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Newsletter (copy 19)
Inside California's world-leading solar and battery shift
Good morning,
Some good news to get things started:
Belgium has made ‘ecocide’ a crime under international law.
The UK has exited the controversial energy charter treaty, which has protected fossil fuel companies from climate legislation for decades.
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Thanks in part to its successful net-metering programme, California comfortably leads the world in solar integration.
All solar technologies — including grid-scale and rooftop PV systems, as well as concentrated solar plants — accounted for 28% of the state’s electrical output in the 12-months to end-September 2023, according to data collated by Stanford University Professor Mark Z. Jacobson.
For context, Chile ranks a distant second on the solar penetration rankings, with a 20% share of the mix in 2023, according to Ember data. Greece is third, at 19%.
California’s success is partly due to its generous net-metering scheme, which incentivises homes and businesses to install rooftop solar panels by giving them credits for any excess electricity they inject into the grid. Until recently, utilities bought energy from customers for roughly the same price that they sold it to them.
- Read the full story here.
This free-to-attend online conference, a collaboration with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL’s) South African arm, will look at the policies and projects that are leading the way to a better, more sustainable world.
We have a great line-up of speakers, including Ramón Méndez Galain, architect of Uruguay’s transition to circa 100% renewable electricity.
- Find out more and register here.
Aside from decarbonising the transport sector, electric vehicles (EVs) are also starting to play an important role in balancing the UK’s power grid.
The context: Grid operators must constantly maintain a steady balance between electricity demand and supply to keep the entire system stable.
In many markets, gas-fired power plants are the primary flexibility tool, as they can ramp up and down their output quickly. However, newer flexibility services are challenging the status quo.
EVs, for instance, can feed power back into the grid during peak times to help meet surges in demand. On the other hand, when there’s excess supply — typically during the middle of the day or late at night — incentivising EV charging is a handy way to bring things back into balance.
The latest: In early February, Great Britain’s electricity system operator (ESO) announced that it would allow up to 300MW of aggregated assets — including EV chargers and electric heating systems — into its flexibility toolkit. The ESO will be able to turn to those distributed assets when it needs a demand or supply boost.
- Read the full story here.
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Roughly one in five new cars sold this year will be electric, according to forecasts by Dutch financial services group ING.
Why it matters: The transport sector accounts for about a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, so decarbonising it will be critical to meeting climate goals.
Replacing petrol- and diesel-powered cars with electric versions will play an important role in the transition, as will efforts to expand public transport networks and make cities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
The latest: In 2023, 17% of new cars sold were electric (including plug-in hybrids), and that share will likely rise to 19% this year, ING says.
While some European countries have exceptionally high EV penetration rates, including Norway, China remains the main driver of the global shift, and ING sees no signs of a slowdown materialising in the country any time soon.
- Read the full story here.
Renewables alone have powered the Uruguayan economy for seven straight months.
Between 1 July 2023 and 31 January 2024, the South American nation generated all of its electricity from renewable sources — with wind the single-biggest contributor, according to data collated by Ember.
- Read the full story here.
* The architect of Uruguay’s transition, Ramón Méndez Galain, will deliver a keynote address at our upcoming (and free) Policies for the Planet conference.
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