Poland and Ukraine are increasing this year’s production of thermal coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, preparing for colder months as Europe grapples with an energy security crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

Thermal coal use as fuel for power plants will need to plummet if the world wants to meet its goals to reach net zero emissions by mid-century.

But, as Russian gas flows to Europe have fallen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Europe’s sanctions on Moscow, the continent is scrambling for alternative supplies.

Poland, Ukraine Increase 2022 Coal Production to Weather Cold Months | Devamı>>>

Today, the consensus among leading forecasters is that we can expect continued rapid growth in renewables. Wind and solar power provided 6 per cent of the world’s electricity in 2017, according to the International Energy Agency. By 2040, they are projected to provide 21 per cent in the IEA’s New Policies Scenario, which reflects governments’ announced policies and targets. In the Sustainable Development Scenario, showing a system on track to provide universal energy access while limiting the threat from climate change, they provide 38 per cent.

The Week in Energy: Predicting the Power Shift | Devamı>>>

China added 194 million tonnes of coal mining capacity in 2018, data from the energy bureau showed on Tuesday, despite vows to eliminate excess capacity in the sector and to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Total coal mining capacity in the country was at 3.53 billion tonnes per year by the end of 2018, according to a statement from the National Energy Administration (NEA). That compares to 3.34 billion tonnes at the end of 2017.

However, the total amount of coal mines in China declined to 3,373 in 2018 from 3,907 in 2017, the NEA said in the statement, as Beijing has been phasing out small and ineffective coal mines in eastern regions and expanding capacity in the west

The increasing coal capacity has stirred concerns it will undermine efforts to cut the share of coal in total energy use, and that China will be unable to keep its commitment of capping climate-warming carbon emissions by around 2030.

China Boosts Coal Mining Capacity Despite Climate Pledges | Devamı>>>

The lukewarm response to the report of the commission set up to advise on plans for the elimination of coal use in Germany is understandable. The commission’s conclusions push the end of coal use out to 2038. The plan is cautious enough to have secured the support even of those members of the commission representing the coal industry and the main coal producing regions.

Criticism of the report has predictably come from groups such as Climate Alliance Germany and Friends of the Earth, which have said that the plan will not meet the Paris climate agreement targets, and that the phasing of the reduction through the 2020s needs to be defined in detail.

The End of Coal in Germany Could Come Much Quicker Than You Think | Devamı>>>

For the global energy industry, China’s importance is hard to overstate. It is the world’s largest oil importer and is on course to be the largest gas importer this year. It accounts for about half the world’s coal consumption and almost a third of global investment in “clean” energy. If the Chinese economy were to go into a downturn, producers of energy commodities and technologies all around the world would be affected. China accounted for just over a quarter of the increase in world oil demand last year, according to Opec, and is expected to make about the same contribution this year, with its own consumption growth slowing in tandem with the global total.

The Week in Energy: China’s Slowdown | Devamı>>>

China’s energy policies may, at first, seem paradoxical: it is shooting for the stars and it is working to have renewable energy start replacing coal-fired electricity. That’s a hard task in a country where coal is now 60% of its electricity base and renewables are 20% — and poised to be 35% in 2030. 

Its goal is to clean its cities and to comply with the Paris climate agreement. In its latest five-year plan that outlines its energy goals, China has set a cap on on coal-fired generation at about 1,100 gigawatts — a hard task, given that it already has about 1,000 GW with another 250 GW under construction.

Is It Possible For Solar Energy To Compete With Coal-Fired In China? | Devamı>>>

The boom in solar and wind power in the United States will deal a fresh blow to coal country in the next few years. Renewable energy, led by solar and wind, is projected to be the fastest-growing source of US electricity generation for at least the next two years, according to a report published Friday by the US Energy Department.
Boosted by swiftly falling prices, utility-scale solar power is expected to increase by 10% in 2019 and 17% in 2020, the Energy Information Administration said.

Solar and Wind are Booming, While Coal Keeps Shrinking | Devamı>>>

1) Global coal demand will remain stable

World coal consumption has never been higher than it was in 2013-14, but it seems that that level was a plateau rather than a peak. After declining over 2014-16, global coal demand started to pick up in 2017, and rose again last year. From now until at least 2023, the International Energy Agency has predicted, it will remain roughly stable, rising or falling only slightly each year.

The Week in Energy: A Look a Head to 2019 | Devamı>>>

Since 2000, the world has doubled its coal-fired power capacity to 2,000 gigawatts (GW) after explosive growth in China and India. Another 200GW is being built and 450GW is planned. More recently, 200GW has closed due to a wave of retirements across the EU and US. Another 170GW is set to retire by 2030 and 13 of the world’s 77 coal-powered countries plan a total phaseout.

Meanwhile, electricity generated from coal peaked in 2014, so the expanding fleet is running fewer hours than ever.

Mapped: The World’s Coal Power Plants | Devamı>>>

Fossil fuel producers may need $90 billion a year or more to spread carbon capture technology. Some of the world’s biggest fossil-fuel producers are calling on taxpayers to help them kick their pollution habit.

The world’s biggest oil, natural gas and mining companies are stepping up their campaign to deploy carbon capture and storage, or CCS, as way to slow global warming. But with a potential $90-billion-a-year price tag, it’s too rich for them to do it on their own.

Big Coal Wants You to Pay to Fix Its Problem | Devamı>>>