Falling costs for renewable energy may lead some to believe that coal and other mainstays have been replaced, but they haven't. Adoption of renewables is not yet outpacing growth in demand for energy.
It's cheaper than ever to get energy from renewable sources and their use around the globe is trending upward. Still, they've yet to displace coal, and natural gas. While renewable use is growing so is worldwide energy consumption, so new power from solar and wind is not replacing other sources. "Since 1800 biomass consumption has increased by about 275%, and coal use by more than 60% just since 2000. Rapidly falling costs and growing investments have helped boost wind and solar power, but these energy sources — like nuclear, oil, and gas before them — are building on top of old ones, rather than replacing them.," Richard Newell reports for Axios.
Many hope the continued growth of renewables will eventually lead to their replacement, but the short-term outlook for that is not good. "New investments in fossil fuels continue to more than double those in renewables," Newell reports.
FULL STORY: Despite renewables growth, there has never been an energy transition
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U.S. Solar Continues to Grow Despite Headwinds from Federal Government
Industry experts say that the Trump Administration has slowed and will continue to slow the expansion of U.S. solar, but expect solar to grow nevertheless.
For Stability and Sustainability, the World Needs Microgrids
Solar and wind power are cheaper than ever, but they remain variable. To make the best use of renewable resources, the electrical grid needs to network more small free-standing power sources together.
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
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San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
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Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research