Researchers say 'urgent action' needed as rise in renewables is eclipsed by increase in world's total energy consumption.

Fossil fuels still dominate despite growth in renewables: Report

The world population is expected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050. Global electricity demand is growing faster than renewables. How can this energy crisis be tackled? Watch 'Mission Sustainability: Population VS Planet'

Mission Sustainability: Population Vs Planet | Global electricity demand is growing faster than renewables

Germany should shut down its last coal-fired power plant by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said early on Saturday as part of a roadmap laying out an accelerated phase-out of the polluting fuel.

Commission sources told Reuters the body agreed a total of 40 billion euros ($45.65 billion) should be provided in aid for the states affected by the coal phase-out up to 2040, less than the roughly 60 billion euros that they had asked for.

Over the next four years, plant operators, including RWE and Uniper, will be asked to shut down about 12 gigawatts of capacity early in a first step, members of the commission told Reuters after more than 20 hours of discussions.

This equals about 24 large power station units.

The commission's plans are at the centre of Germany's strategy for how to abandon polluting coal stations in favour of renewables, which accounted for more than 40 per cent of the energy mix last year, beating coal for the first time.

It is the second major intervention in Germany's energy market within a decade after a landmark decision to shut down all nuclear power stations by 2022. The decision to switch away from nuclear was taken in the wake of Japan's Fukishima disaster in 2011.

Following months of negotiations, the proposals of the committee, also known as the coal commission, will serve as a guideline for the government in its effort to turn the planned coal exit into law.

While the 2038 exit date seems broadly in line with estimates, commission sources said that the phase-out could already be completed by 2035, adding it would be decided in 2032 whether this was feasible.

Compensation for companies and consumers experiencing higher electricity prices resulting from the coal phase-out should be 2 billion euros per year, with the exact amount to be fixed in 2023, a text of the commission's recommendations seen by Reuters showed.

Germany should shut down its last coal-fired power plant by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said early on Saturday as part of a roadmap laying out an accelerated phase-out of the polluting fuel.

Germany should shut down its last coal-fired power plant by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said early on Saturday as part of a roadmap laying out an accelerated phase-out of the polluting fuel. Commission sources told Reuters the body agreed a total of 40 billion euros ($45.65 billion) should be provided in aid for the states affected by the coal phase-out up to 2040, less than the roughly 60 billion euros that they had asked for. Over the next four years, plant operators, including RWE and Uniper, will be asked to shut down about 12 gigawatts of capacity early in a first step, members of the commission told Reuters after more than 20 hours of discussions. This equals about 24 large power station units. The commission's plans are at the centre of Germany's strategy for how to abandon polluting coal stations in favour of renewables, which accounted for more than 40 per cent of the energy mix last year, beating coal for the first time. It is the second major intervention in Germany's energy market within a decade after a landmark decision to shut down all nuclear power stations by 2022. The decision to switch away from nuclear was taken in the wake of Japan's Fukishima disaster in 2011. Following months of negotiations, the proposals of the committee, also known as the coal commission, will serve as a guideline for the government in its effort to turn the planned coal exit into law. While the 2038 exit date seems broadly in line with estimates, commission sources said that the phase-out could already be completed by 2035, adding it would be decided in 2032 whether this was feasible. Compensation for companies and consumers experiencing higher electricity prices resulting from the coal phase-out should be 2 billion euros per year, with the exact amount to be fixed in 2023, a text of the commission's recommendations seen by Reuters showed.

Germany should fully phase out coal by 2038: Commission

Germany&nbsp;should shut down all of its&nbsp;coal-fired power plants by&nbsp;2038&nbsp;at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least 40 billion euros ($45.7 billion) in aid to regions affected by the planned&nbsp;phase-out.

The commission's plans are at the centre of&nbsp;Germany's strategy to shift to renewables, which made up more than 40 per cent of the energy mix last year, beating&nbsp;coal&nbsp;for the first time.

The proposals of the&nbsp;coal&nbsp;commission, which were finalised after more than 20 hours of last-round talks, will serve as a guideline for the government in its effort to turn the planned exit&nbsp;from&nbsp;coal&nbsp;into law.

The body agreed a total of at least 40 billion euros should be provided in aid for&nbsp;coal-mining states affected by the exit, less than the roughly 60 billion euros they had asked for.

"This plan will make it possible to achieve climate change goals set by the German government, but it will also, and this is important, achieve affordable and secure energy supplies if the German government implements our recommendations," said Barbara Praetorius, an environmental professor who served as one of the four leaders of the commission.

"A large majority of the population stands behind this exit&nbsp;from&nbsp;coal&nbsp;... but it must be reliable, affordable and acceptable for the regions."

In a first step, plant operators including RWE, Uniper, EnBW and Vattenfall will be asked to shut down about&nbsp;12.7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2022, equivalent to about&nbsp;24 large power station units, the report, seen by Reuters, said.

Under the proposed plans,&nbsp;coal&nbsp;power capacity in&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;would more than halve to 17 GW by 2030.

"The commission recommends a mutual agreement with the operators on a contractual basis with regard to the shutdown," the report said, adding this would include agreeing on the exact size of compensation.

COMPENSATION

Compensation payments should apply to plants in operation and those that have not yet entered service or are still being built, including Uniper's Datteln 4 plant, the report said.

Ways to determine compensation could include capacity tenders or keeping plants on standby, similar to existing reserve payments for operators that have totalled as much as 600 million euros per gigawatt in the past, it added.

In a blow to RWE,&nbsp;Germany's top electricity producer, the commission said preserving the Hambach forest was "desirable", hitting the group's key source of lignite where mining operations have already been halted following a court order.

The committee's proposals, if implemented, would be the second major intervention in&nbsp;Germany's energy market within a decade after a landmark decision to shut down all nuclear power stations by 2022. The decision to switch&nbsp;away&nbsp;from&nbsp;nuclear was taken in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011.

While the&nbsp;2038&nbsp;exit date seems broadly in line with estimates, the report said there is a chance that the&nbsp;phase-out&nbsp;could be completed by 2035, adding it would be decided in 2032 whether this was feasible.

Compensation for companies and consumers paying more for electricity because of the&nbsp;phase-out&nbsp;should be 2 billion euros a year, with the exact amount to be set in 2023, the report said.

Stanislaw Tillich, the conservative former premier of the&nbsp;coal-producing Saxony region, said the accord would set an example for other regions in Europe, by ensuring they could develop new industries and jobs even as they&nbsp;phased&nbsp;coal&nbsp;out.

The next step will be for the German federal government and the 16 states to agree on how to share the cost of exiting&nbsp;from&nbsp;brown&nbsp;coal&nbsp;production. Tillich said it was imperative that all the states - not just those that now produce&nbsp;coal&nbsp;- share in the considerable burden of switching to cleaner energy.

Germany should shut down all of its coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least 40 billion euros ($45.

Germany should shut down all of its coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least 40 billion euros ($45.7 billion) in aid to regions affected by the planned phase-out. The commission's plans are at the centre of Germany's strategy to shift to renewables, which made up more than 40 per cent of the energy mix last year, beating coal for the first time. The proposals of the coal commission, which were finalised after more than 20 hours of last-round talks, will serve as a guideline for the government in its effort to turn the planned exit from coal into law. The body agreed a total of at least 40 billion euros should be provided in aid for coal-mining states affected by the exit, less than the roughly 60 billion euros they had asked for. "This plan will make it possible to achieve climate change goals set by the German government, but it will also, and this is important, achieve affordable and secure energy supplies if the German government implements our recommendations," said Barbara Praetorius, an environmental professor who served as one of the four leaders of the commission. "A large majority of the population stands behind this exit from coal ... but it must be reliable, affordable and acceptable for the regions." In a first step, plant operators including RWE, Uniper, EnBW and Vattenfall will be asked to shut down about 12.7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2022, equivalent to about 24 large power station units, the report, seen by Reuters, said. Under the proposed plans, coal power capacity in Germany would more than halve to 17 GW by 2030. "The commission recommends a mutual agreement with the operators on a contractual basis with regard to the shutdown," the report said, adding this would include agreeing on the exact size of compensation. COMPENSATION Compensation payments should apply to plants in operation and those that have not yet entered service or are still being built, including Uniper's Datteln 4 plant, the report said. Ways to determine compensation could include capacity tenders or keeping plants on standby, similar to existing reserve payments for operators that have totalled as much as 600 million euros per gigawatt in the past, it added. In a blow to RWE, Germany's top electricity producer, the commission said preserving the Hambach forest was "desirable", hitting the group's key source of lignite where mining operations have already been halted following a court order. The committee's proposals, if implemented, would be the second major intervention in Germany's energy market within a decade after a landmark decision to shut down all nuclear power stations by 2022. The decision to switch away from nuclear was taken in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011. While the 2038 exit date seems broadly in line with estimates, the report said there is a chance that the phase-out could be completed by 2035, adding it would be decided in 2032 whether this was feasible. Compensation for companies and consumers paying more for electricity because of the phase-out should be 2 billion euros a year, with the exact amount to be set in 2023, the report said. Stanislaw Tillich, the conservative former premier of the coal-producing Saxony region, said the accord would set an example for other regions in Europe, by ensuring they could develop new industries and jobs even as they phased coal out. The next step will be for the German federal government and the 16 states to agree on how to share the cost of exiting from brown coal production. Tillich said it was imperative that all the states - not just those that now produce coal - share in the considerable burden of switching to cleaner energy.

Germany to phase out coal mine by 2038 in move away from fossil fuels

If you were travelling via motorway from Islamabad to Lahore during November or December 2016, you might have felt like your head was in the clouds. That&rsquo;s thanks to the smog that engulfed large parts of Pakistan&rsquo;s Punjab and Sindh provinces in that period.

This was clearly &ldquo;not a natural phenomenon&rdquo;, as the Pakistani newspaper Dawn recently noted. Beyond causing acute ailments such as asthma, lung tissue damage, bronchial infections and heart problems, the smog also resulted in dozens of fatal road accidents due to poor visibility.

Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, former director general of Pakistan&rsquo;s meteorological office and now an international climate change specialist at the Asian Development Bank, attributed the smog primarily to toxic car emissions and atmospheric pollutants coming from coal-based industries in neighbouring Indian Punjab.

Imagine, then, what will happen to the environment when Pakistan begins mining billions of tonnes of coal, in part due to its plan to open at least five new coal power plants by 2018 under a new agreement with China.

Smog would spread across cities and rural areas, including in the Thar region, which spreads across Pakistan and parts of India. The poor indigenous people there might have to be relocated to other areas thanks to planned coal projects, losing their livelihoods, lands and villages to new mines.

A global challenge for climate change

Burning coal is not just a matter of local social and environmental concern. It is clear today that the coal that powered the developed world&rsquo;s industrial revolution has also triggered global climate changes.

According to Greenpeace International, coal is the single greatest threat to our climate. Emissions from burning coal fuel global warming and coal mining is also a source of climate-warming methane gas.

Pakistan is responsible for a mere 0.43 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it is among the world&rsquo;s ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. Domestic climate change experts see the issue as a bigger threat than terrorism.

The country is grappling with many issues, including receding glaciers, floods, heatwaves, droughts, shifting weather patterns and declining groundwater levels &ndash; and the list goes on.

Agriculture, which comprises 21 per cent of Pakistan&rsquo;s GDP, 60 per cent of exports and employs 45&nbsp;per cent of the national labour force, is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

China reduces coal investments at home but not abroad

In the landmark December 2015 Paris Agreement, 195 countries agreed to curtail climate change by keeping global warming to &ldquo;well below 2&deg;C and &hellip; pursu[ing] efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5&deg;C above pre-industrial levels&rdquo;.

All told, 141 countries (including Pakistan and China), jointly responsible for over 82 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the agreement.

China &ndash; world&rsquo;s second-biggest economy and largest coal consumer, which also has the world&rsquo;s highest coal-fired power plant capacity &ndash; is considered a crucial player in the success of the Paris Agreement.

Domestically, China has realised that its over-dependence on coal causes severe air pollution and other environmental impacts. The most recent data show reductions in coal use for the third year in a row.

Yet China also invested US$25 billion in coal projects worldwide between 2007 and 2015, according to a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The report criticises China and other G20 countries for such investments, which are in conflict with their climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

It shows how some of the world&rsquo;s leading polluters have, on one hand, pledged to control climate-changing carbon emissions within their borders, and, on the other, continued to finance fossil fuel projects elsewhere.

That&rsquo;s precisely what happened with Pakistan. After most international financial institutions turned away from coal, China established itself as Pakistan&rsquo;s partner in developing the new coal power plants.

Under the 2015 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, the Chinese government and banks have planned to finance companies to invest US$27.6 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan over the next six years, of which Pakistan is contributing US$18.1 billion. According to Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, coal-fired plants with a combined capacity of 7,560 mW will be established as CPEC-energy priority projects.

In the guise of bringing energy, this investment will harm the air, water, public health and environment of Pakistan. The costs and lifespans of such coal projects can stretch over decades, trapping developing nations in a system of carbon-intensive energy use.

Rapid utilisation of coal &ndash; the &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; energy-generation option &ndash; has given many Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, the world&rsquo;s worst air quality.

Pakistan&rsquo;s proposed Port Qasim Power Project, a 1320-mW coal plant in Sindh province, will be located near Karachi, a metropolis of 25 million. This could cause disastrous damage to air quality and environment.

Potential for clean energy

No country can be expected to compromise on development, and development requires energy. But, as the cases of Jordan, Peru and Mexico demonstrate, it doesn&rsquo;t require dirty energy. Instead of using coal, Pakistan could drive development with renewables, in particular solar energy.

Much of Pakistan&rsquo;s territory is arid or semi-arid, an ideal setting for harnessing solar energy with more than the necessary number of sunny days per year.

In addition to providing clean energy, solar solutions can produce energy in the same places it is consumed, making it useful in remote areas that may lack transmission infrastructure.

Recent research suggests that the deployment and maintenance of renewable energy projects are also likely to create better quality jobs than coal.

The costs of renewables are declining rapidly worldwide. Solar and wind now cost the same or less than new fossil fuel in more than 30 developing and developed countries.

India&rsquo;s energy minister noted last year that solar tariffs had become cheaper than coal-based electricity, and India is pushing ahead with its renewables plan.

China, too, has realised the economic potential of leading in renewable sources. By the end of 2016, its solar energy capacity hit 7,742 mW, double that of 2015, and this year it claimed the title of world&rsquo;s biggest solar power producer.

The investment bank Lazard reckons that, given proper infrastructures, prices will continue to decline in the near future.

Yet under the CPEC, there is only one sizeable solar project in Pakistan, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park project, with a relatively skimpy total capacity of 1,000 mW. 
So why is China, a leader in renewable energy technologies, investing in coal-based projects abroad? It may be a way to provide overseas business opportunities for Chinese coal-plant equipment manufacturers, engineering and construction companies as a recent Bloomberg article pointed out.

Pakistan&rsquo;s domestic interests are otherwise. Instead of seeking foreign investment to fulfil its energy needs with fossil fuels, it can ride the renewables wave, developing its workforce and technical and institutional capacity to harness solar energy. Climate conditions suggest the country could produce enough power to both cover&nbsp;domestic needs and to export, along with associated equipment and technology.

What Pakistan needs now are forward-looking policies to foster renewable development, innovative business models, and strong leadership in obtaining financial and technical partnerships, both local and international. The World Bank&rsquo;s new solar maps of Pakistan can support these clean-energy efforts. Transparency in costs and production also need to be ensured.

One thing is certain: Winning the future will not be done with technologies of the past.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-china-and-pakistans-coal-romance-wheres-the-love-for-the-climate-74772" rel="nofollow">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Massive new coal plants planned for Pakistan will further harm the environment in a country already suffering the effects of climate change. Solar energy is a clear alternative

If you were travelling via motorway from Islamabad to Lahore during November or December 2016, you might have felt like your head was in the clouds. That’s thanks to the smog that engulfed large parts of Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces in that period. This was clearly “not a natural phenomenon”, as the Pakistani newspaper Dawn recently noted. Beyond causing acute ailments such as asthma, lung tissue damage, bronchial infections and heart problems, the smog also resulted in dozens of fatal road accidents due to poor visibility. Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, former director general of Pakistan’s meteorological office and now an international climate change specialist at the Asian Development Bank, attributed the smog primarily to toxic car emissions and atmospheric pollutants coming from coal-based industries in neighbouring Indian Punjab. Imagine, then, what will happen to the environment when Pakistan begins mining billions of tonnes of coal, in part due to its plan to open at least five new coal power plants by 2018 under a new agreement with China. Smog would spread across cities and rural areas, including in the Thar region, which spreads across Pakistan and parts of India. The poor indigenous people there might have to be relocated to other areas thanks to planned coal projects, losing their livelihoods, lands and villages to new mines. A global challenge for climate change Burning coal is not just a matter of local social and environmental concern. It is clear today that the coal that powered the developed world’s industrial revolution has also triggered global climate changes. According to Greenpeace International, coal is the single greatest threat to our climate. Emissions from burning coal fuel global warming and coal mining is also a source of climate-warming methane gas. Pakistan is responsible for a mere 0.43 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it is among the world’s ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. Domestic climate change experts see the issue as a bigger threat than terrorism. The country is grappling with many issues, including receding glaciers, floods, heatwaves, droughts, shifting weather patterns and declining groundwater levels – and the list goes on. Agriculture, which comprises 21 per cent of Pakistan’s GDP, 60 per cent of exports and employs 45 per cent of the national labour force, is particularly vulnerable to climate change. China reduces coal investments at home but not abroad In the landmark December 2015 Paris Agreement, 195 countries agreed to curtail climate change by keeping global warming to “well below 2°C and … pursu[ing] efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”. All told, 141 countries (including Pakistan and China), jointly responsible for over 82 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the agreement. China – world’s second-biggest economy and largest coal consumer, which also has the world’s highest coal-fired power plant capacity – is considered a crucial player in the success of the Paris Agreement. Domestically, China has realised that its over-dependence on coal causes severe air pollution and other environmental impacts. The most recent data show reductions in coal use for the third year in a row. Yet China also invested US$25 billion in coal projects worldwide between 2007 and 2015, according to a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The report criticises China and other G20 countries for such investments, which are in conflict with their climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. It shows how some of the world’s leading polluters have, on one hand, pledged to control climate-changing carbon emissions within their borders, and, on the other, continued to finance fossil fuel projects elsewhere. That’s precisely what happened with Pakistan. After most international financial institutions turned away from coal, China established itself as Pakistan’s partner in developing the new coal power plants. Under the 2015 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, the Chinese government and banks have planned to finance companies to invest US$27.6 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan over the next six years, of which Pakistan is contributing US$18.1 billion. According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, coal-fired plants with a combined capacity of 7,560 mW will be established as CPEC-energy priority projects. In the guise of bringing energy, this investment will harm the air, water, public health and environment of Pakistan. The costs and lifespans of such coal projects can stretch over decades, trapping developing nations in a system of carbon-intensive energy use. Rapid utilisation of coal – the “dirty” energy-generation option – has given many Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, the world’s worst air quality. Pakistan’s proposed Port Qasim Power Project, a 1320-mW coal plant in Sindh province, will be located near Karachi, a metropolis of 25 million. This could cause disastrous damage to air quality and environment. Potential for clean energy No country can be expected to compromise on development, and development requires energy. But, as the cases of Jordan, Peru and Mexico demonstrate, it doesn’t require dirty energy. Instead of using coal, Pakistan could drive development with renewables, in particular solar energy. Much of Pakistan’s territory is arid or semi-arid, an ideal setting for harnessing solar energy with more than the necessary number of sunny days per year. In addition to providing clean energy, solar solutions can produce energy in the same places it is consumed, making it useful in remote areas that may lack transmission infrastructure. Recent research suggests that the deployment and maintenance of renewable energy projects are also likely to create better quality jobs than coal. The costs of renewables are declining rapidly worldwide. Solar and wind now cost the same or less than new fossil fuel in more than 30 developing and developed countries. India’s energy minister noted last year that solar tariffs had become cheaper than coal-based electricity, and India is pushing ahead with its renewables plan. China, too, has realised the economic potential of leading in renewable sources. By the end of 2016, its solar energy capacity hit 7,742 mW, double that of 2015, and this year it claimed the title of world’s biggest solar power producer. The investment bank Lazard reckons that, given proper infrastructures, prices will continue to decline in the near future. Yet under the CPEC, there is only one sizeable solar project in Pakistan, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park project, with a relatively skimpy total capacity of 1,000 mW. So why is China, a leader in renewable energy technologies, investing in coal-based projects abroad? It may be a way to provide overseas business opportunities for Chinese coal-plant equipment manufacturers, engineering and construction companies as a recent Bloomberg article pointed out. Pakistan’s domestic interests are otherwise. Instead of seeking foreign investment to fulfil its energy needs with fossil fuels, it can ride the renewables wave, developing its workforce and technical and institutional capacity to harness solar energy. Climate conditions suggest the country could produce enough power to both cover domestic needs and to export, along with associated equipment and technology. What Pakistan needs now are forward-looking policies to foster renewable development, innovative business models, and strong leadership in obtaining financial and technical partnerships, both local and international. The World Bank’s new solar maps of Pakistan can support these clean-energy efforts. Transparency in costs and production also need to be ensured. One thing is certain: Winning the future will not be done with technologies of the past. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: China and Pakistan are dabbling with 'dirty' energy

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