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China Touts Its Renewables but Fossil Fuels Rule

Despite the growing prominence of renewable energy generation, coal still remains the dominant source of electricity for China and India. Even if these countries continue to increase renewable generation, it’s unlikely that they’ll move off coal anytime soon. …

The Cost of the Energy Transition

Investments in reducing the share of natural gas, oil, and coal in the world’s energy supply have not had a substantial impact, only reducing their share by three percentage points. This failure reflects the reality that the energy transition is too often attempting to replace energy-dense fuels deeply ingrained in our economies with less competitive …

Fossil-Fueled AI: What It Means for State and Local Projects

To lead the world in the AI race, President Donald Trump says the U.S. will need to “triple” the amount of electricity it produces. At a cabinet meeting on Aug. 26, he made it clear his administration’s policy is to favor fossil fuels and nuclear energy, while dismissing solar and wind power. …

Global Coal Use Hits Another Historic Record in 2024

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), coal consumption hit another new record last year—8.77 billion metric tons—due to soaring coal use by China and India. Global coal demand is expected to grow by 1% in 2024—down from 2.4% growth in 2023. …

Low-Energy Fridays: If renewable energy is cheaper, then why don’t we use it exclusively?

The fundamental assertion behind many climate protests and activism is that decision-makers do not do enough. Often, the specific claim is that an apparent solution—transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy—is being sidelined or that decision-makers are under the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists. As is often the case, this isn’t the full story. An appreciation …

Coal Is One of the Biggest Winners from Trump Victory

Trump’s victory could extend the life of coal plants for years, because he plans to throw out the Biden administration’s environmental rules on the fossil fuel. Despite pledges by several countries to use less coal, it has stuck around, and global coal demand even rose to a record level last year—largely because of increased use …

Higher Electricity Costs and Coal Retirements

PJM, the largest electric grid operator in the nation,conducts an auction annually to ensure that its 13-state region has sufficient electricgenerating capacity − roughly speaking, enough power plants − to meet its future electricitydemand. The purpose of the recent auction was to procure generating capacity for 2025/26.The most striking thing about the auction was the …

Reliance on fossil fuels remains virtually unchanged despite trillions for ‘clean energy’

At COP28, the recent United Nations climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates, bureaucrats, politicians and activists from nearly 200 countries gathered to push for a “transition away from fossil fuels” and continue and indeed expedite efforts to achieve a global net-zero “carbon footprint” by 2050. However, despite significant spending on clean energy, the …