POWER OF GREEN, Pg10.

Key Highlights:

• Renewables surpassed coal as the largest electricity source in the first half of the year.
• Solar power generation and wind energy expansion drove renewables growth.
• China leads in clean energy growth, outpacing coal with solar stations.
• India is on track to become the second-largest renewables market by 2030.
• Europe saw a 14% rise in fossil-fuel electricity due to poor wind and drought.
• The US faces clean-energy policy roadblocks, with reduced renewable capacity growth expectations.

Detailed Insights:

• The marginal difference between polluting and non-polluting energy sources is encouraging amid growing electricity demand and geopolitical crises.
• Clean energy growth in developing Asian and African countries is driven by policies promoting green-technology solar power.
• Developed countries need to address the precarity of renewable energy sources and overcome barriers to climate adaptation.
• Developing countries face capital and capacity constraints, requiring support from mature economies to reach net-zero targets.
• The International Solar Alliance and the Chinese renewables manufacturing system could catalyze change by lowering solar energy costs.
• The International Energy Agency lowered America’s renewable capacity growth expectations by 50% compared to last year.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Renewables: Energy derived from sources that are naturally replenished, such as solar, wind, and hydro.
• Net-Zero Target: Achieving a balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.
• Climate Adaptation: Adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic effects.