Nice report on large-scale green tech from the DOE

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woodgeek

woodgeek

Minister of Fire
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Jan 27, 2008
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The DOE has just published a nice, short report that looks at several technologies that are in large scale deployment: Wind, PV (utility and homeowner), EVs, and LED bulbs. Including costs, deployment volume trends and carbon and $$ savings.

A lot of existing data sources are badly out of date, and miss a lot in these rapidly growing areas. The data here is through 2015 with some estimated that are for 2016.

http://energy.gov/eere/downloads/revolutionnow-2016-update

The pdf is here:

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/09/f33/Revolutionâ€Now 2016 Report_2.pdf

Summary (just in the US):
>100,000 MW of wind and solar generation capacity,
1M houses with solar panels,
utility solar growing exponentially and blowing past homeowner,
>500,000 EVs sold to date.
 
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An interesting update on the state of global renewable energy from Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-turning-point-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind

the major points, mostly due to the collapse in solar panel prices (now $0.48/W):

1) The world installed more solar capacity than wind capacity for the first time in 2016: 70GW of solar versus 60 GW of wind.

2) The amount of $$ spent by developing (58 non-OECD) countries on RE now exceeds that spent by the developed (OECD) countries.

More info here: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-year-hectic-change-off-target-predictions/

It seems likely that non-panel costs in developing countries (land, install labor, licensing, etc) are all lower than in, say, the US, as well as fewer vested interests in the electricity status quo. This has rendered utility scale solar in the developing world as cheap as large-scale wind, and both about half the price of coal.

Growth rates for solar in the developing world are higher than solar in the OECD, or wind anywhere, so this trend will only accelerate.

Prediction: within 5 years, 'poor' developing world countries will be lecturing/shaming the 'rich' US for not decarbonizing its grid as fast as they have! Will they pay us to do it? ;lol

In other news: Bill Gates and his buddies have met personally with the PEOTUS and explained the world needs an 'energy miracle'. LOL. :rolleyes:
 
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