State regulators are set to vote next week on Georgia Power’s long-term plan that environmental and clean energy advocates say falls short of renewable energy goals and of responsibly closing coal-fired power plants.
California broke its record for renewable energy when solar and wind provided enough to meet all consumer demand. At the time, natural gas power plants were still on, a necessity for the grid.
It’s getting more urgent than ever to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to minimize the devastation of climate change, according to a landmark report last week. And solar panels are cheaper than ever. But for Georgia Power customers, it’s not quite that simple. Most still need to get some of their electricity from the utility, and a program that made that mix of power sources affordable has just filled up.
This year, China pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2060. It has invested heavily in solar, wind and nuclear energy. Still, coal-fired heavy industry made up 37% of its economic activity last year.
For years, the Navy has objected to offshore wind farms on the California coast. The Biden administration announced a deal for new projects, crucial to achieving its climate change policy.
In 2020, renewable power was "the only energy source for which demand increased ... while consumption of all other fuels declined," the International Energy Agency says.
The companies face an existential threat as more governments and businesses move to tackle climate change. So a growing number have their own plans to decarbonize, by creating renewable gas.
Some prominent Republicans have blamed wind and solar power for the blackouts in the storm-stricken state. But the truth is that every source of generation fell short.
Workers in the energy sector face two paths: The oil industry offers big salaries but more volatility, while clean energy pays less but provides more stability and a sense of mission.
Large-scale solar farms are running into opposition from people who want to save farmland. Now solar companies are trying to combine solar and farming.
If there’s one thing Georgia has a ton of — actually a billion tons — it’s trees. The state leads the country in acres of private timberland and volume...