Greece and Hungary pledge to phase out coal
Athens-based policy group The Green Tank labelled Greece’s decision “historic” while Europe Beyond Coal, an alliance of civil society groups working to make Europe coal free by 2030 said Hungary should target a more ambitious 2025 phase-out.
EU coal regions could deploy 730 GW of PV while retaining employment rates, study finds
A study performed by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission has identified serious solar potential in Europe’s coal regions. According to the study, the transition to PV would also allow for similar full time employment equivalents as that of the coal industry.
Engie to sell 2.3 GW of coal power assets
The French energy company has decided to sell its coal-fired power plants in Germany and the Netherlands to U.S.-based private equity firm Riverstone.
Germany considers closing coal-fired power plants by 2038
German states with coal mining regions would receive a total of €40 billion from the federal government over 20 years for structural change under the terms of the Coal Commission’s proposal, while operators of coal-fired plants would receive compensation.
Israel lauded for ditching coal – for gas
The Middle Eastern state has been praised for joining the global anti coal movement, but its plan to switch to natural gas is more a victory for pragmatism than the environmental or renewables cause.
Renewables surpassed fossil fuels capacity in Germany last year
In their annual monitoring report, Germany’s Federal Network Agency and the Federal Cartel Office have analyzed the figures for 2017. At the end of last year, renewables accounted for around 112.5 GW of operational capacity, while conventional sources totalled 105.1 GW.
Solar, not coal, can stop hike in electricity prices in Poland
Polish research institute IEO released a new analysis showing increasing power prices in the Eastern European country, due to the current energy policy, which still strongly relies on coal power. Replacing coal with solar power, it argues, would likely result in decreasing power prices.
Banks turn their back on coal amid emissions concerns
While global coal mining companies are enjoying the highest prices in years on the back of boosted Asian demand, banks and financiers are increasingly ending their support for coal power. London-based Standard Chartered the latest to stop financing new coal-fired stations.
US renewables replace coal and gas in 2017
The output of all the main sources of thermal electricity generation declined in the first nine months of this year, as hydro, wind and solar boomed and demand fell.
Greenest year ever for UK as renewables outstrip coal by three-to-one
Analysis of the U.K.’s energy figures for 2017 show that renewables provided more power than coal on 315 days of the year, with solar a dominant player throughout the summer months.
