A report by Carbon Brief shows what is possible with Renewable Energy when you put your mind to it. From the report:
Our compilation and analysis of targets and projects announced by the central and provincial governments shows wind and solar capacity would reach more than 1,100GW by 2025, tripling the 360GW total installed in 2015 and doubling the 536GW at the end of 2020.
The wind and solar plans emerging from recent policymaking are far ahead of the pace implied by China’s headline climate commitments. As a part of the country’s goal to peak its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, President Xi Jinping announced that China would increase its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to “over” 1,200GW by 2030.
This target would have required maintaining the pace of 70GW per year of new capacity already achieved in the previous FYP period (2016-20). Installing the 570GW of wind and solar we identified would put China on track to meet the 1,200GW target in 2026, four years earlier than planned, our analysis shows.
The centralised nature of China makes it easier to roll out these huge renewable energy projects but it does show what is possible.
The conflict in Ukraine has shaken the EU out of its fossil fuel complacency and given a major boost to green energy schemes.
For the sceptical, may I remind them that we are on course to have 70% of the energy generated in Northern Ireland by 2030 coming from renewables. Improvements to the grid are also making it easier to handle the variable nature of renewable energy.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
