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Newsletter (copy 21)
The Netherlands’ lightning-fast shift to renewables
Happy Tuesday, dear reader.
First things first: This is a final reminder that our free-to-attend online conference is happening this Thursday. You’ll hear from the policymakers behind South Australia and Uruguay’s world-leading energy transitions, among other great speakers. Register here.
Some good news to get things started:
In February, 84% of Spain’s electricity came from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear), according to Ember data. Wind comprised a third of the overall mix.
Know anyone else who’d be interested in signing up to this free newsletter? They can do so here.
The Netherlands’ electricity sector has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past four years, new statistics show.
In 2023, nearly half (48%) of Dutch electricity generation came from renewable sources, according to the country’s stats office. That’s up from just 19% as recently as 2019.
Over the four-year period, renewables output, measured in terawatt hours, nearly trebled amid a surge in wind and solar installations.
As a result, the Netherlands exported more electricity to neighbouring countries than ever before in 2023 — even as coal output slumped 38% from the year before.
- Read the full story here.
Don’t miss our free online conference this Thursday!
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 countries, cities and organisations that are leading the way to a better, more sustainable world.
We have a superb line-up of speakers, including Ramón Méndez Galain, architect of Uruguay’s transition to circa 100% renewable electricity.
- Find out more and register here.
The creation of low-traffic neighbourhoods in London has yielded substantial returns for local communities, a study that analysed six years of data has found.
Low-traffic neighbourhoods are essentially blocked off to cars that don’t belong to local residents and delivery vehicles. While they’ve existed for some time, the concept gained traction amid the Covid-19 pandemic, when social distancing requirements made public transport options less appealing.
Where implemented, they encourage a shift from private vehicle use towards healthier, more active modes of travel — specifically cycling and walking.
In many cases, the health economic benefits exceed 100 times the costs involved, according to the study, which was led by Professor Rachel Aldred of Westminster University.
The public health benefit equates to £4,800 per person over 20 years, compared to a cost of just £28–35 per person for low-traffic neighbourhoods implemented in 2020, or £112 for higher-cost versions with additional features, like greening and crossing improvements.
- Read the full story here.
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India has all but eliminated extreme poverty, according to a new study by the country’s stats office, which also shows a marked decline in inequality over the past decade.
The latest: Consumption expenditure data for financial year 2023 offers the first official survey-based poverty estimates for India in 11 years.
It shows that solid economic growth, combined with a large decline in inequality, has lifted even the poorest segments of society above the $1.9-a-day poverty line (based on 2011 prices).
- Read the full story here.
Renewables alone have powered the Uruguayan economy for eight straight months.
Between 1 July 2023 and end-February 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.
How it got here: Uruguay used to rely almost entirely on hydro- and oil & gas-based power. But as the economy grew and electricity demand threatened to overtake supply from the early 2010s, it needed to add additional generating capacity, and fast. New hydro wasn’t an option as it had already made the most of that resource.
To chart the way forward, the president appointed Ramón Méndez Galain, a particle physicist from the private sector, as the country’s director of energy — a position he held until 2015.
- Read the full story here.
- Ramón will be speaking at our conference on Thursday. Register here.
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