India’s Electricity Transformation
By Paul Homewood
Renewable proponents are getting excited about the latest news from India:
The Indian energy market transformation is accelerating under Energy Minister Piyush Goyal’s leadership.
The most recent and most persuasive evidence is the collapsing cost of solar electricity—a collapse that has gone beyond anyone’s expectations, and the results are in: solar has won.
The global energy market implications are profound.
Recent events have given manifest life to Mark Carney’s landmark 2015 speech in which Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, warned of stranded-asset risks across the coal industry. This month alone has seen the cancellation of 13.7 gigawatts (GW) of proposed coal-fired power plants across India and an admission that US$9bn (8.6GW) of already operating import-coal-fired power plants are potentially no longer viable.
To put an Australian and a global seaborne thermal coal-trade perspective on it, these development strike at the very viability of the Carmichael export thermal coal proposal. They speak as well to a worldwide transition in progress.
India solar tariffs have been in freefall for months. A new 250MW solar tender in Rajasthan at the Bhadla Phase IV solar park this month was won at a record low Rs2.62/kWh,[i] 12 percent below the previous record low tariff awarded across 750MW of solar just three months ago at Rs2.97/kWh.
The Bhalda Phase record lasted two days, with a more recent 500MW Indian solar auction coming in at Rs2.44/kWh, 7 percent below Bhalda Phase.
We see solar pricing continuing to become even more competitive over time.
Several forces are at work.
In December 2016, India released its 10-year Draft National Electricity Plan, calling for the installation of a cumulative 275GW of renewable energy capacity by 2027, as well as 97GW of other zero emissions capacity (primarily large scale hydro, but also nuclear). Relative to a planned total system capacity of 650GW, the plan sees thermal power capacity falling from 69 percent of India electricity-generation mix in March 2016 to 43 percent by 2027.
http://ieefa.org/ieefa-asia-indias-electricity-sector-transformation-happening-now/
We are supposed to believe that solar power is going to rapidly replace coal. But, in fact, the news is not really new at all, and simply confirms what we knew already from India’s Draft National Plan, published in December 2016, and covered here.
But first, some basic facts.
Nice heatwave, but June 1878 was hotter
By Paul Homewood
Booker on last week’s heatwave:
Headline writers were itching during last week’s heatwave to proclaim that it was a “record breaking” June, particularly on June 21, when the BBC flashed up that the temperature had hit “35 degrees” (in fact it had only been 34.5).
The problem, as all had to admit, was that this was only the hottest June spell since the drought year of 1976, when June temperatures on seven days exceeded 34.5, followed by months more of exceptional heat before the drought broke in September.
But the suspicions of that expert analyst Paul Homewood were aroused when he noticed that the 34.5 degrees had only been recorded in one place, Heathrow airport: just as happened two years ago when the Met Office splashed across the media that July 1 2015 had been “the hottest July day ever”, with a temperature of 36.7 degrees, again recorded only at Heathrow airport.
Dale Vince Increases His Prices
By Paul Homewood
h/t Bloke down the Pub
Not content with receiving huge subsidies from the taxpayer, electric car drivers are now moaning about paying a proper cost for their electricity:
Reckoned to be Britain’s wealthiest hippy, Dale Vince can be pretty pleased with his £100m fortune.
Some of his customers appear less happy. For Mr Vince’s company is accused of hiking up prices at electric car charging points while at the same time ploughing millions of pounds into his football club.
Greenpeace Beclown Themselves
By Paul Homewood
h/t Joe Public
Greenpeace and the Scientists agree:
https://twitter.com/greenpeace/status/878628872769732609
One slight problem though! The “scientists” were really from the Onion, a satirical website:
http://www.theonion.com/article/scientists-politely-remind-world-that-clean-energy-36086
Perhaps Greenpeace might like to consult some real scientists next time!
Christina Figueres Joins The Lancet
By Paul Homewood
Apparently the Lancet now believe that world communism will improve everybody’s health:
The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change marked historic progress for the planet and human health. Signatories agreed to limit global temperature rise to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels”; redouble a global commitment of financial flows to developing countries of US$100 billion annually by 2020; and created a mechanism to increase ambitious action.1 Although inaction threatens to undermine 50 years of progress in public health, meeting the Paris Agreement’s ambitions presents the greatest global health opportunity of this century.2 The challenge now lies in implementation.
Although the development and signing of the Paris Agreement was an international effort, the charge was led by one woman—Christiana Figueres. She took to the helm of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—the mechanism underpinning international action on climate change—as its Executive Secretary in 2009, and was challenged with securing a safe path forward for the Convention and the world’s climate. Building a cross-sectoral and international coalition, she helped shepherd the Paris Agreement to its signing in Paris in December, 2015.
The international ratification of the most ambitious climate treaty in history has set the momentum for tackling climate change. Even with the departure of the USA from the Agreement, 196 other countries are united in their commitment to prevent a global climate catastrophe. One country dropping out will not change the course of action.
The medical community has three crucial parts to play in addressing climate change and acting on the momentum created by the Paris Agreement. First, we need bold leadership and a strong voice, communicating to patients and advocating to governments that climate change is fundamentally a public health issue. Second, the health benefits of responding to climate change must be realised and maximised globally. Third, we must benchmark and monitor efforts to meet and overcome these challenges. Only then can the true impact of climate change on health be understood, and the health benefits of responding to climate change be realised.
The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change is meeting these needs.3 By providing annual data across a range of indicators, the Lancet Countdown will lead and communicate on health and climate change; demonstrate the health co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation; and monitor global progress in meeting the Paris Agreement.
The Lancet Countdown has the potential not only to improve the response to climate change, but to transform it. The collaboration is therefore delighted to announce that Christiana Figueres will join as Chair of its High-Level Advisory Board. Much as she did with the Paris Agreement, Christiana Figueres will help guide the Lancet Countdown to maximise its impact and deliver on the promise of the Paris Agreement.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)31667-7/fulltext
Ten Reasons Why We Don’t Believe You, Katharine
By Paul Homewood
Katharine Hayhoe thinks she knows why some of us don’t believe in global warming – apparently we don’t care!
Well Katharine, here are another ten reasons you forgot:
1) We don’t trust climate scientists.
The Climategate emails revealed just how untrustworthy the climate establishment has become.
We know that literally billions in grants are being shovelled their way, and that these grants would quickly dry up if they dropped their alarmism.
Tornado Stats For 2016–Another Quiet Year
By Paul Homewood
NOAA have been very slow in releasing the final tornado data for 2016, but it is finally out now.
As the provisional indicated at the time, last year was another very quiet year for tornadoes, and continued the pattern of a lower level compared to the 1970s.
Yes Minister Does Global Warming
By Paul Homewood
h/t Jo Nova
If only Yes Minister had done global warming. Well, it has now, in the new stage version.
It’s hilarious, absolutely to the point, and a must watch.
Yes Prime Minister Global Warming etc Part 1 from Aris Motas on Vimeo.
Yes Prime Minister Global Warming etc Part 2 from Aris Motas on Vimeo.
The Heathrow Tarmac Strikes Again!
By Paul Homewood
As we know, the Met Office have informed us that Wednesday was the hottest June day since 1976, with a temperature of 34.5C recorded next to the runway at Heathrow.
Apparently the previous hottest June day since 1976 was at Worcester in 1995, with 33.8C set.
This is all very interesting, because I asked the Met Office what the highest temperature was on Wednesday after the Heathrow figure.
This was their reply:
So the next highest temperatures, set at Kew and Northolt which are both close to Heathrow, were 33.8C, the same as in 1995.
Only by using the Heathrow temperature were the Met Office able to claim the “hottest day since 1976”.
Many readers will recall similar shenanigans in 2015, when the tarmac at Heathrow conveniently allowed the Met Office to claim the hottest July day on record.
Norway To Carry On Drilling
By Paul Homewood
h/t Patsy Lacey
Apparently Norway don’t read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard!
Norway on Wednesday proposed to open up a record number of blocks in the Barents Sea to oil exploration despite protests from environmentalists and others fearing possible damage to the Arctic region.
The Norwegian oil and energy ministry offered oil companies 93 blocks in the Barents Sea and nine others in the Norwegian Sea, all located beyond the Arctic Circle.
"New (KOSDAQ: 160550.KQ – news) exploration acreage promotes long-term activity, value creation and profitable employment in the petroleum industry across the country," Energy Minister Terje Soviknes, a member of the right-wing government, said in a statement.
Public bodies such as the Norwegian Environment Agency, the Directorate of Fisheries and the Norwegian Polar Institute had opposed the opening of several dozens of these blocks, wary of their proximity to the sea ice and the effect of disruptive surveying techniques on valuable fish stocks, among other things.
"This shows that Norway’s government has no respect for the climate goals they signed onto in the Paris agreement," the head of Greenpeace Norway, Truls Gulowsen said, referring to the 2015 COP21 accord aiming to keep global warming to under two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.
"The blocks offered are for the most part extremely far north in very fragile areas … but also very expensive to exploit, so it is in all regards oil that should remain underground," he told AFP.
Along with another non-governmental organisation, Greenpeace is already suing the Norwegian state to protest last year’s allocation of other areas in the region for oil exploration. The trial is to begin on November 14.
Norsk Olje og Gass, an organisation representing the oil industry, meanwhile welcomed the government’s announcement, saying it would bring "enormous value to Norwegian society".
The largest producer of black gold in Western Europe, Norway has seen its production halved since the early 2000s.
According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, the Barents Sea contains about two-thirds of the nation’s remaining resources.
Companies have until November 30 to submit their applications, with licenses expected to be awarded in the first half of 2018.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/norway-offers-oil-firms-record-145127190.html
Perhaps contrary to common misperception, Norway produces virtually no renewable energy, if hydro is excluded (which of course they have had for a very long time):
