blue states, red states, really it helps to save people money, so it’s all about green.
** US Secretary of Energy [[w:Jennifer Granholm|Jennifer Granholm]], upon learning that many of the new [[w:Inflation Reduction Act#Energy and climate change|climate projects generated by the Inflation Reduction Act]] will create jobs and economic benefits in Republican-held ("red") Congressional districts; as quoted in [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/23/red-states-are-winning-big-from-dems-climate-law-00078420 "Big winners from Biden’s climate law: Republicans who voted against it - GOP lawmakers voted en masse against Biden’s signature bill. But roughly two-thirds of green-energy projects announced since it became law are going to Republican-held congressional districts, a POLITICO analysis found."] ''Politico''. (Article written by Kelsey Tamborrino and Josh Siegel.) (January 23, 2023)

* [[w:Climate change policy of the United States#Federal policy|[I]f you think about how many times [US] politicians have tried and failed to pass climate legislation]], it's really notable that the [[w:Inflation Reduction Act of 2022#Energy and climate change|Inflation Reduction Act]] went through. So in the past, basically legislators tried to have sticks: . . . there would be a [[w:Carbon emission trading|cap and trade]] bill; people had debated a [[w:Carbon tax|carbon tax]]. The Inflation Reduction Act includes [[w:Carrot and stick|no sticks, it's only carrots]]. . . . [T]his law is kind of a complicated way to try to go about [[w:Low-carbon economy|decarbonizing]] America, but it proved to be the only [[w:Political feasibility analysis|politically viable option]] that [[w:Category:Climate change policy in the United States|American politicians had yet come up with]]. And so, I think, on those terms, it's absolutely a victory . . . for [[w:Climate movement|those who were trying to advance some kind of climate legislation]] through Washington.
** [https://mediadirectory.economist.com/people/charlotte-howard/ Charlotte Howard,] Executive Editor and New York Bureau Chief at ''The Economist'', in a segment on the ''Marketplace Morning Report'' radio program entitled [https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/how-could-federal-dollars-transform-american-manufacturing/ "How could federal dollars transform American manufacturing?"] (February 20, 2023)

====COP27 Climate Conference in Egypt====

[[w:2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference|27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (or "COP27")]], held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6th to 18th, 2022

* [[w:Climate security|Climate security]] goes hand in hand with [[w:Energy security|energy security]]. Putin’s abhorrent [[w:Russo-Ukrainian War|war in Ukraine]] and [[w:2021–2023 global energy crisis|rising energy prices across the world]] are not a reason to go slow on [[w:Climate change mitigation|climate change]]. They are a reason to act faster. Because diversifying [[w:Energy in the United Kingdom|our energy supplies]] by [[w:Energy policy of the United Kingdom|investing]] in [[w:Renewable energy in the United Kingdom|renewables]] is precisely the way to insure ourselves against the risks of [[w:Energy independence|energy dependency]]. It is also a fantastic source of new [[w:Renewable energy industry#Employment|jobs]] and [[w:Green growth|growth]].
** UK Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]], addressing the COP27 representatives. Excerpted from a gov.uk transcript of the speech subtitled [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-cop27-7-november-2022 "Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's statement at the COP27 summit in Egypt,"] and from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnROCTWn1j4 a combined video of COP27 speeches provided by ''The Telegraph'' news website (the speech begins at approximately 2:49:50).] (Nov. 7, 2022)

* [COP27] ended on Sunday morning with researchers largely frustrated at the lack of any ambition to [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out|phase out fossil fuels]]. However, there was one silver lining: delegates from [[w:Climate change and poverty|low]] and [[w:List of countries by GNI (nominal) per capita|middle income countries]] (LMICs) came away with [[w:Loss and damage#COP 27: Loss and Damage accepted, Santiago Network to establish framework|an agreement on a new 'loss and damage' fund]] to help them cover the [[w:Economic impacts of climate change|costs of climate-change impacts]]. . . . Many blamed [[w:2021–2023_global_energy_crisis#2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine|the energy crisis]] [[w:Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine#Energy and oil|sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine]] for a lack of progress on [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]].
** Ehsan Masood, Jeff Tollefson and Aisling Irwin, journalists writing for the science journal ''Nature'', in [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03807-0 "COP27 climate talks: what succeeded, what failed and what’s next: Researchers are frustrated at the glacial pace of decarbonisation - but cheered the commitment to create a 'loss and damage' fund."] (Nov. 21, 2022)

===2023===

* [T]he change we need is to put [[w:Innovation|innovation]] at the heart of everything we do. . . . [M]ajor challenges like [[w:Energy security|energy security]] and [https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition net zero] will be solved by [[innovation]]. [https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/educational/explainers/tell-me-more/html/growth.en.html The more we innovate, the more we grow.]
** UK Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] in his first major speech of 2023. Excerpted from an [https://www.energylivenews.com/about-us/ Energy Live News] [https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/01/04/rishi-sunak-says-net-zero-will-be-solved-by-innovation/ brief summary and short video clip of the climate-related points from the speech,] and from a [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-on-making-2023-the-first-year-of-a-new-and-better-future-4-january-2023 gov.uk transcript and video of the full speech.] (Jan. 4, 2023)

* India has to do it for itself. . . . And India needs to do it for the world.
** [[Rachel Kyte]], Dean of the Fletcher School of international affairs at Tufts University, discussing [https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/global-widening-impact-of-climate-change-on-air-pollution-in-south-asia-requires-urgent-international-cooperation-and-assistance/ the benefits that will flow to India from its efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,] as well as [https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/india-holds-the-key-to-hitting-global-climate-change-targets-here-s-why/  the benefits that will also flow to the entire world community.] The quote is from a ''Time'' magazine article entitled [https://time.com/6246057/india-coal-solar-power-climate-fight/ "How India Became the Most Important Country in the Climate Fight;"] the article was written by ''Time'' senior correspondent Justin Worland. (Jan. 12, 2023)
 
* Last year was a double milestone for [[w:Low-carbon economy|decarbonizing]] the [[w:World energy supply and consumption|world’s]] [[w:Energy system|energy system]]. It was the first year when [[w:Climate finance|investment]] in the [[w:Energy transition|energy transition]] [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out|equaled]] global investment in [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] . . . . [And] 2022 was . . . the first year when investment in [[w:Carbon neutrality|decarbonizing]] [[w:Energy industry|energy]] surpassed $1 trillion. The year-on-year increase of more than $250 billion from 2021 was the largest jump yet.
** [https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AQDSs66i7ts/nathaniel-bullard#:~:text=Nat%20Bullard%20is%20a%20senior,technology%20companies%20and%20climate%20investors. Nat Bullard,] a "senior contributor" at [[w:Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] Green, and a venture partner at [https://www.voyagervc.com Voyager Venture Capital,] an early-stage climate technology investor, summarizing the information in a [[w:Bloomberg_L.P.#New_Energy_Finance|BloombergNEF]] report entitled [https://about.bnef.com/blog/global-low-carbon-energy-technology-investment-surges-past-1-trillion-for-the-first-time/ "Global Low-Carbon Energy Technology Investment Surges Past $1 Trillion for the First Time."] The quote is taken from a ''Time'' magazine article written by Bullard entitled [https://time.com/6250469/clean-energy-investment-sets-1-1-trillion-record-matching-fossil-fuels-for-the-first-time/ "Clean Energy Investment Sets $1.1 Trillion Record, Matching Fossil Fuels For the First Time."] (Jan. 26, 2023)

* [T]he process for the permitting of [[w:Renewable energy in the United States|renewable energy generation]] and [[w:Electric power transmission|electric transmission]] projects in the United States [https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-does-permitting-for-clean-energy-infrastructure-work/ is multi-layered and often extremely long.] If the U.S. is to achieve [[w:Climate change policy of the United States|its climate ambitions]] and fully implement transformative legislation like the [[w:Inflation Reduction Act#Energy and climate change|Inflation Reduction Act]], [https://time.com/6267353/congress-must-do-speed-up-the-green-energy-transition/ Congress will also have to enable a massively accelerated build-out of clean energy infrastructure.] At the same time, [https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3776418-senate-rejects-manchins-energy-permitting-amendment-to-defense-bill/ valuable environmental safeguards, and the established public participatory and related administrative processes used to adopt and implement them, cannot simply be sidestepped.] Congress should approach federal permitting reform in a way that maximizes efficiency in government decisionmaking through shorter [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/06/outdated-us-energy-grid-tons-of-clean-energy-stuck-waiting-in-line.html timelines for regulatory approvals] without sacrificing the value of the current process in protecting the environment and [https://solsmart.org/resource/stakeholder-engagement local stakeholders.] Further, it is essential that reforms are [[w:Evidence-based policy|evidence-based]] in targeting the major sources of current delays.
** From the [https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-reform-federal-permitting-to-accelerate-clean-energy-infrastructure-a-nonpartisan-way-forward/ executive summary] of a [[w:Brookings Institution|Brookings Institution]] [https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230213_CRM_Patnaik_Permitting_FINAL.pdf report entitled "How to reform federal permitting to accelerate clean energy infrastructure: A nonpartisan way forward"] written by Rayan Sud, Sanjay Patnaik, and Robert Glicksman. (Feb. 14, 2023)

* Because [[Australia]] has {aggressively incentivized adoption of} [[w:Rooftop solar power|rooftop solar]], [[w:Solar power in Australia#Incentives|the economics are extraordinary]]. . . . So if we use [[w:Solar power in Australia#Potential|our cheap sunshine]] to [[w:Plug-in electric vehicles in Australia|drive our cars]] and [[w:Solar thermal energy in Australia|heat our homes]], we're going to save money sooner.
** [[w:Saul Griffith|Saul Griffith]], Australian-American engineer, [[w:MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur fellow]] and author of the book [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Big_Switch.html?id=YBpZEAAAQBAJ ''The Big Switch: Australia’s Electric Future'', Black Inc., an imprint of Schwartz Books (2022).] The quote is from an Australian Broadcasting Corporation News article entitled [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-27/saul-griffith-plan-to-rewire-australia/101762960 "Rewiring Australia founder Saul Griffith is a man on a mission to electrify the nation, one suburb at a time."] (Article written by Matt Henry and Olivia Rousset.) (Feb. 26, 2023)

* In the last several months all the key associations looked across the table and realised we were arguing for the same thing. . . . This is [[w:Wind power in the United States|Big Wind]] and [[w:Solar power in the United States|Big Solar]] coming to the table and saying [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/20/clean-energy-bottleneck-transmission-lines/ we want to get things done.] . . . It will not be possible to achieve anything close to a climate solution with [https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-does-permitting-for-clean-energy-infrastructure-work/ the current {permitting} system] in place.
** [https://cleanpower.org/about/team/jason-grumet/#:~:text=Jason%20Grumet%20leads%20the%20American,ACP)%20as%20Chief%20Executive%20Officer. Jason Grumet,] CEO of the [https://cleanpower.org/ American Clean Power Association,] as quoted in [https://www.ft.com/content/adf4d72c-9c7b-46a5-960f-70a700072721 "US renewables industry joins Big Oil to fight delays to project permits: Unlikely alliance underlines frustration that lengthy review process is hampering energy development."] ''Financial Times''; article written by Myles McCormick and Aime Williams. (Apr. 23, 2023)

* [[w:Green hydrogen|{H}ydrogen]] is seen as a way to substitute large amounts of [[w:2021–2023 global energy crisis|energy that we’re buying now at extremely high costs]] from [[w:Regional effects of the 2021–2022 global energy crisis#Germany|countries that we shouldn’t buy this from]].
** [https://www.ecac-ceac.org/18-biographies/372-nils-aldag-sunfire Nils Aldag,] CEO of [https://golden.com/wiki/Sunfire_(company)-K46Z658 Sunfire GmbH,] a German manufacturer of hydrogen [[w:Electrolysis of water|electrolyzers]], commenting on the ten-fold increase in the number of product orders Sunfire receives compared with 2021. The quote is taken from a ''Financial Times'' article entitled [https://www.ft.com/content/eb597d26-fd02-4ca0-94fc-74bd17e0f3b3 "Ukraine war and Biden’s IRA force EU to accelerate energy transition: But business leaders warn that high electricity prices and a barrage of regulation could discourage investment;"] the article was written by Alice Hancock. (May 29, 2023)

* And it's just the beginning. You know, we also protected the most significant breakthrough ever—ever—in dealing with the existential threat of climate change. Today, new wind and solar power is cheaper than fossil fuel. Since I've been in office, clean energy and advanced manufacturing have brought in $470 billion in private [[Investment|investments]]. That's going to create thousands of [[Employment|jobs]]—good-paying jobs—all across this country and help the environment at the same time. And remember, at the beginning of this debate, some of my [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] colleagues were determined to gut the clean energy investments. And I said no, and we kept them all.
** [[Joe Biden]], [https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-nation-the-passage-public-debt-limit-and-federal-budget-legislation Address to the Nation on the Passage of Public Debt Limit and Federal Budget Legislation], 2 June 2023

* We have a tremendous sense of pride [[w:Tulsa,_Oklahoma#Economy|in our history]] . . . But we also understand that [[w:Energy|energy is energy]], whether it is generated by [[w:Wind power in Oklahoma|wind]], [[w:Steam turbine|steam]] or [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/letters/letter-former-tulsa-mayor-excited-for-new-solar-cell-company-to-tulsa-region/article_b38df5f0-f8db-11ed-a1c5-67674433c095.html whatever it might be.]
** [https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/mayor-of-tulsa/gallery-of-mayors/ Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 2009 to 2016], and [https://tulsaports.com/board/dewey-follett-bartlett-jr/ Chairman of the Board at Tulsa Ports,] discussing the business and economic growth opportunities presented by the expanding [[w:Renewable_energy_in_the_United_States|US renewable energy sector]]. The quote is from an article in ''The New York Times'' entitled [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/12/climate/clean-energy-us-fossil-fuels.html “The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think: The United States is pivoting away from fossil fuels and toward wind, solar and other renewable energy, even in areas dominated by the oil and gas industries.”] (Aug. 17, 2023)

* [[w:Solar energy|Solar energy]] is the [https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/solar/where-solar-is-found.php most widely available energy resource] on Earth, and [https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/19/solar-is-growing-faster-than-any-energy-source-as-clean-power-for-data-centers.html its economic attractiveness is improving] fast in a [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/solar-power-due-overtake-oil-production-investment-first-time-iea-2023-05-25/ cycle of increasing investments.] . . . [D]ue to technological trajectories set in motion by past policy, [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-19/solar-energy-has-crossed-a-global-tipping-point-study-finds a global irreversible solar tipping point may have passed where solar energy gradually comes to dominate global electricity markets, without any further climate policies.] Uncertainties arise, however, over [[w:Variable renewable energy#Solutions for their integration|grid stability in a renewables-dominated power system]], the availability of [[w:Renewable energy in developing countries#Recent Developments in Financing Renewable Energy|sufficient finance in underdeveloped economies]], the capacity of [[w:Supply chain|supply chains]] and [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out#Challenges|political resistance from regions that lose employment]].
** From the introductory abstract of a study led by the University of Exeter and University College London which was published in the British science journal [[w:Nature Communications|''Nature Communications'']] entitled [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41971-7 "The momentum of the solar energy transition."] (Oct. 17, 2023)

* [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/worlds-largest-fusion-project-is-in-big-trouble-new-documents-reveal/ {T}he challenges are great] but we have the conviction that by working together - [[w:European Commission|the {European} Commission]], the [[w:ITER|ITER Organization]] and [[w:Fusion for Energy|F4E {Fusion for Energy}]] - we can overcome them and slowly but steadily bring the ITER project back on its rails.
** [https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/marc-lachaise-appointed-f4e-director Marc Lachaise,]  Director of [[w:Fusion for Energy|Fusion for Energy]] (the organization responsible for overseeing [[w:ITER#Funding|the European Union’s 45.4% contribution for the cost of ITER’s construction]]), as quoted in a Fusion for Energy news release entitled [https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/addressing-iters-great-challenges/ “Addressing ITER’s great challenges.”] The statement was made while discussing [[w:ITER#Manufacturing|construction]] delays in what is planned to be the world’s largest [[w:Magnetic confinement fusion|magnetic confinement fusion]] [[w:Tokamak|tokamak]] and [[w:ITER#Timeline and status|its achievement of “first plasma.”]] (Oct. 30, 2023)

* [[w:Electricity generation|Electricity generation]]. We expect that the 23 gigawatts (GW) in 2023 and 37 GW in 2024 of new solar capacity scheduled to come online will help [[w:Solar power in the United States|U.S. solar generation]] grow by 15% in 2023 and by 39% in 2024. We expect solar and [[w:Wind power in the United States|wind generation]] together in 2024 to overtake [[w:Coal power in the United States|electric power generation from coal]] for the first year ever, exceeding coal by nearly 90 billion kilowatthours.
** [[w:Energy Information Administration|US Energy Information Administration]] in its [https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/pdf/steo_full.pdf "Short-Term Energy Outlook December 2023" (PDF download),] pages 2 and 3. (Dec. 2, 2023)

* We're not interested in a pilot [climate project] just for experimentation. . . . We're interested in proving that they work and that then we can [[w:Scalability|scale]] them. . . . Utilities [can't afford to] move fast and break things [but they] can be great mechanisms for scaling up [[w:Innovation|innovation]].
** [https://americanenergyinnovation.org/person/robert-blue/ Robert Blue], CEO at [[w:Dominion Energy|Dominion Energy, a Virginia-based, investor-owned utility that supplies electricity in three states and natural gas in twelve states]], as quoted in [https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/podcasts/dominion-ceo-bob-blue-on-offshore-wind-batteries-and-the-utilitys-role-in-the-energy-transition/#gref "Dominion CEO Bob Blue on offshore wind, batteries, and the utility's role in the energy transition: Dominion Energy CEO Bob Blue joined Episode 69 of the ''Factor This!'' podcast to break down Dominion's ambitious carbon reduction plan, offshore wind's turbulent waters, and why the utility is leaning in on long-duration battery tech.”] [https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/factor-this-podcast/#gref Renewable Energy World's "Factor This!" podcast.] Article written by and podcast interview conducted by John Engel. (Dec. 4, 2023)

* I think [it’s] to be determined {whether the post-pandemic, low-interest-rate-fueled investment spike which flowed to [[w:Commercial fusion|non-governmental fusion companies]] will actually result in commercially viable [[w:Fusion power|fusion power]]}. . . . When interest rates were low, people were willing to make long-term bets. [However, the] level of investment was substantial, and it should yield technological progress.
** [https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/carlos-paz-soldan Carlos Paz-Soldan,] physics professor at Columbia University, as quoted in a National Public Radio article entitled [https://www.npr.org/2023/12/04/1215539157/companies-say-theyre-closing-in-on-nuclear-fusion-as-an-energy-source-will-it-wo "Companies say they're closing in on nuclear fusion as an energy source. Will it work?"] (The article tracks a ''Morning Edition'' embedded audio transmission segment, and it paraphrases Paz-Soldan’s conclusion that since interest rates have gone up recently, fusion companies which can’t show significant progress may not be able to raise money in future [[w:Venture round|venture rounds]].) (Dec. 4, 2023)

* If the world is to decarbonise, then more clean energy is needed, fast. [To meet current UNFCCC pledges, countries must] raise global renewable-energy capacity to 11,000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. [However, supply chain problems and rising interest rates cloud the industry's future. Another obstacle is slow permitting] approval, which delays projects for years and can needlessly tie up capital, lowering returns. [And,] too little development is happening in the global south [because investors require a premium when venturing money in emerging markets]. A last obstacle is protectionism, which raises costs and threatens shortages. . . . Rather than micromanaging production, governments should unleash investment, by acting boldly to strip back permitting rules and ease the risk of projects in the global south [which can come from blending in government money in southern projects that assumes some risk]. They also need to face up to the fact that protectionism frustrates their climate goals. It leads to lower returns, higher prices for power and more broken promises over decarbonisation.
** ''[[The Economist]]'' (in keeping with longstanding tradition Economist articles are typically unsigned, which permits the news magazine to speak with one collective voice).  Excerpted from an article in a Dec. 9th - 15th 2023 physical copy of the magazine entitled "Power Trip: Expanding renewable-energy capacity is becoming worryingly hard." An online (subscription-required) version of the article can be found [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/12/07/green-protectionism-will-slow-the-energy-transition here.] (Dec. 7, 2023)

* [D]ata from the World Meteorological Agency show that, as the U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres, told the [[w:2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference|{COP28} global climate talks in Dubai]] last week, we can safely say, even with weeks to go, that [[w:2023 heat waves|2023 will take the title {as the world's hottest year on record}]]. . . . And yet . . . [a]lmost simultaneous with the breakout in temperature, [[w:Energy transition#Drivers for current energy transition|there was a breakout in the installation of renewable energy]], especially [[w:Solar power|solar power]], [https://www.businessinsider.com/renewable-energy-how-much-added-wind-solar-evs-2023-12 around the world.] . . . [https://www.npr.org/2023/10/05/1203846437/u-s-transition-to-clean-energy-is-happening-faster-than-you-think-reporter-says {T}he cost of clean energy has dropped so far that it is now possible that saving the planet might be a corollary of saving cash.] [[w:Cost of electricity by source|This ongoing drop in price is more than a decade old, but sometime in the past few years it crossed an invisible line, making it cheaper than hydrocarbons]], and [https://www.iea.org/reports/renewable-energy-market-update-june-2023/executive-summary this was the year when that reality finally translated into dramatic action on the ground.] . . . There are plenty of other technologies we’re [currently] spending money on, including [[w:Small modular reactor|small nuclear reactors]] and [[w:Direct air capture|giant carbon-sucking machines]], that may or may not someday play a role in the climate fight, but, for all the furor they produce, they seem unlikely to make much difference anytime soon. In the next few years, while the planet’s [[w:Climate system|climate system]] teeters on the edge of breaking, it’s [[w:Solar energy|sun]], [[w:Wind power|wind]], and [[w:Battery storage power station|batteries]] that matter. They’re cheap, and they’re ready.
** [[Bill McKibben]], climate change activist, author and journalist, writing in ''The New Yorker'' in an article entitled [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2023-in-review/the-un-announces-the-hottest-year "The U.N. Announces the Hottest Year: The climate heated up, but clean energy did, too."] (Dec. 12, 2023)

* {In 2023 it was the [https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-clean-energy-sector-was-biggest-driver-2023-gdp-growth-research-report-2024-01-25 clean economy expansion efforts of} China] that blew everyone away. In what may be the single biggest sustainability headline of the year, [[w:Sinopec|China’s national oil company, Sinopec]], said [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-08-29/china-reaches-peak-gasoline-in-milestone-for-electric-vehicles the country had reached peak gasoline demand] (in part by [[w:Electric vehicle industry in China|radically increasing sales of EVs]]). Some analysts believe [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/11/china-climate-emissions-peak-cop28/ China may have peaked in total carbon emissions already.] The country was on track to [https://www.rystadenergy.com/news/china-s-solar-capacity-surges-expected-to-top-1-tw-by-2026 add 150 gigawatts of solar this year (versus adding 87 gigawatts in 2022),] more than [[w:Solar power in the United States|the ''total'' capacity in the U.S.]] And in a rare positive moment in U.S.-China relations, [https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/15/world/us-china-climate-announcement-summit-intl-hnk/index.html the countries agreed to ramp up renewables.] If all the estimates are true, it’s a monumental and fundamental shift in [[w:World energy supply and consumption|global energy]] and [[w:Transport|transportation systems]] . . . . On the other hand . . . As critics point out, [[w:Coal in China|China is permitting more coal plants, but this can get misconstrued. (People say to me that China is building two plants per week when, in reality, many don’t get built.) The new plants are much cleaner, it’s generally backup power, and China is also cancelling and shelving plants rapidly as well.]]
** [https://andrewwinston.com/about/ Andrew Winston,] sustainable business author, writing in [[w:Harvard Business Review|''Harvard Business Review'']], in [https://hbr.org/2023/12/2023-a-strange-tumultuous-year-in-sustainability "2023: A Strange, Tumultuous Year in Sustainability."] (Dec. 28, 2023)

====COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai====

[[w:2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference|28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (or "COP28")]], held in Expo City, Dubai from November 30th to December 12th, 2023

* It is often heard . . . that efforts to [[w:Climate change mitigation|mitigate climate change]] by [[w:Fossil fuel phase-out|reducing the use of fossil fuels]] and developing [[w:Sustainable energy|cleaner energy sources]] will lead to a [[w:Unemployment|reduction in the number of jobs]]. What is happening is that millions of [[w:Climate change and poverty|people are losing their jobs]] due to different [[w:Effects of climate change|effects of climate change]]: [[w:Sea level rise|rising sea levels]], [[w:Drought#Precipitation deficiency due to climate change|droughts]] and other [[w:Effects of climate change#Impacts on societies|phenomena affecting the planet have left many people adrift]]. Conversely, [[w:Energy transition|the transition]] to [[w:Renewable energy|renewable forms of energy]], properly managed, as well as efforts to [[w:Climate change adaptation|adapt to the damage caused by climate change]], are capable of [[w:Low-carbon economy#Benefits|generating countless jobs in different sectors]]. This demands that [[w:Politics of climate change|politicians]] and [[w:Economics of climate change mitigation|business leaders]] should even now be concerning themselves with it.
** [[Pope Francis]], in [https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html the English language version] of his [[w:Laudate Deum|"''Laudate Deum''" apostolic exhortation]], paragraph 10.  The Vatican released the document about a month before the COP28 climate conference to encourage the negotiators in Dubai [https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/climate-change-its-human-causes-cannot-be-denied-papal-document-says-2023-10-04/ "to transcend their petty interests and to think in bigger terms {so} that COP28 will allow for a decisive acceleration of energy transition."] (Oct. 4, 2023)

* We are edging ever-closer to a [[w:Fusion power|fusion-powered]] reality. And at the same time, yes, significant scientific and engineering challenges exist. . . . Careful thought and thoughtful policy is going to be critical to navigate this.
** [[John Kerry]], U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate speaking at the COP28 climate summit, announcing that the US would seek to cooperate with other nations in five areas related to fusion power development: research, future marketplace development, regulatory frameworks, maintaining a workforce pipeline, and improving public education / engagement. Kerry's announcement echoed the themes in [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/12/02/international-partnerships-in-a-new-era-of-fusion-energy-development/ a White House press release issued three days earlier.] The quote comes from an Associated Press article entitled [https://apnews.com/article/fusion-nuclear-john-kerry-cop28-climate-power-energy-40ffa257eae528163f68554368cacfee "At COP28, John Kerry unveils nuclear fusion strategy as a source of clean energy;"] the article was written by Jennifer McDermott. (Dec. 5, 2023)

* {[[w:United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change|UNFCCC participant countries]] should transition} away from [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] in [[w:Energy system|energy systems]], in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in [[w:2020s#Global goals and issues|this critical decade]], so as to achieve [[w:Net zero emissions|net zero]] [[w:Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C|by 2050 in keeping with the science]][; they should also accelerate] efforts towards the phase-down of [[w:Health and environmental impact of the coal industry#Greenhouse gas emissions|unabated coal power]][; and triple] [[w:List of countries by renewable electricity production|renewable energy capacity globally]].
** [[w:2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference#Draft and final agreements|Agreement ending the COP28 UN Climate Conference in Dubai, UAE]], as quoted in [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/13/countries-agree-to-deal-at-cop28-climate-summit.html "COP28 climate summit ends with deal to transition away from fossil fuels."] CNBC. Article written by Ruxandra Iordache (editor) and Sam Meredith (correspondent). (Dec. 13, 2023)

* {[[w:United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change|UNFCCC participant countries]] should accelerate} [[w:Zero emission|zero-]] and [[w:Low-carbon economy#Decarbonisation technologies|low-emission technologies]], including, inter alia, [[w:Renewable energy|renewables]], [[w:Nuclear power|nuclear]], abatement and removal technologies such as [[w:Carbon capture and utilization|carbon capture and utilization]] and [[w:Carbon capture and storage|storage]].
** [[w:2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference#Draft and final agreements|Agreement ending the COP28 UN Climate Conference in Dubai, UAE]], as quoted in [https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/takeaways-cop28-climate-deal-2023-12-13/ "Takeaways from the COP28 climate deal."] Reuters. Article written by Richard Valdmanis. (Dec. 13, 2023)

* No, the Cop28 agreement will not enable the world to hold [[w:Paris Agreement#Aims|the 1.5C limit]], but yes, the result is a pivotal landmark. This agreement delivers on making it clear to all financial institutions, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/protake-what-cop-means-for-companies-9ca428f7 businesses] and societies that we are now finally – eight years behind [[w:Paris Agreement#Implementation|the Paris schedule]] – at the true [[w:Low-carbon economy|"beginning of the end" of the fossil fuel-driven world economy]].
** Professor [[w:Johan Rockström|Johan Rockström]], joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, as quoted in [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/13/cop28-landmark-deal-agreed-to-transition-away-from-fossil-fuels "Cop28 landmark deal agreed to 'transition away' from fossil fuels: Summit president hails 'historic package to accelerate climate action' but critics decry 'litany of loopholes' in final text."] ''The Guardian.'' Article written by Adam Morton, Patrick Greenfield, Fiona Harvey and Nina Lakhani (in Dubai), and Damian Carrington (environment editor). (Dec. 13, 2023)

* Tripling {[[w:List of countries by renewable electricity production|global renewable energy capacity]]} is a monumental change. . . . We don't have any structures that fit 100% with the new system that is coming.
**[[w:Francesco La Camera|Francesco La Camera]], Director-General of the [[w:International Renewable Energy Agency|International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)]], commenting on the challenges of achieving a tripling target that was embraced by the COP delegates after it was promoted by IRENA. The quote is from an article in a Dec. 14th physical copy of ''The Wall Street Journal'' entitled "Climate Deal Puts Pressure on Renewables: Price drops, surging growth in solar and wind make goals more realistic." Article written by Ed Ballard. An online (subscription-required) version of the article can be found [https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/climate-deal-puts-pressure-on-renewables-1097a195?mod=itp_wsj here.] (Dec. 13, 2023)

* This is not a transition that will happen from one day to the other . . . . Whole economies and societies are dependent on [[w:Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]]. [[w:Fossil fuel divestment|Fossil capital will not disappear]] just because we made a decision here. [But the COP28 final agreement sends] a strong political message that this is the pathway.
** [[w:Susana Muhamad|Susana Muhamad]], Colombia's Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, as quoted in [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/climate/cop28-climate-agreement.html "In a First, Nations at Climate Summit Agree to Move Away From Fossil Fuels: Nearly 200 countries convened by the United Nations approved a milestone plan to ramp up renewable energy and transition away from coal, oil and gas."] ''The New York Times.'' Article written by Brad Plumer and Max Bearak ("reporting from the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates"). (Dec. 13, 2023)

===2024===
* [[w:Renewable energy in China|China's status as the colossus of renewable energy]] is set to be cemented in the next five years, with the world's second-biggest economy [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/renewable-energy-capacity-could-more-than-double-by-2030/ adding more capacity] than [[w:List of countries by renewable electricity production|the rest of globe combined]]. The [[w:International Energy Agency|International Energy Agency]] said in its [https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2023 Renewables 2023 report] . . . that China will account for 56% of renewable energy capacity additions in the 2023-28 period. . . . There is also a caveat to China's rapid build-out of renewable capacity because at the same time [[w:Coal in China|it is still adding substantial coal-fired generation]]. China is the world's biggest coal [[w:Coal in China#Production|producer]] and [[w:Coal in China#Imports|importer]] and has more coal-fired capacity [https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/1160441919/china-is-building-six-times-more-new-coal-plants-than-other-countries-report-finds under construction] than the rest of the world combined. [https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-tracker/ China is building 136.24 GW of coal-fired generation, and has another 255.5 GW at the announced, pre-permit or permitted stage,] according to data compiled by the [[w:Global Energy Monitor|Global Energy Monitor]]. . . . It's clear that [[w:Electricity sector in China|renewables are increasing their share of China's power generation]], but it's equally clear [[w:Electricity sector in China#Coal power|coal-fired power is going to be around for decades to come]], and that if China does meet [[w:Climate change in China|its goal of net-zero emissions by 2060]], it will largely be achieved in the final years prior to the deadline.
** [https://www.reuters.com/authors/clyde-russell/ Clyde Russell,] an "Asia Commodities and Energy Columnist" at Reuters, in a commentary column entitled [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-dominates-renewable-energy-coal-power-forecasts-russell-2024-01-11/ "China dominates renewable energy and coal power forecasts."] Reuters. Column edited by Tom Hogue. (Jan. 11, 2024)

*  A [[w:Virtual power plant|virtual power plant]] is a system of [[w:Distributed generation|distributed energy resources]] - like [[w:Rooftop solar power|rooftop solar panels,]] [[w:Charging station|electric vehicle chargers]], and [[w:Home automation|smart]] [[w:Water heating|water heaters]] - that work together to balance [[w:Distributed_generation#Technologies|energy supply]] and [[w:Electric_energy_consumption#Electricity_consumption_by_sector|demand]] on a large scale. They are usually run by local [[w:Electric utility|utility companies]] who oversee this balancing act. . . . VPPs can . . . allow grid operators to [[w:Energy demand management|control the demand from end users]]. For example, [[w:Smart thermostat|smart thermostats]] linked to [[w:Air conditioning|air conditioning]] units can [stagger] cooling times [to] help [[w:Grid balancing|prevent abrupt demand hikes that might overwhelm the grid]] and cause [[w:Power outage|outages]]. Similarly, [[w:Vehicle-to-grid|electric vehicle chargers can adapt to the grid’s requirements by either supplying]] or utilizing electricity. These distributed energy sources connect to the grid through communication technologies like [[w:Wi-Fi|Wi-Fi]], [[w:Bluetooth|Bluetooth]], and [[w:Cellular network|cellular services]].
** [[w:MIT Technology Review|MIT Technology Review]] contributor [https://www.technologyreview.com/author/june-kim/ June Kim,] in an article entitled [https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/07/1087836/how-virtual-power-plants-are-shaping-tomorrows-energy-system/ "How virtual power plants are shaping tomorrow’s energy system: By orchestrating EVs, batteries, and smart home devices, VPPs can help make the grid cleaner and more efficient."] (Feb. 7, 2024)

* [Batteries are] able to very effectively manage [[w:Duck curve|that evening ramp where solar is going down and customer demand is increasing]]. [Batteries also] made some differences [[w:2023_in_climate_change#Measurements_and_statistics|last summer]]. We were able to meet [[w:2023 Western North America heat wave|high load days]] and [[w:2023 California wildfires|wildfire days]] when we might lose some [[w:Overhead power line|power lines]].
** [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-phipps-47589870 John Phipps,] executive director of grid operations for the [[w:California Independent System Operator|California Independent System Operator]], as quoted in an article in ''The New York Times'' entitled [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/07/climate/battery-electricity-solar-california-texas.html "Giant Batteries Are Transforming the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity: They’re delivering solar power after dark in California and helping to stabilize grids in other states. And the technology is expanding rapidly."] Article written by Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich. (May 7, 2024)

* We have to be able to integrate all [https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2024/06/renewables-surpass-30-percent-us-electrical-generation {the new} low-cost, renewable energy] {flowing into the [[w:North American power transmission grid|North American electrical grid]]} fast . . . . {With [[w:Electric_power_transmission#Reconductoring|reconductoring]], you’re} not acquiring a new [[w:Right of way|right of way]]; you’re not building new [[w:Transmission tower|towers]]. So [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/climate/electric-grid-more-power.html it can be done much faster.] . . . In the longer run, newer lines will play an important role{, but reconductoring is an inexpensive, quick way of keeping up with the increasing stresses placed on the [[w:Electrical grid|electrical grid]] by changes in both [https://apnews.com/article/renewable-energy-climate-solar-wind-fossil-fuels-2718fce0ed37232dc25dbf46fff87955 supply] and [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-surging-demand-for-energy-and-rise-of-ai-is-straining-the-power-grid-in-u-s/ demand.]}
** [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amol-phadke-544a7784/ Amol Phadke,] an energy scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a contributing “corresponding author” of a report entitled [https://www.2035report.com/reconductoring/ “Reconductoring with Advanced Conductors Can Accelerate the Rapid Transmission Expansion Required for a Clean Grid”], as quoted in an article in ''The Washington Post'' written by Shannon Osaka entitled [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/05/28/reconductoring-us-electricity-grid-renewables/ “How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid: Rewiring miles of power lines could make space for data centers, AI and a boom in renewables.”] (May 28, 2024)

* [[w:Solar cell|Solar cells]] will in all likelihood be the single biggest source of [[w:Electric power|electrical power]] on the planet by the mid 2030s. By the 2040s they may be the largest [[w:World_energy_supply_and_consumption#Primary_energy_production|source not just of electricity but of all energy]]. On current trends, the all-in [[w:Cost of electricity by source|cost of the electricity]] they produce promises to be less than half as expensive as the cheapest available today. This will not stop [[w:Climate change|climate change]], but could slow it a lot faster. . . . The benefits [of cheaper energy] start with a boost to [[w:Productivity|productivity]]. Anything that people [[w:World_economy#Energy|use energy for]] today will cost less - and that includes [[w:World economy|pretty much everything]]. . . . Cheap energy can [[w:Water purification|purify water]], and even [[w:Desalination|desalinate it]]. It can drive the [https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002028905 hungry machinery of artificial intelligence.] It can make billions of [[w:Air conditioning|homes and offices more bearable in summers]] . . . . But [the] most consequential [result will be that] cheaper energy will free the [[imagination]], setting [the] [[Creativity|wheels of the mind spinning]] with excitement and new [[possibilities]].
** ''[[The Economist]]'' (Economist articles are typically unsigned by any individual author; this permits the news magazine to speak with one collective voice).  From a special weekly edition entitled [https://www.economist.com/weeklyedition/2024-06-22 "Dawn of the solar age;"] the quote comes from an article in that edition entitled [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/20/the-exponential-growth-of-solar-power-will-change-the-world "The exponential growth of solar power will change the world: An energy-rich future is within reach."] (Jun. 20, 2024)

* [[w:Renewable_energy_in_California|Something approaching a miracle has been taking place in California]] this spring. Beginning in early March, for some portion of almost every day, a combination of [[w:Solar power in California|solar]], [[w:Wind power in California|wind]], [[w:Category:Geothermal_power_stations_in_California|geothermal]], and [[w:Category:Hydroelectric power plants in California|hydropower]] has been producing [https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-major-advancements-renewable-energy-usage/ more than a hundred per cent] of [[w:Energy_in_California#Electricity|the state’s demand for electricity]]. Some afternoons, [https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/much-solar-california-found-unexpected-energy-challenge-rcna160068 solar panels alone have produced more power than the state uses.] And, [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/07/climate/battery-electricity-solar-california-texas.html at night, large utility-scale batteries that have been installed during the past few years are often the single largest source of supply to the grid]—sending [[w:Duck curve|the excess power stored up during the afternoon]] back out to consumers across the state. [https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/08/california-clean-power-progress-grid/ It’s taken years of construction—and solid political leadership in Sacramento—to slowly build this wave,] but all of a sudden it’s cresting into view. [https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/04/16/california-remains-the-worlds-5th-largest-economy/ California has the fifth-largest economy in the world] and, in the course of a few months, the state has proved that it’s possible to run a thriving modern economy on [[w:Renewable energy|clean energy]].
** [[Bill McKibben]], climate change activist, author and journalist, writing in ''The New Yorker'' in an article entitled [https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/california-is-showing-how-a-big-state-can-power-itself-without-fossil-fuels "California Is Showing How a Big State Can Power Itself Without Fossil Fuels: For part of almost every day this spring, the state produced more electricity than it needed from renewable sources."] (Jun. 27, 2024)

* Our nation has eight million jobs in clean energy! <br> Can we double it, guys, before the sea levels rise <br> And I'm roommates with a manatee?
** [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fNWHbnIn0g Deja Vu (But Worse)]," 28 June 2024

* As [[w:2024 North America heat waves|summer heat strikes]], [[w:North American power transmission grid|the US grid]] increasingly relies on a kind of invisible weapon - the "[[w:Virtual power plant|virtual power plant]]" - to prevent [[w:Power outage|blackouts.]] . . . Energy consultancy [[w:Wood Mackenzie|Wood Mackenzie]] says [https://www.woodmac.com/reports/power-markets-north-america-virtual-power-plant-vpp-market-2024-150297409/ the VPPs already deployed or under development in the US will be able to save as much juice as 33 nuclear reactors can produce.] . . . The [[w:United States Department of Energy|US Energy Department]] estimates that [https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/doe-releases-new-report-pathways-commercial-liftoff-virtual-power-plants peak consumption will increase by as much as 200 gigawatts through 2030, and about 80% of that boost could be met through VPPs.]
** [[w:Bloomberg News|Bloomberg News]] reporter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-saul-7a538b8/ Josh Saul] writing for Bloomberg's Energy Daily newsletter in a post entitled [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-19/virtual-power-plant-is-the-grid-s-invisible-weapon-against-blackouts?srnd=phx-economics-v2 "The Invisible Weapon Being Used to Prevent Blackouts: The US electric grid increasingly relies on the "virtual power plant" to limit consumption - and ward off outages - during peak periods."] (Aug. 19, 2024)

* [https://www.iea.org/reports/batteries-and-secure-energy-transitions The International Energy Agency (IEA) . . . reckons that] the [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/global-installed-energy-storage-capacity-by-scenario-2023-and-2030 global installed capacity of battery storage will need to rise from less than 200 gigawatts (GW) last year to more than a terawatt (TW) by the end of the decade,] and nearly 5TW by 2050 . . . . Fortunately, though, [https://www.marketplace.org/2024/09/05/battery-energy-storage-is-a-growing-source-of-electricity/ the business of storing energy on the grid is at last being turbocharged.] . . . [https://news.mit.edu/2021/lithium-ion-battery-cost-1122 A plunge in the price] of [[w:Lithium-ion battery|lithium batteries]] is fuelling [https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/09/04/are-batteries-the-best-option-for-energy-storage/ their adoption on the grid.] . . . [[w:Sodium-ion battery|Sodium-ion batteries]] are one promising alternative {and [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/sodium-ion-set-impact-thriving-us-battery-market-2024-10-03/ incumbents} are rushing to develop the technology for the grid.]
** ''[[The Economist]]'' (following the news magazine's usual convention, this article was unsigned by any individual author). From a business news item entitled [https://www.economist.com/business/2024/09/01/clean-energys-next-trillion-dollar-business "Clean energy’s next trillion-dollar business: Grid-scale batteries are taking off at last."] (Sep. 1, 2024)

* At this point [https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-republican-war-on-renewable-energy/ the {Texas} legislature can’t do anything to stop] the growth of [[w:Solar power in Texas|solar]] and [[w:Wind power in Texas|wind]] and [https://www.wfaa.com/article/money/business/right-on-the-money/texas-on-track-to-become-number-one-battery-storage-for-electricity-expert-says/287-43511f55-91bb-49fb-a4dd-8429f0037b71 batteries] . . . . [https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/20/texas-electricity-demand-forecast-ercot/ The state desperately needs it.]
** University of Houston energy economist [https://uh.edu/uh-energy-innovation/uh-energy/about-uh-energy/faculty-engagement/energy-fellows/ed-hirs/index Ed Hirs,] describing the need for more [[w:Energy in Texas#Electricity|electricity generation in Texas]] and the currently increasing supply of [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/texas-goes-green-how-oil-country-became-the-renewable-energy-leader electricity generated by renewables] (which should help the [[w:Texas Interconnection|Texas Interconnection]] and the [[w:Electric Reliability Council of Texas|Electric Reliability Council of Texas]] avoid catastrophic outages like the [[w:2021 Texas power crisis|February 2021 Texas Power Crisis]]).  The quote is from an article in ''The New York Times'' entitled [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/us/texas-grid-renewables-battery-storage-solar.html "America’s Oil Country Increasingly Runs on Renewables: Texas, the biggest oil-producing state, has turned to solar power and battery storage to see it through extreme weather. But with demand rising, much more power will be needed."] (Sep. 18, 2024)

===="Renewables 2023" - IEA report - Jan., 2024 ====

* [1] 2023 saw a step change in renewable capacity additions, driven by China’s solar PV market. Global annual renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% to nearly 510 gigawatts (GW) in 2023, the fastest growth rate in the past two decades. . . . [2] Achieving the COP28 target of tripling global renewable capacity by 2030 hinges on policy implementation. . . . [C]hallenges [that could prevent reaching the tripling goal] fall into four main categories and differ by country: 1) policy uncertainties and delayed policy responses to the new macroeconomic environment; 2) insufficient investment in grid infrastructure preventing faster expansion of renewables; 3) cumbersome administrative barriers and permitting procedures and social acceptance issues; 4) insufficient financing in emerging and developing economies. . . . [3] The global power mix will be transformed by 2028. . . . In 2028, renewable energy sources [are expected to] account for over 42% of global electricity generation, with the share of wind and solar PV doubling to 25%. . . . [4] China is the world’s renewables powerhouse. . . . China’s role is critical in reaching the global goal of tripling renewables because the country is expected to install more than half of the new capacity required globally by 2030. . . . [5] The US, the EU, India and Brazil remain bright spots for onshore wind and solar PV growth. . . . Supportive policy environments and the improving economic attractiveness of solar PV and onshore wind are the primary drivers behind this acceleration. . . . [6] Solar PV prices plummet amid growing supply glut. . . . Despite unprecedented PV manufacturing expansion in the United States and India driven by policy support, China is expected to maintain its 80‑95% share of global supply chains . . . . [7] Onshore wind and solar PV are cheaper than both new and existing fossil fuel plants. . . . Despite the increasing contribution needs for flexibility and reliability to integrate variable renewables, the overall competitiveness of onshore wind and solar PV changes only slightly by 2028 in Europe, China, India and the United States. . . . [8] The new macroeconomic environment presents further challenges that policy makers need to address. . . . Since 2022, central bank base interest rates have increased from below 1% to almost 5%. . . . The implications . . . are manifold . . . . [I]nflation has increased equipment costs . . . [H]igher interest rates are increasing the financing costs of capital-intensive variable renewable technologies. . . . [And] policy has been relatively slow to adjust to the new macroeconomic environment due in part to expectations that cost reductions would continue . . . . [9] The forecast for wind capacity additions is less optimistic outside China, especially for offshore. . . .The wind industry, especially in Europe and North America, is facing challenges due to a combination of ongoing supply chain disruptions, higher costs and long permitting timelines. . . . [10] Faster deployment of variable renewables increases integration and infrastructure challenges. . . . Although European Union interconnections help integrate solar PV and wind generation, grid bottlenecks will pose significant challenges and lead to increased curtailment in many countries as grid expansion cannot keep pace with accelerated installation of variable renewables. . . . [11] Current hydrogen plans and implementation don’t match. . . . We have revised down our forecasts for all regions except China. The main reason is the slow pace of bringing planned projects to final investment decisions due to a lack of off‑takers and the impact of higher prices on production costs. . . . [12] Biofuel deployment is accelerating and diversifying more into renewable diesel and biojet fuel. . . . Emerging economies, led by Brazil, dominate global biofuel expansion . . . . Biofuels remain the dominant pathway for avoiding oil demand in the diesel and jet fuel segments. EVs outpace biofuels in the gasoline segment, especially in the United States, Europe and China. . . . [13] Aligning biofuels with a net zero pathway requires a huge increase in the pace of deployment. . . . Much faster biofuel deployment is possible through new policies and addressing supply chain challenges. [14] Renewable heat accelerates amid high energy prices and policy momentum – but not enough to curb emissions. . . . [The renewable heat acceleration comes] predominantly from the growing reliance on electricity for process heat – notably with the adoption of heat pumps in non‑energy‑intensive industries – and the deployment of electric heat pumps and boilers in buildings, increasingly powered by renewable electricity.
** From the [https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2023/executive-summary Executive Summary of the “Renewables 2023”report] that was published by the International Energy Agency. (Released by the IEA on approximately Jan. 10, 2024)
:'''About the quote''': The above quote of phrases from the executive summary of the IEA's annual renewable energy report for 2023 contains no links to Wikiquote pages, Wikipedia pages, or to any other information sources. For further information about any of the words or phrases in the quote, please refer to the report. Also, the quote adds bracketed numbers to clarify where each of the fourteen sections in the summary begins. The numbers are a ''de minimis'' (or insignificant) addition to the original text inserted for clarification purposes only and do not appear in the IEA's original report.

===="Electricity Mid-Year Update" - IEA report - Jul., 2024 ====

* The [[w:Electric energy consumption#World electricity consumption|world’s demand for electricity]] is rising at its fastest rate in years, driven by robust economic growth, [[w:Category:2024 heat waves|intense heatwaves]] and increasing uptake of technologies that run on electricity such as [[w:Electric vehicle|EVs]] and [[w:Heat pump|heat pumps]], according to [https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-mid-year-update-july-2024 a new report by the IEA.] At the same time, [[w:Renewable energy#Growth of renewables|renewables continue their rapid ascent]], with [[w:Photovoltaics|solar PV]] on course to set new records. . . . [https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/08/global-electricity-demand-to-rise-plus-other-top-energy-stories/ Global electricity demand is forecast to grow by around 4% in 2024 and {will do so} into 2025, with growth around 4% again] . . . . {The} share of [[w:List of countries by renewable electricity production|global electricity supply {generated by renewables]] is} forecast to rise from 30% in 2023 to 35% in 2025. [https://www.axios.com/2024/07/19/heat-ai-help-spike-global-power-demand The amount of electricity generated by renewables worldwide in 2025 is forecast to eclipse the amount generated by coal for the first time.] [[w:Photovoltaic system|Solar PV]] alone is expected to meet roughly half of the growth in global electricity demand over 2024 and 2025 - with solar and [[w:Wind power#Wind power capacity and production|wind]] combined meeting as much as three-quarters of the growth. Despite the sharp increases in renewables, [https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/rising-cooling-demand-keep-coal-plants-online-this-year-iea-says-2024-07-19/ global power generation from coal is unlikely to decline this year due to the strong growth in demand,] especially in China and India . . . As a result, [[w:Greenhouse gas emissions#Electricity generation|carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the global power sector]] are plateauing, with a slight increase in 2024 followed by a decline in 2025. …Some of the world’s major economies are registering particularly strong increases in electricity consumption. [[w:Electricity sector in India#Demand|Demand in India]] is expected to surge by a massive 8% this year . . . . [[w:Electricity sector in China|China]] is also set to see significant demand growth of more than 6% . . . . After declining in 2023 amid mild weather, [[w:Electricity sector of the United States#Electricity consumption|electricity demand in the United States]] is forecast to rebound this year by 3% . . . . By contrast, [[w:Energy in Europe#Generation and consumption|the European Union]] will see . . . growth forecast at 1.7% . . . . In many parts of the world, increasing [https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2024/08/28/air-conditioning-poses-a-climate-conundrum/ use of air-conditioning] will remain a significant driver of electricity demand. [https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c93p5kz9elro Multiple regions faced intense heatwaves] . . . . [https://www.newsweek.com/leading-global-energy-group-puts-new-focus-ai-energy-1927256 With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the electricity demand of data centres is drawing increased attention] . . . .
** From an International Energy Agency news release entitled [https://www.iea.org/news/global-electricity-demand-set-to-rise-strongly-this-year-and-next-reflecting-its-expanding-role-in-energy-systems-around-the-world "Global electricity demand set to rise strongly this year and next, reflecting its expanding role in energy systems around the world: Growth in demand in 2024 and 2025 is forecast to be among the highest levels in the past two decades, new IEA report finds, with solar PV alone expected to meet half of the increase."] (July 19, 2024)

==See also==
* [[Green New Deal]]

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
{{wiktionary}}

[[Category:Climate change]]
[[Category:Energy]]
[[Category:Environmentalism]]
[[Category:Sustainability]]
[[Category:Technology]]