Liz Penfold’s Post

Good news from our EU neighbours. Achieved as a result of “Power from fossil fuel-fired generating units fell 19.7 percent against 2022. Natural gas lost its position as the second-largest power source in the 27-member bloc behind nuclear. Wind overtook gas with 16 gigawatts of capacity installed last year, according to the report.” Clearly the cross channel competition is very much on…

🌍 European Union: a new climate target for 2040   On February 6, 2024, the European Commission took important steps towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and outlined its recommendations for a new climate target set in 2040.   💪 The project is ambitious: a 90% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040, compared to 1990 levels.   Today, Member States settled a 55% reduction target by 2030. The year 2021 has already seen a 31% drop. The 2040 target is therefore a crucial milestone.   🔥 To achieve full decarbonization, the Commission projects a reduction of around 80% in fossil fuels used for energy purposes from 2021 to 2040, with an exit from coal.   🏭  To support the decarbonization of industry and energy, a “carbon management strategy” has been announced and is based on the annual capture of around 280 million tonnes of CO2 by 2040 from industry or burned biomass.   This development will be possible with the growth of renewable energies, energy efficiency, geothermal and hydro energies and nuclear power.   ☢️ Does this return to nuclear power announce a paradigm shift for the EU? It will be up to the next Commission, in autumn 2024 after the June elections, to submit a formal legislative proposal to the Member States and Parliament to achieve this target. 🌱🌏 Collectively, we have the power to move toward a more sustainable future that respects and preserves our planet.   Are you ready to join the movement? 👉 www.seam.earth #ESG #europeanlegislation #greendeal #energy #industry #energytransition #europeancommission #objective2040 #sustainability #environment #neutralcarbone

Nuclear and modern renewable energy sources are both vastly safer and cleaner than fossil fuels. From the perspective of both human health and climate change, it matters less whether we transition to nuclear or renewables, and more that we stop relying on fossil fuels. https://lnkd.in/eNNd4zqa

When discussing energy sources, safety is paramount. According to a detailed analysis by Our World in Data, nuclear and renewable energies are the safest options available. The study examines the death rates associated with various energy sources, revealing that fossil fuels like coal and oil are significantly more hazardous compared to solar, wind, and nuclear energy. #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #NuclearPower #Sustainability #EnergyTransition https://lnkd.in/eskqs4tH

Wind and solar are helping to avoid emissions from fossil fuels but their variability means there can be long periods where they underperform, resulting in higher emissions from fossil fuel use. Including clean, reliable nuclear energy in our energy mix can help us achieve our climate goals. https://lnkd.in/g2ui_iSB

Britain was once referred to as "the empire where the sun never sets," a legacy associated with an imperial past that brought hardship to many countries. Today, Britain is a country where the wind power never stops, providing the global leadership required in an era of climate emergency. ..... On July 20, 1978, at the inauguration ceremony for Korea's first nuclear power plant, the Kori-1, President Park Chung-hee said, "The construction of a nuclear power plant for the first time in our history is a monument to our country's modernization and national development, and we must now be more active in research and development of new resources such as solar, tidal and wind power. .... Korea's industrial development may have started later, but the country has much to learn from Britain's example. The energy transition offers Korea an opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint while enhancing energy security and industrial competitiveness. By promoting renewable energy more ambitiously, Korea can establish a stable, efficient, affordable, carbon-free energy system, aligned with global trends and climate goals.

“Coal supplied 80 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 1990 — but only 1 per cent last year, when 34.7 per cent came from gas, 32.8 per cent from wind and solar, 11.6 per cent from bioenergy, and 13.8 per cent from nuclear.“ The Financial Times reports. Now Britain, where this dirty form of power began, is going to close its last coal plant this year https://lnkd.in/eAPAEbid #FossilFuel #PhaseOut

COALITION ELECTRICITY-GENERATION PLANS, THROUGH THE YEARS I'm trying to recall Coalition electricity-generation plans / ideas / scams. We've had: Howard era: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Turnbull era: High efficiency low emissions (HELE) coal; world's most expensive pumped hydro that anyone could conceive (Snowy 2.0) Morrison era: Gas-led recovery Dutton era: Nuclear fission, large, then small, then back to large, and now a mix of the two. Not costed. What will be next? Nuclear fusion? Microwaves from space? Anything but now-conventional wind, solar, energy storage? This, from 18 years ago, it says:

Horizon Engage would like to introduce Stephen Livens, who will lead our decarbonization coverage across 7 Asia-Pacific countries, including 🇦🇺. How does 🇦🇺 currently stack up against BNEF's nine key tech solutions to harness if we want to get the world back on track to meeting our climate goals? 👍 Wind/solar, heat pumps 👉 Battery storage, power grid, EVs 👎 Nuclear, clean H2, sustainable aviation fuels, CCS Read Stephen's piece for the Horizon Engage blog below: #Decarbonization #NetZero #EnergyTransition

Two interesting energy stories today. First, UK is the first major economy to shed coal as an energy source as they shut down their last plant. Very symbolic since they had the first coal plant in the world. https://lnkd.in/dVvZZJnc Second, a Michigan nuclear plant gets a federal loan to restart. Nuclear is much more climate-change friendly than fossil fuel options. https://lnkd.in/diP67CCg Exciting to see this happen and tangible action against climate change.