The US is shifting toward renewable energy, even in oil and gas dominated areas. Solar power growth in the EU is exceeding targets. Clean energy is rapidly replacing fossil fuels, with renewables expected to surpass coal as the largest electricity source by 2025. The International Energy Agency projects a staggering $1.7 trillion in renewables investment this year. Clean energy is moving faster than expected.ar power means most EU countries will hit their 2030 renewable energy targets ahead of time, new data shows, fuelling optimism on efforts to bring down global emissions,” Politico adds.
“Delivery vans in Pittsburgh,” the Times writes. “Buses in Milwaukee. Cranes loading freight at the Port of Los Angeles. Every municipal building in Houston. All are powered by electricity derived from the sun, wind, or other sources of clean energy.”
Add it all up, and “a profound shift is taking place that is nearly invisible to most Americans. The nation that burned coal, oil, and gas for more than a century to become the richest economy on the planet, as well as historically the most polluting, is rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels.”
With climate impacts making some parts of the world unlivable, solar and wind now often cheaper than gas, oil, or coal, and private investment piling in, “renewables are now expected to overtake coal by 2025 as the world’s largest source of electricity,” the Times says. “Automakers have made electric vehicles central to their business strategies and are openly talking about an expiration date on the internal combustion engine. Heating, cooling, cooking, and some manufacturing are going electric.”
With the International Energy Agency projecting $1.7 trillion in renewables investment this year, “it’s astonishing what’s happening,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Clean energy is moving faster than many people think, and it’s become turbocharged lately.”
by Michell Beer