Cheap wind and solar mean US will meet beat Paris targets despite Trump

Donald Trump’s determination to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord has been described as a major blow to the global carbon reduction effort.

But a new report from Morgan Stanley argues the move could cause barely a ripple, in the face of the “seismic shift” in renewable energy economics that is rapidly making wind and solar the cheapest new power source all around the globe.

The report, published on Thursday, predicts “surprisingly large” reductions in global power sector emissions – even in Trump’s America – as solar and wind energy hurtle towards being the cheapest new sources of electricity generation, beating out fossil fuels, with or without ambitious policy targets.

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The analysis notes that solar panel prices have fallen 50 per cent in less than two years (2016-17), while the “all-in” costs for wind power in countries with “favorable” conditions can be as low as one-half to one-third that of coal- or natural gas-fired power plants.

“Numerous key markets recently reached an inflection point where renewables have become the cheapest form of new power generation, a dynamic we see spreading to nearly every country we cover by 2020,” the report says.

“Renewable power will be the cheapest new entrant in most markets, in our view, and we assess emissions rate of change profiles over near (2020) and longer (2025) time frames.”

Factoring in these renewable energy economics, the Morgan Stanley researchers found notable changes to utility sector carbon profiles in numerous countries, often in excess of the levels affirmed in the Paris Agreement.

For example, the report says, “notwithstanding President Trump’s stated intention to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, we expect the US to exceed the Paris commitment of a 26-28 per cent reduction in US 2005-level carbon emissions by 2025.”

Even in Australia, the report says, where “near-term policy uncertainty favours incumbents … in the longer term, high penetration of renewables (>35-45% of dispatch) is opening a wider debate about what will be required to ensure a reliable grid as more intermittent renewable energy is added.”

But regardless of policy debate, the report suggests that the power industry will be steered by economics, to one degree or another, with those forward looking businesses faring the best.

“Globally, utilities’ competitive positioning for the growth in cheap renewables varies significantly,” the report says.

“Utilities with deregulated power plants, which must compete to sell power, generally will experience greater upside (if they are leaders in renewable energy development) and downside (if they own large fleets of fossil and nuclear power plants in competitive markets with cheap renewable energy).”

Comments

4 responses to “Cheap wind and solar mean US will meet beat Paris targets despite Trump”

  1. Peter F Avatar
    Peter F

    The Coal supporters are just a slow version of Commical Ali who was denying that US troops were anywhere near Baghdad when they were shown on the television screen behind him driving up the streets

    1. Mike Dill Avatar
      Mike Dill

      Renewables beat fossil fuels on cost. The utilities are not really stupid, and will do what costs them the least.
      It is cheaper to build new RE that to build a new FF plant.
      It is cheaper to build new RE than to rebuild a fossil fuel power plant.
      It will soon be cheaper to build new RE that to fuel a FF plant.
      The old FF plants will die an economic death.

  2. Ian Avatar
    Ian

    Fortunately, like North Korea, The USA is ruled by its founders. North Korea: dead eternal president Kim Il-Sung, USA: constitution. Trump may Gob-fart all he wants but his country will carry on just as usual. The old fool may posture and shove people around but there are still plenty of decent people in positions of power in that weird country.

    1. Brunel Avatar
      Brunel

      I wonder what libertarian or right wing judges have to say about banning solid objects for being a particular shape and size?

      I wonder if the apex court would rule that “government has no right to regulate the electricity consumption of any appliance”.

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