THE SHIFT TO NEW ENERGY GOES ON

Renewables are Winning, Nukes are Dead and Coal is Crashing

Kathleen Rogers and Danny Kennedy, December 14, 2013 (EcoWatch)

“…[A] n enormous shift has begun in the ways in which the U.S. and the world will power itself with clean energy…All new electricity capacity built in the U.S. in September was renewable…[T]here was no new fossil fuel capacity added to our grid in September 2012, and 443 megawatts of wind and solar were installed…

“…Clean tech companies are growing faster than the fossil fuel industries as employers…More people are now getting work in clean energy and related clean technology business than oil, gas and coal…[The solar industry] is 119,000 strong in 5,600 companies in all 50 states…[U.S. coal mining employs] about 80,000 and [is] declining. The solar industry grew at a rate of about 13 percent for the last year, while reducing costs 19 percent and growing…The broader economy barely grew in the same period in terms of new job creation…”

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“…Nuclear power post-Fukushima is all but dead, and coal is crashing. U.S. coal supply declined by 100 million tons in 2012. In terms of coal fired electricity, it was 52 percent of the mix in 2000; last year, it was 42 percent—and this year, some reports have it at less than 33 percent…That is a sea change.

“…[The] new, cheap gas that the frackers are creating…won’t last because, regardless of the hype, a finite fuel under increasing demand will go up in price. So, gas is creating the space and understanding that we don’t need to be dependent on coal, that we can shift the mix and keep the lights on. And in time, the “no-fuel” solutions will come to dominate…Nine out of 10 Americans want more solar in the mix…[and, because more clean energy jobs are in red states than blue, elected] officials will follow…”

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