Wind Power Capacity Is Growing, But Not Fast Enough

Current conditions: A tsunami advisory is in effect in Japan after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern island of Kyushu • Tropical Storm Debby made landfall over South Carolina • Last month was the second-hottest July ever recorded.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Global wind power capacity isn’t growing fast enough to meet 2030 goals

A new report from energy think tank Ember finds that the world is not on target to meet 2030 added capacity goals for wind power. Global leaders agreed at last year’s COP28 that, to be in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world must triple renewables capacity by the end of the decade. Ember’s report concludes that under current plans, wind power is set to more than double in that timeframe, “but fall short of tripling.” Ember also reiterates that China is “overachieving,” and is on a path to triple its wind capacity from 2022 to 2030. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is underachieving.

Ember

The U.S. is the country with the biggest gap between its expected wind installations and how much new capacity will be needed to meet its 2030 target, followed by India. And most countries don’t even have explicit wind targets yet. “Amidst the hype of solar, wind is not getting enough attention, even though it provides cheap electricity and complements solar,” said Katye Altieri, Ember’s global electricity analyst. “The path to a cleaner energy future could be shaped by prioritizing improved policies, regulatory frameworks and financial support.”

2. House Republicans pressure Johnson not to repeal IRA energy tax credits

A group of 18 Republican lawmakers from the House of Representatives wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson this week, urging him not to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits. The politicians say industry leaders and constituents have been reaching out to express their fears that the GOP will upend the tax regime and “undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing.” The letter goes on: “A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return.” A majority of clean tech spending made possible so far under the IRA has gone toward projects in Republican districts. As Bloombergnoted, the letter “indicates Johnson may not have the support to undo the Inflation Reduction Act if the GOP retains control of the House next year.”

3. Study: Great Barrier Reef ocean temperatures hottest in 400 years

Ocean temperatures surrounding Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are higher now than they’ve ever been in the last 400 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. Researchers figured this out by drilling into some of the reef’s coral and analyzing the samples to measure temperatures going back to 1618. They observed a marked temperature rise starting in 1900 due to the burning of fossil fuels, and warmth has really accelerated in the last decade, with this year’s temperatures “head and shoulders” above any other year, according to Benjamin Henley, an academic at the University of Melbourne and one of the study’s authors. This chart shows the “exceptional nature” of the coral sea temperatures recorded in recent years, and in 2024:

Nature

The heat is causing recurring mass coral bleaching that puts the reef in danger. “In the absence of rapid, coordinated and ambitious global action to combat climate change, we will likely be witness to the demise of one of Earth’s great natural wonders,” the authors wrote.

4. The Feds will soon start targeting solar scammers

Federal regulators are joining forces on a fresh effort to go after solar energy scams and help the public parse potentially deceptive business practices in the industry, reported Heatmap’s Jael Holzman. Officials from the Treasury Department, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced yesterday they will soon release a consumer advisory warning against deceptive sales practice, along with a slew of documents to help American consumers gauge whether solar marketers are legitimate and encourage people to report any potential fraudulent behavior in the sector. Solar energy fraud at the residential consumer level is a rare but profoundly painful phenomenon that can acutely harm low- and middle-income households. More than a quarter of a billion dollars in solar-related fraud has been reported between January 2022 and June of this year, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said.

5. In China, EV sales are up and CO2 emissions are down

More than half of the cars sold in China last month were electric or plug-in hybrids, according to new figures from the China Passenger Car Association. The number of new vehicles sold in the country overall fell last month because of a summertime lull, but the share of “new-energy vehicles” sold grew to about 51%. The country also saw its CO2 emissions drop by 1% in the second quarter, marking the first decline since strict zero-COVID lockdowns came to an end. Analysis from Carbon Brief suggests China’s emissions could be on track to decline this year, but a lot hinges on whether demand for electricity eases in the coming months.

THE KICKER

Recent research finds that tipuana trees, commonly found in Brazil, are tolerant of extreme drought and that planting more of them could help make urban environments more resilient to climate change.