Notices by CelloMom On Cars (cellomomoncars@mastodon.social), page 6

"In 2024, Pakistan installed about 15 Gigawatts of solar panels; for context, the country’s total peak electricity demand is about 30 Gigawatts.

Households put so many panels on their rooftops that Pakistani cities now look visibly different on satellite maps."

https://www.wired.com/story/african-imports-of-chinese-solar-panels-increase/

These countries are leapfrogging "developed" countries which have painted themselves into a fossil fueled corner.

Pakistan has, quietly and without subsidies, become the sixth-largest solar market in the world (see a few posts up in this thread). And now,

"Pakistan plans to ask Qatar to delay delivery of liquefied natural gas supply over the next five years as the South Asian country grapples with weak demand and mounting import costs."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-25/pakistan-to-ask-qatar-to-defer-lng-for-years-on-weak-demand

"Solar panel imports will reduce fuel imports. The savings from avoiding diesel can repay the cost of a solar panel within six months in Nigeria, and even less in other countries. In nine of the top ten solar panel importers, the import value of refined petroleum eclipses the import value of solar panels by a factor of between 30 to 107."

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-first-evidence-of-a-take-off-in-solar-in-africa/

Dirty #FossilFuels make your energy costs high. switching to #CleanEnergy is already lowering #EnergyBills, despite what the fossil fueled disinformation claims. The International Energy Agency has the receipts.

"This special report provides, for the first time, an evidence base for the discussion and a pragmatic look at strategies and policy approaches that can safeguard affordability and fairness as transitions proceed."

https://www.iea.org/reports/strategies-for-affordable-and-fair-clean-energy-transitions/executive-summary

Wind and solar power half the cost of coal and gas, one-third the cost of nuclear, says Lazard.
2024 Levelized Cost Of Energy report:

Onshore wind: $US 27-72 per megawatt-hour
Onshore wind + storage: $US 45-$133 /MWh
Utility-scale solar: $ 29-$92 /MWh
Large-scale solar with storage: $ 60 - 210 /MWh

Coal: $ 69-$168 /MWh
Combined cycle gas: $ 45-$108 /MWh

https://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-and-solar-power-half-the-cost-of-coal-and-gas-one-third-the-cost-of-nuclear-says-lazard/
#LCOE

UK: Renewables overtake fossil fuels in electricity generation.

Wind, solar, hydropower: 37%
Fossil fuelsl: 35%

https://www.ft.com/content/28786901-2c68-46ae-be5c-cd7f89acbd9b

The world is on track to add 593 GW of solar power this year

That's the equivalent of building a medium sized coal, gas, or nuclear power plant EVERY 15 HOURS.

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-power-continues-to-surge-in-2024/

Turns out energy builders are the Sparrow Brigade: They flock to solar going "Cheap cheap!"

Clean energy = cheap energy

81% Of #Renewables Offer Cheaper Energy Than Fossil Fuels, Report Says

"The global average cost of #electricity from onshore wind fell to 3.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, and utility-scale solar photovoltaic fell to 4.4 cents/kWh, 12% less than the year before.

Fossil-fuel prices rose in 2023 to 10 cents/kWh, according to IRENA’s report, which largely ignores nuclear power (new nuclear has been estimated to cost as much as 25-30 cents/kWh)."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2024/09/26/81-of-new-renewables-produce-cheaper-energy-than-fossil-fuels/

"Researchers at MIT traced 81 distinct innovations that have reduced PV system costs since 1970.

Innovations in fields as varied as semiconductors, metalworking, glassmaking and even legal reforms all played a surprising role in driving down costs.

For MIT’s researchers, the lesson is that breakthroughs often come from unexpected places. The next phase of cost reductions could depend as much on processes, policies and software as on materials and hardware."

https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/08/16/researchers-reveal-the-hidden-breakthroughs-that-have-slashed-the-price-of-solar-power

"This massive growth spurt has propelled solar from bit player to a sizeable chunk of the planet’s energy mix.

And it’s taken less than two decades.

At current rates, solar is on track to provide 12 per cent of global electricity in three years, 24 per cent in six years, and 48 per cent in less than a decade."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-18/survey-of-the-worlds-solar-shows-global-boom/104006096

Particularly encouraging:
"60 per cent of nations in the global south are adding it at the same pace as developed economies."
(Excludes African countries).

The #US is making and deploying more #SolarPanels than ever before

"The #InflationReductionAct has caused solar panel manufacturing capacity to quintuple, revived domestic cell production, and sparked a surge in deployments."

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/the-us-is-making-and-deploying-more-solar-panels-than-ever-before

A handful of countries (plus the fossil fuel industry) are in the way of meaningful progress on the curbing of plastic pollution.

"Consensus" is easily sabotaged by a small number of bad-faith actors. But a global problem needs globally agreed solutions. Is there another way forward?

https://www.ft.com/content/5ddd782c-3b4d-40d8-ab69-90a26af6e063

If the plastics industry were a country, it’d be the world’s fourth-biggest emitter

https://grist.org/international/the-global-plastics-crisis-explained-in-6-charts/

“Consensus is dead,”

"The final decision, or lack there of, underscored the influence of the United States and other oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, which opposed any limit on the productions of plastics, made mostly from fuels like oil and gas.

The Youth Plastic Action Network was the only organization that spoke at the closing meeting Friday. Comments from observers were cut off at the request of the U.S. and Kuwait.

https://apnews.com/article/plastic-pollution-treaty-negotiations-united-nations-geneva-e73090282a22be7ff5979ea2d648dc10

Nuclear power plants are thermal plants.
Thermal plants need cooling.

"A nuclear plant in northern France was temporarily shut down on Monday after a swarm of jellyfish clogged pumps used to cool the reactors, energy group EDF said.

The beaches around Gravelines, between the major cities of Dunkirk and Calais, have seen an increase in jellyfish in recent years due to warming waters and the introduction of invasive species."

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250811-jellyfish-swarm-forces-france-s-largest-nuclear-plant-to-shut-down

" From acid-taming ocean tech to coral breeding and seaweed farming, ocean-based climate interventions are ramping up fast. But a new international study warns we’re moving too quickly—and without solid governance, these quick fixes could cause more harm than healing."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250802022929.htm

Now that companies are salivating at the prospect of making the oceans "more effective" at countering global heating, here are a few reminders:

2. The oceans are ALREADY absorbing the VAST majority of excess heat from global warming: 93%

(We're a water planet, after all. And the ocean heat at the surface is already powering much more destructive hurricanes and typhoons)

https://www.carbonbrief.org/scientists-clarify-starting-point-for-human-caused-climate-change/

Only ONE PERCENT of that heat goes into the atmosphere, and wreaking havoc.

Now that companies are salivating at the prospect of making the oceans "more effective" at countering global heating, here are a few reminders:

1. The oceans are ALREADY absorbing about A THIRD of human caused carbon dioxide

(And are acidifying from all the excess CO2; ocean acidification is global warming's "evil twin").

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_sink

Ah, the money trail:
"As corporate interest in ocean carbon removal grows ...."

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10082025/ocean-carbon-removal-climate-change/

"A new document reveals that one of the world’s largest plastic producers, DuPont, acknowledged as early as 1974 that recycling its plastic products was not possible.

This new discovery also comes against the backdrop of two pending lawsuits alleging that U.S. plastic producers have deceived the public about the feasibility of recycling since the 1980s."

https://www.desmog.com/2025/08/05/maddening-proof-plastics-industry-knew-recycling-was-false-solution-in-1974-new-document-shows/

Thanks to @benjamingeer for the link.