„Towards 100% Renewables“| Renewables to Reshape the World | Mixed Bag in Germany – January 2019

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – January 2019

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Our January newsletter is (almost) all about renewables. 100% renewable energy is a reality today with numerous best practices and commitments around the world. Doubt it? Have a look at the white paper “Towards 100% Renewable Energy”, launched by IRENA Coalition for Action, including the Energy Watch Group. Renewables are reshaping the global geopolitics and have a strong peacebuilding effort, another IRENA high-level report concludes. In Germany, renewables have for the first time overtaken coal as main source in electricity in 2018, having accounted for over 40% of electricity production. The Baltic Sea Region can switch to 100% renewable energy electricity in a cost-efficient way, new research by Lappeenranta University of Technology shows. Find out these news and more in our new newsletter.

100% Renewables in Europe | COP24 – Another Failed Attempt? | Germany Falls Back on Climate Action – December 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – December 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Transition to 100% renewables is technically feasibly and economical viable, all we need is a strong political will. At COP24, Energy Watch Group and LUT University have presented a new study, showing a pathway to 100% renewables in Europe across power, heating and transport sectors. COP24 has agreed on a Paris „ruleback“, but failed to deliver on a needed climate ambition. Also in Germany, the times of climate ambition are long gone. On a positive side, the 1000th institution has committed to divest from fossil fuels. Portugal and Puerto Rico presented plans to become net-zero by 2050, as did the worlds biggest shipping company Maersk. Find out more in our new December Newsletter.

Oil Supply Set to Crash | Renewables Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels | IEA Comes Up Short on Climate (Again) – November 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – November 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The biggest news of the month is deeply hidden within the newly released World Energy Outlook of the International Energy Agency: Global oil supply is going to decrease by 50% in until 2025 without new investments. This contains  an enormous crisis potential. More big news: solar PV and wind power generation is now cheaper than oil, gas and nuclear, according to the asset manager Lazard. The International Energy Agency comes up short on climate once again. Its latest World Energy Outlook Report 2018 calls for further investments in fossil fuel industry and provides no scenarios in line with the Paris Agreement. A new report by the NGO Partnership Climate Transparency shows that the G20 countries significantly underperform on the fossil fuel phase-out and the expansion of renewables, while massively subsidizing fossil fuels. Germany has become Europe’s new “Coal-Black Sheep”, struggling with its coal exit and hosting four out of ten of the heaviest polluting utilities. Good news come from Spain, planning to go net-zero  emission in the electricity sector by 2050 the latest and the UK, where renewable energy capacity has for the first time surpassed fossil fuels. To find out about this news and more, read our November newsletter.

Air Pollution: ‚New Tobacco‘ | Germany: Climate Brakeman? | Climate Litigation on the Rise – October 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – October 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The simple act of breathing is killing seven million people a year and harming billions more, the World Health Organization warns in the run up to its first global air pollution conference. The latest data from the European Space Agency revealed that the global nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution has reached unprecedented scale. The landmark IPCC report showed that the world can still succeed in keeping the global warming to 1.5°C, but for that „rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes“ will be needed. Meanwhile, worldwide, over 670,000 MW of new coal threaten reaching the 1.5°C target and coal burning remains a major source of highly toxic mercury pollution in Europe. A former climate action front runner, Germany, is turning into a brakeman, hindering more ambitious climate action on the EU level. In the aftermath of the IPCC report, climate litigation cases across the world are expected to rise. Read our October newsletter to find out more.

 

Fossil Fuel Peak in the 2020s | New 100% Renewables Pledges | Nuclear Power Declines | Divestment Funds Rise – September 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – September 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

In the wake of the California Summit, many new actors have made their pledges on climate action. New studies and figures confirm that the fossil fuel demand will peak in the 2020s, global nuclear generation keeps declining, and the fossil fuel divestment funds globally keep rising. Meanwhile, EU keeps propping up fossil fuels and nuclear and the car producers have cheated European drivers to over a hundred of billion euros in the past 18 years. Read more about this news as well as new studies on energy transition scenarios in Israel and coal phase out in Germany in our September Newsletter.

Wind & Solar Reach 1TW | Germany’s Climate Goals Still Within Reach | Renewable Electricity in G20 – August 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – August 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As the German government officially admitted that it is likely to miss its climate targets, two recent studies show that the former climate leader can still reach them. The studies prove that technical possibilities are there, what is lacking is the political will. Meanwhile, the latest data from BNEF shows that the world has reached its first terawatt of wind and solar PV generating capacitiy. The second terawatt will arrive by mid-2023, BNEF forecasts. Several good news come from the global divestment movement, as Munich Re has announced its first humble step and two French insurance firms said they will no longer invest in new coal-fired power plants, which affects German top utility RWE. Global off-grid renewable capacity was steadily growing, contributing further to enabling universal access to energy. A recent study shows that renewable electricity in G20 countries by 2030 would be much cheaper than the current system. You will find these news as well as the CNN coverage of the Energy Watch Group study on 100% renewable electricity worldwide in our August newsletter.

Renewables for Peace | Fossil Fuels Squeezed | EU Climate Diplomacy | Reinsurers Step Up – July 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – July 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Renewable energy sources are not only the best solution for economic reasons and energy security, but also because they are prerequisite for a peaceful and sustainable planet Earth. With this in mind Energy Watch Group President Hans-Josef Fell and Eurovision Song Contest Winner Ruslana have launched a new joint global peace campaign for 100% renewables. Another positive news comes from the European Parliament, which adopted the report calling to strengthen EU climate action. Renewables keep squeezing out fossil fuels steadily out of power, according to BNEF, as solar continues to rise around the world. Yet, to achieve Paris Agreement targets, more clean energy investment and more action in industry, transport and building sectors is needed, studies show. We welcome the latest moves by the world’s largest reinsurers Hannover Re and Swiss Re, joining the list of institutions, divesting from fossil fuels. And if you are in Lviv this week, watch out for the conference on renewable energy.

Read our July Newsletter to find out more.

Green Economy Saves Billions | Carbon Bubble | Climate Justice | Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exposed – June 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – June 2018

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

June has brought a number of encouraging updates. Renewable energy in the global electricity sector has been booming in 2017, but swift progress is needed in heating, transport and industry, the latest REN21 report shows. Green economyhas grown to the same size as the fossil fuel industry and it is only a matter of time before it surpasses it entirely. Switching to a green economy means a dramatic increase in jobs and can save the world economy trillions of dollars, two separate studies show. Pope Francis once again endorsed science by calling oil majors to join the fight against climate change. Meanwhile, two other studies exposed continuous fossil fuel subsidies by G7 and Eastern European governments despite their commitment to Paris Agreement targets.

Read our June Newsletter to find out more

Renewables vs. Nuclear | Latest Blows to Coal & Oil | Costa Rica, Hawaii, Balearics to Break Fossil Free – May 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – May 2018

May is bringing a lot of good news on progress in renewable energy and blows to the coal and oil industry. Costa Rica is about to make history as the first country in the world to go completely fossil free. In the US and the UK, renewables especially wind power are overtaking nuclear energy. The list of countries, planning to phase out coal keeps growing: the Netherlands announced it will ban the use of coal in electricity generation in the coming decade. Finland confirmed its plans to ban the use of coal by 2029. The insurance giant Allianz made headlines by extending its divestment policy on coal. Several studies by IRENA show that the deployment of renewable energy needs to be scaled up in order to meet the Paris Agreement targets and the SDG7 on affordable and clean energy.

 

Read our May Newsletter to find out more.

European Nuclear Disaster | IEA Misguides Governments | Wind & Solar Outpace Nuclear & Fossil Fuels – April 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – April 2018

New European nuclear reactors, once proclaimed as a new impetus for the renaissance of the European nuclear industry, proved to be a financial disaster. Read a comprehensive brief by the Energy Watch Group, documenting the failures of the nuclear industry. We are glad to see more and more critical voices about the IEA’s misleading energy „scenarios“. A new study by Oil Change and the IEEFA showcases how the IEA misguides energy decisions by governments, undermining the Paris Agreement targets. No wonder that banks continue pumping billions into the dirtiest fossil fuels. On the positive side, wind and solar have been outpacing other sources in the UK and Germany, and Portugal produced over 100%renewable electricity in March.

Read our April Newsletter to find out about.