- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
Wind turbines and solar panels have overtaken fossil fuels to generate 30% of the European Union’s electricity in the first half of the year, a report has found.
Power generation from burning coal, oil and gas fell 17% in the first six months of 2024 compared with the same period the year before, according to climate thinktank Ember. It found the continued shift away from polluting fuels has led to a one-third drop in the sector’s emissions since the first half of 2022.
Chris Rosslowe, an analyst at Ember, said the rise of wind and solar was narrowing the role of fossil fuels. “We are witnessing a historic shift in the power sector, and it is happening rapidly.”
It’s great to see plans working, everyone moaned when the infrastructure was being built that it’s too expensive and everyone moaned that transition to renewables is too slow but with the systems in place we’ve reached the point of rapid uptake and are witnessing a sea change.
We’re now at the point we’re going to start seeing coal transportation decline to the point that established lines close, ports redevelop coal infrastructure into general purpose cargo or close all together, meaning the freight line feeding them stop and coal nines only have local industry to sell to - smelting works for example. Coal is horrible to transport and it’ll be great to remove all that heavy machinery and dirty work, replaced with some simple straps of copper running underground.