Renewable Energy
Consider the USA data
and the Global data.
The falling prices of electricity from sun and wind, above, lead to their increased use, left.
Renewables and gas displace coal, due to coal’s generally higher operating cost.
A quick look at the world, a decade ago.
Total energy use: up 1.9%/year
2010 World Energy Use (Wikipedia)
USDOE/EIA
Hydro up 3.3% per year
Other Renewables up 14.6% per year
The data on the chart below, as well as the following 2, underlie the line graph at the top of this page. Lazard’s 2020 unsubsidized US electric generation costs for renewable (top) and traditional (fossil & nuke) technologies. See PDF below. Lazard’s charts are also on the Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuke page. 2017 and 2014 versions are below the 2020 version.
Capital + operating costs of renewables – versus – operating costs only of non-renewables
Lazard’s 2017 unsubsidized US electric generation costs for renewable (top) and traditional (fossil & nuke) technologies. See PDF below. Lazard’s charts are also on the Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuke page.
Levelized US Costs of New Electric Energy - Lazard 1214 - PDF, 20 pp.
The chart is taken from a later edition of this study. It includes more detailed charts and tables, plus the footnotes to the chart above. Solar is decisively cheaper than gas or diesel peaking generators in the US, Australia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Japan, and northern Europe.
Solar Power Crushes Own Record for Cheapest Electricity ‘Ever 1017 1.79¢/kWh in Saudi Arabia, 7 bids under 3¢/kWh. Graph by Union of Concerned Scientists
Bloomberg’s 2014 forecast of worldwide new Installed GW electric capacity for selected years. It is out of date. New coal capacity collapsed much faster than anticipated in 2014. The clean energy forecast now is more than twice the amounts shown below. The same might be said of the two graphs below that.
China’s Plan is pursuant to Nov. 2014 agreement with USA. US total, mostly fossil, is 1,000-1,100 GW.
Figure is from Bloomberg New Energy Futures, August 2023
This, and the next 2 figures are for China 2050 High-Renewables Road Map 0415 - PDF
China’s Projected Primary Energy Consumption by Year
China’s Projected 2050 Electricity Sources by Time of Day
China’s Projected Electricity Generation by Source, by Year
Red line wth blue numbers is renewables %.
Light blue line with red numbers is non-carbon %.
Section Map: Fossil Fuels & Nuclear Energy