Unfortunately, I can't share your enthusiasm. These are just pledges and hollow "commitments" which nobody can enforce.

China’s construction of new coal-power plants ‘reached 10-year high’ in 2024

The country began building 94.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-power capacity and resumed 3.3GW of suspended projects in 2024, the highest level of construction in the past 10 years,

From 2022 onwards, new and revived proposals to initiate coal-power projects also surged, reaching 146GW in 2022 and 117GW in 2023 – well above pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, retirement and mothballing of old coal plants remains “low”, the report says. This is particularly pronounced in recent years, with the amount of capacity being closed down each year dropping sharply from around 13GW in 2020 to 2.5GW in 2024.

All of this stands in "direct conflict" with Chinese president Xi Jinping’s pledge in 2021 to “strictly limit the increase in coal consumption” between 2021 and 2026, the report says, as well as China’s 2030 carbon-peaking action plan.

One small step to come here in the UK:


UK fracking ban to be brought forward as Labour counters Reform promise
wrote:

... the government is to speed up its plans to permanently ban fracking in the UK, in order to counter the Reform party’s promises to bring back the controversial practice...

... This means that in order to allow fracking, a future government would have to repeal the legislation with a parliamentary vote.

This would be very difficult, as it means the government would have to gain the votes of MPs whose constituencies sit on shale gas. Miliband used his speech at the Labour conference to say the party will send campaigners to nearly 200 constituencies to “send the frackers packing”...

... to ban fracking “at the earliest opportunity” to protect the 187 constituencies that sit above shale gas areas from drilling...

A multiple win against pollution and needless costs...

All on and in our only one planet,
Martin

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Here is a brief presentation for turning to 100% renewables:


Greg Jackson explains how energy giants suppress renewables | Climate 100


The interesting part comes in the extended discussion that covers the economics and politics and a tremendous positive shift in convenience.

There really is a good clean convenient efficient way to go!

So astonishingly cheap it is all a no-brainer!

And some of us are going well right now.


All on our only one planet,
Martin

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... to ban fracking "at the earliest opportunity" to protect the 187 constituencies that sit above shale gas areas from drilling...

A multiple win against pollution and needless costs...

Only if the UK does not substitute domestic shale gas with imported LNG.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/articles/trendsinukimportsandexportsoffuels/2022-06-29

The UK imports around 50% of its gas from the international market and most homes in England and Wales are heated by mains gas supply. Gas is also used to fuel around a third of the UK's electricity generation, so rising gas prices will usually lead to rising electricity prices.

A double win:


China Confirms Solar Panel Projects Are Irreversibly Changing Desert Ecosystems
wrote:

... These aren't wildflowers blooming overnight, but they are signs that utility-scale solar can double as a modest micro-[environment-]restorer.

For good or for bad?...


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

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A double win:


China Confirms Solar Panel Projects Are Irreversibly Changing Desert Ecosystems
wrote:

... These aren't wildflowers blooming overnight, but they are signs that utility-scale solar can double as a modest micro-[environment-]restorer.

Following up on this, we have:


Can Solar Halt the Desert?

... And then also, is that not what natural forests do? And especially so for how "rain" forests reshape the local climate??...


For good or for bad?...


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

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Can't argue with this:


Wind power has cut £104bn from UK energy costs since 2010, study finds
wrote:

Reduction comes from energy generated from windfarms and lower cost of gas owing to lower demand [for gas due to that wind power being used instead]...

... Despite what the dirty old fossils industry might claim...

All for our only one planet...
Martin

---

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But, Miliband admits wind power less reliable than expected

Energy Secretary would have to pay higher subsidies, making it harder to reach clean power targets

The Government has slashed forecasts for the amount of electricity it expects wind farms to generate in a blow to Ed Miliband’s net zero plans.
In documents published before an auction of green energy subsidies this week, officials said they were revising down the predicted efficiency of wind turbines by more than a quarter as a result of “updated modelling”.
Experts said the change would mean that the Energy Secretary would have to pay higher subsidies to wind farms to secure the same amount of energy, making it harder to hit Labour’s clean power targets.
The “bogus numbers” were also attacked by the Conservatives, who have called on Mr Miliband to scrap the latest subsidy auction, which they argued risked pushing up consumer bills.
Industry sources claimed developers had previously warned officials that estimates for power generation were unrealistic, but that the Government had stuck with them anyway. One said: “The numbers were statistically absurd.”

Since 2015 (no publicly available data before) the UK imported on average 17...19 TWh (billion kilowatt hours) per annum. Since 2021 imports increased to 25 TWh; after that, in 2024 a staggering 34 TWh was imported from the continent and Scandinavia. The only exception in 2022: a net export of 5 TWh (due to downtimes of too many French nuclear PPs).

The UK is the 2nd largest importer of electricity in Europe, chasing longtime champion Italy (>50 TWh per annum) which stopped its Nuclear PPs already in 1987 (because of Chernobyl); never replaced their generating capacities).... but still before the 3rd, Germany, which became a major net importer due to its nuclear phase-out in 2023).

We will outpace the UK as soon as our coal and lignite phase-out picks up speed in a couple of years; or even earlier, depending on CO2 pricing... Lignite is most CO2-extensive, so becomes inreasingly more expensive than gas; second only to diesel resp. fuel oil, which is only used on off-grid islands (e.g. Spain's Canary Islands, Danish Faroyar, or Cyprus).

Grid scale electricity, traded at energy exhanges is 'grey-labeled'. Simply import your electricity needs and get rid of further green energy requirements. It's the business of the supplier, no longer yours.

There's a general assumption in Europe: Sufficient electricity is available all the time at exchanges, so don't worry.... day ahead and intraday trading can balance demand and supply, while minimizing your costs... just provide high-capacity interconnectors to all your neighbours. Isn't that great? (It is!)

But what if too many prefer to import? Who can supply them when it gets dark and calm? Which countries possess reliable and cheap green capacities, capable to export vast energy on an annular balance? Today, it's just France, Sweden, and Norway... and unfortunately, the French nuclear fleet ages fast... Can they replace it soon enough?

https://www.energy-charts.info/charts/import_export_map/chart.htm?l=en&c=DE&year=2024&interval=year

... green energy subsidies...

... Except, what is not mentioned, are the insane subsidies we are all paying to subsidize oil and gas and the eye-wateringly most expensive nuclear power in the world.

Also note that the wholesale price of electricity is determined by the price of gas, even though that is no longer dominant!


Old oil profits linger on... And on...

(The grid business model needs to change so as to relegate the dirty old fossils to be paid to be NOT used but instead to be available as 'backup generators'...)

Instead, go cleanly!
Martin

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One solution that may become more widespread.

Heathubs

After too many decades, yet still we have:


Another Cop wrecked by fossil fuel interests and our leaders’ cowardice – but there is another way
wrote:

The [short term greedy financial] fingerprints of Russia and Saudi Arabia are all over the decision text in Brazil. But a group of nations led by Colombia and the Netherlands offer hope...

... One bright spot of Cop30 is that Colombia and the Netherlands, backed by 22 nations, will independently advance a roadmap to fossil fuel phaseout, beginning with a conference in April 2026. This conference could be a gamechanger...

... The creation of a fossil-fuel roadmap outside the Cop process may establish a trading bloc that could begin to sanction nations – and banks – that refuse to wind down fossil fuels...

A New Hope?

All on our only one planet...
Martin

---

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The US solar industry just delivered another huge quarter, installing 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in Q3 2025. That makes it the third-largest quarter on record and pushes total solar additions this year past 30 GW – despite the Trump administration’s efforts to kneecap clean energy.

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Thanks for that.


And this will warm the feet of many:

Meet the biggest heat pumps in the world
wrote:

... "There was a lot of pressure on us to change the heat generation to new sources, especially renewable sources," explains Mr Hack as he discusses the decommissioning of coal-fired units at the Mannheim plant. The site is right by the Rhine, already has a hefty electricity grid connection, and is plugged in to the district heating network, so it makes sense to install the heat pumps..."

... Installations such as this are not cheap...

... "Heat pumps and district heating systems are a great fit." Such systems can harvest heat from bodies of water or even wastewater from sewage treatment plants.

Dr Wilk notes that, when you use multiple large heat pumps on a district heating network, you gain flexibility and efficiency. You could run two out of four heat pumps in the autumn, say, when less heat is required than during the depths of winter...

... Helsinki is in the process of radically overhauling its district heating system. The city has added heat pumps, biomass burners and electric boilers to a 1,400km network that links up nearly 90% of buildings in the Finnish capital ... can help to soak up surplus renewables and provide an electricity grid-balancing function...

... For a very obvious cleaner upgrade.

Shame about the high initial cost, but thereafter the running costs will be greatly reduced, cleanly!


All on our only one planet...
Martin

---

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The reality of the better cleaner tech:


IEA: Declining coal demand in China set to outweigh Trump’s pro-coal policies
wrote:

China’s coal demand is set to drop by 2027, more than cancelling out the effects of the Trump administration’s coal-friendly policies in the US...

All a game of graft and corruption?...

All on our only one planet...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Oh Wow...

There are currently construction works ongoing for a 725 km long subsea HVDC interconnector (525 kilovolts, 1.4 gigawatts) crossing the North Sea and connecting Wilhelmshaven/Lower Saxony in Germany with the Isle of Grain/Kent, England.

https://neuconnect-interconnector.com/about-us/

Costs: €2.8 billion / £2.4 billion.

For similiar projects, e.g. "NordLink" that connects Germany with Norway cost figures were given as: 50% for cable manufacturing and laying; 50% for two giant HVDC/HVAC converter stations at endpoints.

Commissioning planned for 2027.

Open Infrastructure Map

Hey! Wow!

I'm surprised that the connector stations are so very expensive... I thought it was the reduced costs of the big semiconductor devices that had made the HVDC connectors a no-brainer good to do...


All across our only one planet...
Martin

(HVDC: High Voltage Direct Current)

---

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The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)