On Q&A, an audience member said renewable energy is 'now cheaper than coal'. Senator Matt Canavan disagreed, saying renewables are not 'at the moment, cheaper than coal'. Let's look at the numbers.
New research shows it only takes a few countries to kick-start the kind of global transformation required to meet the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals.
A boy silhouetted against smog while playing cricket in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2011.
Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
Massive new coal plants planned for Pakistan will further harm the environment in a country already suffering the effects of climate change. Solar energy is a clear alternative.
To manage renewable energy efficiently, all weather variation need to be taken into account.
Greg Clarke/Flickr
Relying less on fossil fuels is one of the key challenges of energy transition, and taking weather variations into account can help increase the overall efficiency of a renewable-energy system.
Wind turbines require massive structures that are polluting to produce and can harm ecosystems, but these impacts compare favorably with those of fossil alternatives.
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Edgar Hertwich, Yale University; Anders Arvesen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Sangwon Suh, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Thomas Gibon, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
No energy source is perfect, but solar and wind have a much lower health and environmental footprint than fossil fuels, a study finds. Biopower, though, is a mixed bag.
The rise of renewable energy is one reason the world is shifting away from coal.
Wind turbine image from www.shutterstock.com
Global emissions from fossil fuels have stalled. That puts us in the right place to keep warming below 2℃, but there's plenty of work still to be done.
South Africa’s new energy plan shows a greater reliance on gas, solar and especially wind power.
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Will government policy to promote clean energy be disastrous or a boon? A close look at the 2009 stimulus, which plowed $90 billion into energy, can tell us a lot.
Companies like Tesla, with batteries and electric cars, are disrupting traditional energy companies in Australia.
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Tara P. Dhakal, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Solar power has enormous potential, but provides only about one percent of world electricity today. An engineer explains the many steps it takes to make solar panels that are efficient, clean and cheap.
Low-carbon initiatives in cities like Rwanda’s Kigali can help citizens to deal with the harsh effects of climate change.
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Tristan R. Brown, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
The wind and solar industries scored a huge win by getting extended tax credits, but research shows this isn't the best policy for lowering emissions through renewable energy.
The Herbert solar plant in the Northern Cape, South Africa. The panels face the sun squarely and constantly.
SunPower Corp
South Africa has been slow to adopt renewable energy sources. One option, which has proved successful elsewhere, would be to install solar photovoltaic panels on rooftops in low-income areas.
Mozambique is seeking to use renewable energy to extend electricity access to rural institutions.
Joshua Kirshner
Mozambique has long standing energy challenges and widespread energy poverty. To change this, particularly for people living in rural areas, it needs to democratise the way it supplies energy.
Disase carrying insects are attracted to light bulbs – a constraint of domestic solar energy.
Jon Nazca/Reuters
