12 Key Data Points In The Energy Transition

The global transition to clean energy…Despite all the progress, we’re still struggling to hit the climate emergency brake.

David Roberts, June 18, 2019 (VOX)

“…[T]he planet is warming up, and in response, people are trying to switch to cleaner energy, to heat it up less, or at least more slowly…[but] we’re still moving in the wrong direction [according to REN21’s Renewables 2019 Global Status Report (GSR)]. Global carbon emissions aren’t falling fast enough. In fact, they aren’t falling at all; they were up 1.7 percent in 2018…[and] we’re still pushing in the wrong direction. Globally, subsidies to fossil fuels were up 11 percent between 2016 and 2017, reaching $300 billion a year…[T]he effort to clean up is flagging. Total investment in renewable energy (not including hydropower) was $288.9 billion in 2018 — less than fossil fuel subsidies and an 11 percent decrease from 2017…[Much progress is described below, but] we’re still struggling to get ahold of the emergency brake…

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…1) Renewables are pulling ahead in the power sector…2) Solar photovoltaics are leading the power sector charge…3) China is leading the solar PV charge…4) In fact, China is leading all the charges…5) Renewable energy is starting to make a dent in electricity…6) Solar is creating the most jobs…7) But electricity is only part of energy consumption, and not the largest part…8) Transportation is showing signs of rapid movement toward electrification…9) Cities are outpacing countries on clean energy…10) Progress is being slowed by fossil fuel subsidies…11) Energy intensity is declining, but not nearly fast enough…12) Renewables have a long way to go and a short time to get there…[The world’s governments urgently need to] bear down on heating and transportation…which will require policy support at every level…They could start by getting rid of those damn fossil fuel subsidies.” click here for more

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