Renewable Cities | Green Shipping | Diesel Ban | Fracking‘ Severe Risks – March 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – March 2018

If you haven’t done it yet, take your money and invest in renewable projects – even oil companies have finally started admitting that green investments are outperforming old dirty oil business. A key impetus for the shifting awareness for financial investments came from the divestment movement. As demand for renewable energy is growing, countries with key resources for green technologies are set to become superpowers of tomorrow. Great news comes from the CDP review, according to which more than 100 cities are now mostly powered by renewable energy. Sailing into a zero emission future has never been easier with wind, sun and water. Those three energy sources are not breaking the grid either, which is demonstrated by several countries among the globe. Germany made diesel bans feasible for cities.

Read our March Newsletter to find out about.

Divestment Goes Mainstream | Wind Beats Records in Europe | Coal on the Way Out – February 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – February 2018

In case you missed one of the breaking recent scientific findings: our joint study with the Lappeenranta University of Technology has proved that 100% renewable electricity worldwide is technically feasible and cost-effective. Fossil fuel divestment is set to go mainstream in 2018 with new key actors joining the global movement. Offshore wind industry has been breaking records in the EU, especially in the UK. And as big European insurers keep investing in Polish coal industry, latest developments in China, Chile and India show that coal is on its way out.

Read our February Newsletter to find out about.

War on Oil Industry | Renewables Beat Records | Europe Divided on Coal – January 2018

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – January 2018

In a very significant move New York City is divesting its pension funds from fossil fuels and taking the major oil companies to court over their impact on climate change. Renewables, especially wind, have broken records in several European countries. And IRENA has launched a new study that shows that all renewable energy technologies will be competitive from 2020. EWG President was at the IRENA General Assembly this weekend and presented our latest policy brief on the favourable frameworks to accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy. Read our January newsletter to find out more.

Global Shift Away from Fossil Fuels | IEA Gets Its Projections Wrong, Again! | All Coal-Power Plants in Europe Loss-Making by 2030 – November 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – November 2017

You are reading our last newsletter before Christmas and our transition into the new year. 2017 has seen progress in new commitments across the world to act on climate change. We welcome the announcement by the World Bank to cease funding upstream oil and gas projects after 2019 and a range of commitments by other banks and companies, joining the Global Big Shift campaign. We call on the International Energy Agency to read our series of studies showcasing their consistent misleading projections on renewable energy and fossil fuels, which was again the case in the World Energy Outlook 2017. Meanwhile, a study by Carbon Tracker proved that by 2030 nearly all coal power plants will be loss-making and another study showed that major banks and financial investors keep financing coal development despite the Paris Agreement targets. Last but not least, in case you missed it, make sure to read and to spread a word about our new study together with Lappeenranta University of Technology, which shows that a transition to 100% renewable electricity worldwide is feasible by 2050 or earlier and will be more cost-effective than the current energy system. Find out more in out November Newsletter. 

100% Renewable Electricity Worldwide | IRENA: Feed-in-Tariff vs. Tenders | Global Anti-Coal Alliance – October 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – October 2017

It is our great pleasure to present our new breakthrough study together with Lappeenranta University of Technology on a global electricity system, fully based on renewable energy. This first-of-its-art simulation on an hourly resolution proves that a global transition to 100% renewable electricity is feasible and even more cost-effective than the current energy system. We are also glad to present the results of IRENA webinar on the most effective renewable energy policies with a presentation by EWG President Hans-Josef Fell. Read our latest news and find out more in the October Newsletter.

IEA Still Sells Renewables Short | Fossil Fuel Subsidies in EU & US | Tenders Hinder Energy Transition – September 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – September 2017

We are glad to see that the International Energy Agency (IEA) has finally lifted its projections in the latest Renewables report. Yet, the IEA keeps selling the rapid growth of renewables short, ignoring the historical trend. Tenders hinder the global energy transition and decarbonization, urgently needed to keep the Paris Agreement targets, EWG President Hans-Josef Fell argues in the new policy paper. Over €112 billion annually is being spent by the EU countries on oil, coal and gas subsidies, a new report shows. 40 Catholic have joined the global divestment movement in a stunning and a long overdue move. This news and more in our September newsletter.

Accelerating Transition to 100% Renewables | Coal & Nuclear Outcompeted | Peak Oil and Peak Gas – August 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – August 2017

As prices for renewables keep falling, the global transition to 100% will happen faster than many think. To accelerate the process, we need innovative policy measures, writes EWG President Hans-Josef Fell. By 2022, global solar PV capacity is set to surpass nuclear for the first time. In the UK, prices for offshore wind energy dropped to a record low, outcompeting new gas and nuclear. The future outlook for fossil fuels looks grim. According to DNV GL analysts, peak oil and peak gas will be reached earlier than forecast, by 2020 and 2035 respectively. Prof. Mark Jacobson of the Stanford University published a groundbreaking study with roadmaps to 100% renewable energy for 139 countries. These news and the op-ed by Prof. Claudia Kemfert, calling Germany to reestablish its energy transition leadership in the run-up to the coming federal election can be found in our August newsletter.

Banks, Governments Finance Fossil Fuels | Coal & Nuclear in Sharp Decline | Renewables Hit the Tipping Point – July 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – July 2017

As banks and governments remain heavily invested in the fossil fuel industry despite the international climate committments, shareholders increasingly start to hold their banks and companies accountable. In Australia, in the first world’s case a couple has filed a lawsuit against its bank for not informing about climate change risks. Meanwhile, the global production of coal fell significantly in 2016, mainly due to a sharp decline in China. And the nuclear industry in the US and Europe is slowly but surely becoming obsolete.

The fall of coal and nuclear is mainly due to the success of renewable energy sources. Renewables have reached the tipping point in many countries in the world, according to Morgan Stanley’s latest report. This confirms forecasts of other financial analysts that predict renewables to become THE cheapest form of power generation by 2020. You will find this news and the latest studies on renewable energy in G20 countries as well as India and SAARC in our July newsletter.

Solar Power to Kill Coal | Oil Majors to Lose Trillions | Nuclear Meltdown – June 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – June 2017

Renewable energy capacity worldwide was boosted by a record amount in 2016, as costs of wind and solar PV kept dramatically falling, two latest major energy reports show. Especially solar PV is becoming so cheap that it will provide cheaper electricity than coal in China and India as soon as the early 2020s. Meanwhile, a third of the business-as-usual investment until 2025 by oil and gas majors is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement climate targets, according to another report. And many top multinational banks kept lending billions to extraction of fossil fuels in 2016 while claiming their green credentials. You will also find inspiring stories from around the world on 100% renewable energy, news from the global divestment movement and new studies on Kazakhstan and the Åland islands in our June newsletter.

New Oil Low | Stress Test for Coal | Big Business Backs Decarbonization – May 2017

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – May 2017

“Renewables come one way or another. Over the past few years, they have become economically viable despite low oil prices,” says Energy Watch Group President Hans-Josef Fell in his recent Joule interview. “If you leave the process to itself, it may take another 30 years. That is too late for our planet. If we actively promote them, we will prevent stock exchange crashes, wars and natural disasters.”

Indeed, renewables have become unstoppable and disrupt entire industries, says FT in their very impressive dossier. Hopes of successfully combatting climate change are dramatically improving. There are a lot of good signs of that: new oil discoveries have reached another historic low in 2016, large investors increasingly recognize the financial risks of climate change, big business  backs decarbonization. You will find  this news as well as studies on 100% renewables and news from the global divestment movement in our May newsletter.