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Category: Renewable energy/fossil fuels

Solar now provides more power than coal in the U.S., despite Trump’s efforts to boost dirty energy

Solar now provides more power than coal in the U.S., despite Trump’s efforts to boost dirty energy

The Associated Press reports: Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power. Data released Wednesday by global energy think tank Ember, along with a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, show the continued growth of solar and decline of coal in the United States despite federal policy. In May, for the first time, solar supplied…

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Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks. White House in denial

Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks. White House in denial

Politico reports: The oil industry is warning the Trump administration that a Hormuz-sized hole in the world’s petroleum market is steadily draining inventories to levels that are likely to send global energy prices surging in the next several weeks, according to four executives. Industry executives have flagged the issue to senior White House officials and Cabinet members in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing dialogue with the U.S. energy industry, the people said. The warnings came as…

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The household battery revolution that could change energy bills … and the world

The household battery revolution that could change energy bills … and the world

The Guardian reports: The timing was rich with symbolism. As intense heatwaves pummelled Europe and Asia, and oil markets around the world leapt and sputtered, the two big chimneys of one of Australia’s largest power stations were being demolished. Meanwhile, the Australian energy minister was holding a media conference to hail a fall of up to 10% in the benchmark electricity price in parts of the country. Quietly, and with surprisingly little fanfare from the rest of the world, Australia…

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It’s not just high gas prices – inflation is now spreading through the economy

It’s not just high gas prices – inflation is now spreading through the economy

As the cost of gas stays high due to Middle East tensions, it’s spilling over into U.S. consumer spending more broadly and creating a conundrum for the Federal Reserve. AP Photo/David Zalubowski By D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University and Brandy Hadley, Appalachian State University Americans don’t need a press release to know that inflation is rising. Gasoline is above $4 per gallon amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the…

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Trump said gas prices are ‘peanuts.’ Only if you’re rich

Trump said gas prices are ‘peanuts.’ Only if you’re rich

The Washington Post reports: Surging gas prices have hit American drivers hard — but some much harder than others. For households in the bottom quarter of the income distribution — those earning roughly $40,000 a year or less — commuting fuel costs now consume an average of about 4 percent of their income, according to a Washington Post analysis. For households in the top quarter, earning $100,000 or more, the same costs amount to less than 1 percent. The gap…

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A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar

A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar

Fred Pearce writes: A sea of solar panels is rapidly engulfing one of the world’s largest salt deserts. By 2029, nearly 60 million panels will cover 280 square miles of India’s Rann of Kutch, extending right up to the border with Pakistan. The Khavda solar park is set to be the world’s largest and most powerful supplier of electricity from the sun, with a generating capacity of 30 gigawatts — 30 times the size of a typical coal or nuclear…

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Trump officials ‘freaked’ about the political symbolism of breaking Biden’s high gas price record

Trump officials ‘freaked’ about the political symbolism of breaking Biden’s high gas price record

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s war threatens to push gas prices past the record high under former President Joe Biden. They aren’t the only numbers the White House staff is sweating. While record high prices at the pump are a persistent concern, the bond market’s spike over the last several days also has aides and allies fretting, worried that borrowing costs will pummel a nation that runs on credit and make it harder for the Federal Reserve to cut rates….

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U.S.-Iran war highlights the underappreciated national security benefits of China’s electrostate strategy

U.S.-Iran war highlights the underappreciated national security benefits of China’s electrostate strategy

Alison Gocke and Ashley Deeks write: News headlines regularly announce that China has made a wise choice in pursuing clean energy technologies and weaning itself off oil and gas—a trend that has only accelerated with the U.S.-Iran war. These headlines, which emphasize China’s limited exposure to the greatly diminished supply of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, are true. But the news analysis has missed two key aspects of China’s “electrostate” victory over the “petrostate” status that the United States…

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As the American epoch of oil is collapsing, fossil fuel fascists are trying to turn back the clock

As the American epoch of oil is collapsing, fossil fuel fascists are trying to turn back the clock

Jonathan Watts writes: “Farewell,” the flag-waving Chinese children chanted to Donald Trump as he strolled along the red carpet back to Air Force One at the end of his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing. The US leader claimed he was leaving with a cluster of “fantastic” trade deals to sell US oil, jets and soya beans to China. That has not been confirmed by his smiling host, but one thing was crystal clear from the two days of meetings:…

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As oil prices stay high, China extends its domination of the wind power industry

As oil prices stay high, China extends its domination of the wind power industry

The New York Times reports: As the war in Iran threatens to choke off oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf, China is seizing the moment to extend its dominance in wind power. Across China, hilltops are dotted with wind turbines, and long rows of them span many miles in western deserts. Ultrahigh-voltage power lines carry electricity thousands of miles to the energy-hungry factories along China’s coast. Last year, China installed three times as much wind power capacity as…

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America will pay dearly for its energy arrogance

America will pay dearly for its energy arrogance

Gregory Brew writes: Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, markets will remain on edge, waiting to see if Iran closes it once more. Oil coming out of the Gulf will be viewed as more risky — and likely more expensive as a result. Countries will almost certainly rethink their energy security plans and shift their economies away from dependence on imports, including of oil and natural gas. This could prove to have the most profound consequences for the United…

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The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

An artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images By Abraham Nunbogu, United Nations University and Kaveh Madani, United Nations University There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies – everything from AI to wind turbines, as well as cellphones, electric vehicles and defense systems – depend on critical…

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Trump administration will pay more energy firms to abandon wind farms

Trump administration will pay more energy firms to abandon wind farms

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration will pay energy companies hundreds of millions of dollars to abandon their plans to build two wind farms off the U.S. coast, the Interior Department said Monday, in a repeat of a tactic the government used to cancel other offshore wind leases last month. The firms will forfeit their leases in federal waters for the two wind farms, one of which would have been built off New York and New Jersey and…

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‘The damage is done’: Global oil crisis has changed fossil fuel industry for ever, IEA chief says

‘The damage is done’: Global oil crisis has changed fossil fuel industry for ever, IEA chief says

The Guardian reports: The oil crisis triggered by the Iran war has changed the fossil fuel industry for ever, turning countries away from fossil fuels to secure energy supplies, the world’s leading energy economist said. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), also said that, despite pressure, the UK should forgo much of its potential North Sea expansion. Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Birol said a key effect of the US-Israel war on Iran was that…

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IEA chief: ‘We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history’

IEA chief: ‘We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history’

CNBC reports: “We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history,” Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told CNBC Thursday. “As of today, we’ve lost 13 million barrels per day of oil … and there are major disruptions in vital commodities,” he told Steve Sedgwick virtually at CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE in Singapore. Birol has previously warned that the Iran war and ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz would result in “the largest energy crisis…

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Escape route from Iran energy shock leads to China, U.S. allies find

Escape route from Iran energy shock leads to China, U.S. allies find

Politico reports: America’s allies, stung by soaring energy costs due to Washington’s attacks on Iran, are confronting an uncomfortable truth: The escape route from fossil fuel shocks leads straight into China’s arms. From the European Union and the United Kingdom to South Korea and the Philippines, numerous countries have responded to the war-driven spike in oil and gas prices with calls to accelerate electrification and the rollout of clean energy infrastructure. While that doesn’t offer an immediate fix to higher…

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