(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Renewable Tuesday 9/26: Raising Targets [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-26 The first thing about exponential growth is that the rate of increase is proportional to how far along you have gotten. The other thing about exponential growth is that the doubling time is constant. That’s what happens in the first half of the logistic curve to the right, It roughly describes the growth of markets for new technologies, and species growth when introduced to new environments. Old chestnut: Suppose a water plant can double its numbers every day, and thus can take 30 days to cover a lake, growing by a factor of more than a billion in all. How many days does it take to cover half the lake?* Germany to pass 50% renewables this year The economy minister, whose portfolio also includes energy and climate action, spoke of a boom in the solar power industry, with this year's target of achieving 9-gigawatt capacity expected to be reached. The expansion of onshore wind energy was also progressing well, he said, with 2022's full-year volumes already reached by the end of July 2023. Offshore wind energy expansion was being hampered by a lack of components needed to build the facilities, according to the minister. Now we know that Germany can’t keep up that rate of growth for another whole doubling time, but with the pressure from Russia it will come closer than most think. EU hikes renewable energy targets The law significantly raises the EU’s renewable energy targets, requiring 42.5% of EU energy to be renewable by 2030. The share of renewables in the EU’s energy mix currently stand at 22.1%, according to EU statistics, which means roughly doubling that share by 2030 – mainly with additional wind and solar capacity. Almost all national targets have been far too low, because politicians have been unable to imagine exponential growth, and because of Denialist opposition. In this particular case, another factor is the Russian war in Ukraine, and the threats of Russia cutting gas supplies plus sanctions on Russia. However, this new law is still blinkered and purblind. There is no way that the next doubling time in Europe will take all of seven years. Solar installation to break records in 2023 Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. The solar industry is having yet another record-setting growth year, globally and in the U.S. A perfect storm of policy, incentives and still-plummeting costs has made solar the clear choice for new generation capacity worldwide. Research firm BloombergNEF expects global solar installations to rise by 56 percent in 2023, according to a September report. That’s a doubling time of less than two years. x ‘Staggering’ growth of green energy and investment gives hope for 1.5C, says global energy head @fbirol - @IEA chief says uptake of solar power and EVs is in line with net zero goal but rich countries must hasten broader plans#climatecrisishttps://t.co/Ma2BrW9bxE — Damian Carrington (@dpcarrington) September 26, 2023 x Macron outlines climate plan with focus on boosting heat pumps, electric cars and public transport https://t.co/J3N6VyDON3 — Le Monde in English (@LeMonde_EN) September 25, 2023 China's solar capacity to hit 1,000 GW by 2026 China remains number 1 in both renewables and new coal-fired power plants. What its economic planners need to get pounded into their heads is grid expansion, to connect wind and solar power from way out West to its population centers. Unfortunately, the military and Xi have gutted Chinese economic management, installing loyalists instead of experts. So it’s our experts vs. their politicians now. You know the drill. Florida adding more solar panels than any [other] state Sorry, California and Texas! Florida zoomed to the No. 1 spot for solar installations in the first half of 2023 , despite a decidedly mixed policy landscape. Where woke goes to live long and prosper The Sunshine State connected 2,499 megawatts of solar-generation capacity to the grid during the first half of 2023, blowing away the 1,648 megawatts added by California and the 1,292 megawatts added by Texas, according to the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie. Sacramento’s utility has installed its first batch of novel grid batteries to assist its quest for a carbon-free grid by 2030. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District cut a deal one year ago with cleantech company ESS to deliver a total of 200 megawatts/​2 gigawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage, kicking off what would be the company’s largest installation by far. Glossy announcements of novel energy storage technologies, like this one from SMUD and ESS, always deserve follow-up scrutiny; many times, the game-changing projects promised on paper never appear in the real world. But earlier this month, ESS delivered its first six iron flow batteries for Sacramento’s grid. Ingredients: iron, salt, and water. x The city of Sydney now runs on 100% wind and #solarpower. Who's next? RT if you want your city to get a renewable upgrade. We have the solutions to the #ClimateEmergency. Let's implement them. #ActOnClimate#Climate #energy #renewables #renewableenergy #GreenNewDeal pic.twitter.com/fDfGpxVAys — Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) September 25, 2023 Heatmap [paywalled]: The Detroit Auto Show Is an Ominous Snoozefest The US Big Three are letting foreign automakers eat their lunch again. x 10 new electric cars are rolling out in the US. Which model is right for you? https://t.co/YAs3s0Osz2 via @climate Tesla dominates the US market, but newcomers include the first electric models from Lexus and Fisker, two sedans from BMW and one mass-market Hyundai. — Svein Tveitdal (@tveitdal) September 17, 2023 * Those stuck in linear thinking often suppose that it takes 15 days, but the correct answer is 29. 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