coal – This is Not Cool

European wind energy production, January 2, 2024

German emissions were at their lowest point in around 70 years, as Europe’s largest economy managed to reduce its dependence on coal faster than expected, a study published Thursday showed.

Europe’s biggest economy emitted 673 million tonnes of the greenhouse gases last year, 73 million tonnes fewer than in 2022, according to the energy think tank Agora Energiewende.

The figure was at its lowest point “since the 1950s”, Agora said in a statement, while warning that Germany had work to do to further reduce its emissions.

The drop was “largely attributable to a strong decrease in coal power generation”, Agora said.

Germany resorted to the fuel in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Moscow cut off gas supplies to the European giant. But since then, Berlin has managed to pare back its use significantly.

Electricity generation from renewable sources was over 50 percent of the total in 2023 for the first time, while coal’s share dropped to 26 percent from 34 percent, according to figures published by the federal network agency on Wednesday.

The cut in coal use accounted for a reduction of 46 million tonnes in CO₂ emissions, the think tank estimated.

The renewables record brought Germany closer to its target to produce 80 percent of its electricity from wind and solar by 2030, Agora chief Simon Mueller said.

“When it comes to the generation of electricity, we are on a very good path,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.

Bloomberg:

Strong wind generation and low demand during the holiday period sent electricity prices below zero in Germany, while wholesale markets turned negative for some hours in France, Denmark and Britain.

Of course, a lot of clean energy is being developed in rural communities. Rural communities almost uniformly are poor communities.
If you want to support rural communities, you support clean energy.
At bottom of the post, see how green policies make a difference in urban communities as well.

US Treasury:

In the analysis, Treasury economists observe that investments in Inflation Reduction Act-related sectors of the economy since the law passed grew especially quickly in energy communities—communities historically dependent on fossil energy jobs and tax revenues, including areas with closed coal mines or coal-fired power plants, as well as communities that have significant employment or local tax revenues from fossil fuels and higher than average unemployment. This initial data suggests the Inflation Reduction Act is achieving its goal of revitalizing communities at the forefront of fossil fuel production where potential exists, but opportunity has been scarce.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the Inflation Reduction Act are achieving their goals of revitalizing communities that have been overlooked and need public investment to unlock private capital. Treasury analysis shows that funding is going where it’s needed most across the country, not just to the coasts or to wealthy communities,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “The American economy is more productive when communities can realize their full potential, and more than one year into implementation of the law, there is strong evidence that’s happening.”

The analysis also concluded that investments across all technologies supported by the Inflation Reduction Act have been largely landing in economically disadvantaged counties with below average wages, household incomes, employment rates, and college graduation rates. This analysis updates earlier studies from the Treasury with more granular data produced by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Rhodium Group.

81% of clean investment dollars announced since the Inflation Reduction Act passed have been for projects in counties with below-average weekly wages.
86% of clean investment dollars since the Inflation Reduction Act passed are landing in counties with below-average college graduation rates.
70% of clean investment dollars since the Inflation Reduction Act passed are in counties where a smaller share of the population is employed.
78% of clean investment dollars since the Inflation Reduction Act passed are in counties with below-average median household incomes.
The share of clean investment dollars going to low-income counties rose from 68% to 78% when the Inflation Reduction Act passed.

Tag: coal

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