Media

Tim Buckley details the global solar boom which is pushing down prices, and increasing manufacturing and installations on an unprecedented scale, foreshadowing a dramatic acceleration of the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and bringing hope for climate. Read more

As CEF China energy policy analyst Xuyang Dong writes, renewables are now leading China’s newly added power capacity for the first time, even as new coal power plants continue to come online. During the first quarter of 2023, China added a record 50 GW of RE capacity. Read more

China Energy Policy Analyst Xuyang Dong argues: “Australia is being remade into an active and helpful middle power in its region with its own agency, constructively and strategically navigating its presence in the geopolitics of growing China-US rivalry.” Read more

Meanwhile, Xuyang Dong, a China energy policy analyst for Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance, said the Australian media’s hand-wringing over a possible war with China has clouded the country’s focus on the greater threat of climate change. “Diversifying Australia’s security strategy to encompass these concerns is inarguably important because China is no longer the only, or major, threat to the world, or to Australia,” Dong said on Tuesday. “Climate change and the energy crisis are clearly endangering Australia’s national interests now, and require more nuanced conversations to tackle.” Read more

Tim Buckley highlights progress on decarbonisation in India and China, noting, for example, that at the current rate of installs, China is on track to reach its 2030 renewables target of 1,200GW five years earlier with a possible plateauing of emissions this decade, ahead of the 2030 official peaking target. Read more

Tim Buckley comments on China’s leadership on decarbonisation in this positive international story on the progress being made to a better future. Read more

In his piece foreshadowing next month’s COP 27 and tracking global progress on decarbonisation, Nine/Fairfax environment editor quotes Tim Buckley on China: while it leads the world in coal use, it also leads in “wind and solar installation and manufacturing, EV production, batteries, hydro, nuclear, ground heat pumps, grid transmission and distribution, green hydrogen, literally every zero-emissions technology today.” Read more

“Relative to competition, solar has never been more affordable, even with inflation,” says Tim Buckley. “And I expect costs to come down dramatically across this decade.” Read more

As Tim Buckley points out, the catastrophic drought in China has resulted in power shortages, since hydro is 20 per cent of generation. As a result, major manufacturers have had to curtail operations – including some producers of solar cells. Read more

Tim Buckley: “While China leads the world in coal use, it also leads in wind and solar, EV production, batteries, hydro, nuclear, heat pumps, grid transmission and distribution, green hydrogen – every zero-emissions technology today.” Read more

Tim Buckley writes that China should be applauded for its sustained investment in lower emissions technologies, as it leads the world in EV sales, wind and solar installs and green hydrogen. Read more

While China has been increasing coal production as President Xi Jinping prioritises a stable economy over climate change targets, Tim Buckley said this was expected to peak next year as it invested heavily in renewables. Read more