India has cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – about the same as the total amount in the U.K. – with the price for solar electricity “free falling” to levels once considered impossible.
“2019 may mark the beginning of the end for coal power in Europe,” said Dave Jones, an Electricity Analyst at Sandbag.
UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg has announced Beyond Carbon campaign to close the United States’ fleet of coal plants and halt new gas plants.
The move would slash the share of coal within the electricity grid from 40% to 20% in five years, with a view to phasing out the fuel completely by 2040.
Estimates suggest 2018 was the first time there has been a reduction in coal-fired power capacity across the world since the industrial revolution.
America’s clean energy revolution is on the verge of a tipping point. The renewable energy sector is projected to generate more electricity than coal during the month of April.
RWE, one of Germany’s “big four” utilities, has cancelled plans for the BoA plus lignite coal-fired power station and promised to cease investing in new coal generation capacity.
Coal-burning power plants will get the axe in 2020, and all other coal-burning in Puerto Rico will be eliminated by 2028.
The U.K. had a coal free weekend over Easter, breaking the previous record which was set in April 2018. The coal free period lasted for 90 hours and 45 minutes.
211 gigawatts of current US coal capacity, 74% of the coal fleet, is providing electricity that’s more expensive than wind or solar. By 2025, nearly the entire US coal system will be out-competed on cost by renewables.
