The headline refers to India, but we know it could just as well apply to China. Here's the link:
India’s Uncompromising Commitment to Coal | Watts Up With That?
"Coal is still the largest contributor to global power generation. Leaders of Asian countries know this and are not inclined to risk their objective of economic liberty with over reliance on highly volatile and expensive “renewable” technology."
I'm guessing the quality of Indian requirements of coal ash ponds are low to very low. You don't want to live near a coal ash pond. Plus it is just now cheaper to have RE and storage.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/us-coal-more-expensive-than-renewable-energy-study
US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically – study
It is cheaper to build solar panels or cluster of wind turbines and connect them to the grid than to keep operating coal plants
I guess the Indian government has not heard this, nor the Chinese or the Indonesians. Either that, or it is not true. I am sure that coal is not the cleanest fuel, but these nations will carry on using it until they are convinced that there is a cheap, reliable, clean alternative. Until then net zero is just a pipe dream.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we get there, we have to do it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/05/net-zero-emissions-2050-iea/
CLIMATE CHANGE
Are net zero emissions by 2050 possible? Yes, says IEA
May 26, 2021
The world can reach net zero emissions by 2050, but it will require some big changes, according to a new study.
Our energy systems will need to be totally transformed, the International Energy Agency report Net Zero by 2050 says.
Huge declines in the use of coal, oil and gas will be essential.
These charts show what these changes could mean for the economy, citizens and governments.
But, and I repeat, the world cannot do it unless all nations comply and they clearly are not.
ReplyDeleteThat's no excuse for not going clean. Sibling jealousy or rivalry is destructive.
ReplyDeleteThere is a similar argument about nuclear weapons. Some argued that the West should do away with their nuclear weapons unilaterally in order to set an example to the other side, but that would have been very foolish as we can now see with the Russians invasion of Ukraine. No nation can afford to put itslef at a disadvantage to its neighbours, otherwise they will simply take advantage of their weakness. That is how it is in the real world.
ReplyDeleteAs Europe and the United States go cleaner, eventually a carbon tarrif at the border is set up. Our markets are large enough, the economic stimulus large enough, companies will see the advantage financially. Plus in today's energy market renewable energy competes with natural gas on a price basis. With Putin using his geopolitical muscle against Europe, it is now a matter of energy security. Renewable energy is something available to every country in the world. Fossil fuels aren't. Fossil fuels can be used as a weapon. You cannot take away a country's energy in RE.
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