The Powerful Momentum of Renewable Energy

We’re not going back, because the case for renewables is getting stronger and stronger by the day.

(A bit of housekeeping to start with - big thanks to all who completed the poll to give me input about what sort of things and in what format I should use going forwards. The main guidance I took from it so far is that readers want a mix of content, in text format. So I’m going to try a few different things out and go from there! Please do use the comments function to give feedback! Please also spread the word of Climate Hopium!)

(Image - Andasol Solar Power Station, Spain. Image by kallerna)

One of the biggest under-reported stories in climate news, indeed in any news category, is the rise and rise of renewable energy. As someone who has been campaigning on climate issues for decades, I’ve seen the question of renewables go from an argument that we should subsidize renewables because it's the morally right thing to do, to now where it's cheaper to use renewables than anything else. The argument against renewables has gone from saying they are expensive and unreliable to now, that because the reality is that they are reliable and cheap, that we should not use them for well, reasons.

Not only are renewables cheaper and better for the climate, but their adoption means we’re less reliant on buying fossil fuels from a whole bunch of countries that frankly, have terrible records on security, democracy, care for the environment or human rights.

Here’s the comparative costs of the various sources of energy over time:

(Source - cleantechnica.com/RMI via Canary Media)

Don’t take my word for it, ask an economist

But green technology really works, and is in the process of transforming the world. Solar and batteries gotten so cheap that they now promise a future of cheap abundant energy that will accelerate rather than retard economic growth. The problems of intermittency and long-term storage are not a big deal. New research from economists at Brookings shows how saving the climate and accelerating growth are no longer at odds.

Basically by any measure - ethical, financial, security, reliability, technological - renewables are the way to go, and the world is responding to this change by slowing the use of fossil fuels and moving to renewables. Yes, this momentum is slower than we need and it is still against a backdrop of growing global demand for energy, but make no mistake this is a remarkable and ongoing transformation.

(Source - Our World in Data)

Let's give a few zoomed-in examples that underline this transition, from November 2024 alone!

• Texas now makes more energy from renewables than from coal.

• UK - Plans for biggest onshore windfarm in England to be submitted this week

• Did you know that Pakistan was the sixth-largest installer of solar panels in 2024?

• The world’s largest solar farm in the open sea is now connected to the Chinese power grid, set to power 2+ million homes (CHN Energy)

• India adds 12.8 GW of solar in H1

However, we have just seen the election of Trump in the US, will this not impact the momentum? Yes, but probably only slows it somewhat because; 1) this is a global change and not limited to the US and 2) it's hard to fight the economics of renewables without spending vast sums. 3) The technology just keeps getting better and better.

To give an example, when Trump took office back in 2016, his then VP was handed a note by then CEO of major coal corporation, Murray Energy, Robert E.Murray of desired policy changes. Murray reportedly wanted a bunch of things; the rolling back of regulations and the subsidizing of the coal industry and so on. However despite Trump campaigning to ‘end the war on coal’ and his denial of climate reality, it was not enough to save Murray Energy from the changes in the energy market as the company went bankrupt in 2019. It came out of bankruptcy in 2020 yet from the data I can see, it now produces 30 million tons of coal per year, which is about half that it was producing at its peak back in 2013.

My point here is not that Trump won’t try to roll back the tide of reality, but it's going to be harder because 1) the economics are against him and 2) he’s going to pick people for jobs on the basis of loyalty and not competence and 3) The rest of the world (and some US states) will keep moving anyway.

The TL;DR is that renewables have an enormous momentum behind them and the best opponents of green technology can do, is slow this momentment.

Change is coming, the only question is how fast.

(Image, wind turbines in Spain. Image by jesus martinez.)

However this change has not happened in a vacuum. It is happening because lots of people are making it happen. So ask yourself; What you can do to help build the momentum:

• Make sure your own supplier of energy is getting it from renewable sources. (UK link)

• If you have influence at work, ask about if your work place can also switch energy suppliers.

• If you have investments/pensions and can control where they invest, seek to move from any fossil fuel ones to renewable energy.

• If there is a renewable energy project seeking planning permission in your area, write in support of it.

• If there is any election - local or national - can you help elect better people?

Other Positive News

• Looks like Geothermal is the one green energy that all people like

• Belgium is making an artificial island to help its renewables capacity

• Japanese company ‘Gitai’ has developed a robot that is capable of assembling solar panels autonomously

• Startup shakes up industry with revolutionary wind turbine design backed by Bill Gates

• Maine sues oil companies over impact of fossil fuels on climate

PS. A note on format here, where you see text in italics, I’m quoting directly from the source. Below each image (in brackets) is the source for that image. Thanks.