I caught a few big stories from the Cult of Climastrology where they are pimping the notion that renewables surged past coal for energy production. Um, no
(Breitbart) CNBC viewers are being snookered.
The business news network featured an article in the “Sustainable Energy†section of its Website that proclaimed: “Renewables surged past coal in 2015 to become world’s biggest source of electricity: IEA.â€
In reading that headline, one might get the impression that wind turbines and solar panels produced more electricity last year than coal. But the fine print actually reveals a very different picture.
Huh. Fine print.
The opening paragraph of the article by “Freelance digital reporter†Anmar Frangoul gives a clue as to the sleight of hand being used. Frangoul cites the International Energy Agency (IEA) as reporting that “Renewable energy moved past coal in 2015 to become the biggest source of global electricity capacity.†The key word there is “capacity.â€
What’s noteworthy is that capacity is far different from actual production. The average wind turbine has a maximum rated capacity of roughly 2 megawatts. That means, if the wind is blowing between 26-56 mph, the turbine can spin up to its peak generating capacity. In such moments, the wind turbine can produce its full 2 megawatts.
Of course, the reality is that capacity for renewables tends to be vastly off, especially with wind and solar. Hydrothermal tends to work well. Of course, extreme enviroweenies want to tear dams down.
In contrast, and as the IEA itself notes, coal provided 40.8 percent of worldwide power generation in 2014. The renewables that Frangoul crows about—defined by the IEA as “geothermal, solar, wind, heat, etc.â€â€”produced only 6.3 percent of all power.
One day we’ll see renewables provide the type of power we need, hopefully as truly, or mostly, clean. Perhaps the Cult of Climastrology should stop pimping it as a way of stopping Hotcoldwetdry, they might obtain more support, rather than eye rolls. And they wouldn’t need to push fake numbers.
No Teach what the article says is that the renewable capacity INSTALLED in the last year was greater than the new coal power capacity installed last year.Interestingly enough it was in 3rd world countries where the difference was greatest.
Someday…………. People will discover that renewables are now cheaper than coal and begin installing in one year more renewable energy capacity than coal. In fact !!! That has already happened.
Bloomberg estimates that by the year 203 (13 years from now) that renewable new installations will surpass that of coal power plants by 400%
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/fossil-fuels-just-lost-the-race-against-renewables
Teach the PRIMARY reason for these new installations has been COST not global climate change
Let ‘s go to the tape, shall we?
From the article:
However, despite your claim that solar is cheaper, it needs to be subsidized while coal is over taxed and regulated to be on the same plane.
So once again, john can’t read and doesn’t understand economics.