Ny storkontrakt om salg av 70,000 MT polysilicon fra 2018-2021 fra Tongwei.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/brief-tongwei-tianjin-zhonghuan-semiconductor-111008721.html

Den var jaggu ikke liten.

En god del kapasitet som blir slukt der, ja.

NISSAN'S FOLLOWING TESLA INTO SOLAR POWER AND HOME BATTERIES

https://www.wired.com/story/nissan-solar-panels-home-batteries/?mbid=social_twitter_onsiteshare

Analytiker Thina Saltvedt tror den siste oljeprisoppgangen vil sette ytterligere fart på investeringer i fornybare energi. https://www.dn.no/nyheter/2018/05/27/1955/Energi/-hoy-oljepris-er-bra-for-klima

China just built a 250-acre solar farm shaped like a giant panda

China Merchants New Energy Group, one of the country's largest clean energy operators, built a 248-acre solar farm in the shape of a giant panda.

The first phase, which includes one 50-megawatt plant, was completed on June 30, according to PV magazine. The project just began delivering power to a grid in northwestern China, and a second panda is planned for later this year.

Called the Panda Power Plant, it will be able to produce 3.2 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy in 25 years, according to the company. That will eliminate approximately million tons of coal that would have been used to produce electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 2.74 million tons.

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-panda-solar-power-plant-2017-7

Australian solar plant to have world's largest power storage capacity

TOKYO -- A roughly $1 billion solar energy project in Australia will employ one of the biggest power storage facilities in the world, with Japanese and Western companies contributing funds.

As part of this, a 250-megawatt plant in the state of South Australia will use a 100MW lithium-ion battery storage system. The storage capacity will be on par with a wind farm battery system from Tesla in Australia, now the largest of its kind on the planet. Power generated at the forthcoming plant will be sold to local utilities.

...

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Australian-solar-plant-to-have-world-s-largest-power-storage-capacity

"Dine penger"

Delphi dumper tre aksjer, og jakter gevinst i tre nye.
Ekspertene i Delphi satser på sol, robotgressklippere og bil.
Espen Furnes og Tian Tollefsen
Publisert: 28.05.2018

Verden skriker etter energy, oljeprisen er høy og vil forbli høy i lang tid...hva skjer med alternative energy, jo mer attraktivt...REC er en gave på dagens nivå.

De fleste børsnoterte aksjer bli priset ut i fra hva fremtiden bringer. Dette gjelder absolutt ikke REC, her surkler kursen på samme nivå og usikkerhet som for ett år siden. Ganske utrolig!

Hvor er veskemannen med sine analyser ?
Lenge siden han var på banen med sine glitrende spådommer

Enig! Men norge kommer og da bør du sitte i rec...lurer faktisk på om jeg skal ta et par 100k til

På sikt vil kapital flytte seg vekk fra oljesektoren. Det vil bli vanskeligere å få finansiering for selskaper som ikke har klar miljøprofil. Man vil få selskaper som ikke vil assosiere seg med "miljøsyndere" fordi de selv skal ha en miljøprofil.

Oljeselskap blir til energiselskap, hvor stadig mer av investeringene går til fornybar fremfor gammel tradisjonell energi.

Den glosa har jeg hørt før Anton,for flere år siden! Mens gresset gror,dør kua. Har du hørt den Anton??? Har du pratet med Alf Bjørseth i det siste??

Milk men nå trer det i kraft! Store pensjonsfond trekker seg ut av olje og gass, fornybar energi er inn til de grader nå...rec er gull på dagens latterlig lave nivå, enkelt og greit

White House slaps 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods

On Tuesday, the White House said the administration would proceed with its proposal to impose 25% tariffs on $50 billion worth of goods from China, and place new limits on Chinese investments in US high-tech industries.

The decision comes after top administration officials have tried to dampen fears of a trade war.


Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a trade war with China was "on hold" less than 10 days ago. And Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is expected in Beijing on Saturday to help ease trade tensions between the two major trading partners.

Beijing has previously pledged to retaliate against the 25 percent tariffs.

In a brief statement, the White House said the president plans to take "multiple steps" to protect domestic technology and intellectual property from certain "discriminatory and burdensome trade practices by China."

The latest step follows a March report by the US Trade Representative Office, which undertook a seven-month investigation of China's handling of technology transfers and intellectual property, according to the White House's statement.

"The United States will implement specific investment restrictions and enhanced export controls for Chinese persons and entities related to the acquisition of industrially significant technology, the White House said in a statement.

The final list of covered imports subject to tariffs will be announced by June 15. Those tariffs will take effect "shortly thereafter."

Proposed investment restrictions will be announced by June 30 and also take effect at a later date.

Related: Ivanka Trump granted seven new trademarks in China

China and the United States had agreed earlier this month to put threats of tens of billions of dollars in tariffs on ice after Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the top economic advisor to President Xi Jinping, led a delegation to Washington.

The countries said China would "significantly increase" purchases of US goods and services to reduce their trade imbalance, a top Trump administration demand, and pledged to continue talks.

In a statement, China's Commerce Ministry said the announcement is "obviously in violation" of this recent agreement.

"We were both surprised by and expecting the statement issued by the White House. This statement is obviously in violation of the consensus reached in Washington recently by both China and the United States," the Commerce Ministry said. "Regardless of what measures the US launches, China has the confidence, capability and experience in safeguarding the interests of the Chinese people and its core national interests. China urges the US to move in the direction of the spirit of the joint communique."

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/29/news/economy/china-tariffs/index.html

Trump som utøver the art of the deal psykologi innfor neste møte i Bejing til helgen. Doubles down as usual. Høye innsatser kan gi store gevinster. Kan selvsagt også spore ur til handelskrig . Blir bra det og i tilfelle. Sparke dem i zte og tilsvarende. de trenger å strammes opp. Jeg og fryktindeks tror dog på deal. A great deal.

Er ikke så optimistisk angående Trumps taktikk. Mistenker at hans type lett vil snu kappen f eks som følge at han fikk godkjent sine varemerker. Kanskje han også får kinamann til å beskytte akkurat hans varemerker spesielt. Da er han nok fornøyd, og godtar kinesisk videresalg av hi-tec til både Iran og Nord-Korea. De siste åra har vist at hans person er full av egosentrisk BS. Han gjør lite dersom det ikke tilfredstiller hans personlige agenda, og agendaen til hans aller nærmeste.

Hvorfor bare 25 % toll på hi-tec, hvorfor ikke 57 %?

Dagens nyhet er vel at pvinsights.com fortsetter å melde nedgang i polypris, denne gang på -3.24% på 9N/9N+

Synes trenden begynner å lukte oversupply, i alle fall på kort sikt.

Eller så rapporteres det inn økt salg fra REC... Spørs om man ser positiv eller negativ vinkling her

Vi er i riktig bransje hver fall :-). se bare på dette. Monumentalt.
May 29 (Renewables Now) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Africa50 investment fund to collaborate on the Desert to Power programme that seeks to develop 10 GW of solar across the Sahel region.
AfDB's Desert to Power initiative aims to provide solar electricity to 250 million people, including 90 million through off-grid installations.
https://renewablesnow.com/news/afdb-signs-up-partners-for-10-gw-desert-to-power-programme-614381/

@Sofa

I Kina har prisene volatile all den tid man har Tier 1, Tier 2 og Tier 3 som alle skal få sitt.

Om du ser på RECs 1Q18-presentasjon over ASP kommer dette klart til uttrykk. REC har en bedre og mer stabil prisutvikling enn spotprisoversiktene.

Man bør ikke legge stor vekt på PVinsights. Det er kun en indikasjon på noe man må se i en større sammenheng. Tallene isolert sett er meningsløse og reflekterer i liten grad virkeligheten da det er snitttall.

For oss er det ikke relevant hva alle andre får i spotpris, men hva REC får i spotpris.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) har lansert en ny energifinansieringspolitikk, ifølge TDN Direkt.
Den nye politikken vil støtte en lavkarbonovergang og slutte å finansiere olje- og gassprosjekter.
Banken vil ikke finansiere nye kulldrevne kraftverk, termiske kullgruver, oljesandprosjekter eller arktiske oljeprosjekter, opplyses det.

https://www.hegnar.no/Nyheter/Energi/2018/05/Vil-slutte-aa-finansiere-olje-og-gassprosjekter

Spikeren i kista for kullhelvete og oljesølet. Flott. Kutter de gass og woow.
Sol derimot virker lønnsomt:
Scatec Solar ASA avholder onsdag kapitalmarkedsdag. Ledelsen vil presentere akselererte vekstambisjoner frem mot 2021, fremgår det av en melding.

Det nye vekstmålet er 2 GW, noe som føre den totale kapasiteten over 3,5 GW ved utgangen av 2021.

Det ventes at 20-25 års årlig kontantstrøm fra 3,5 GW vil nå 750-850 millioner kroner.

Få ut fingern å kutt poly først som sist eller må vi vente til på lørdag. Have a a safe trip Wilbur Ross. https://www.hegnar.no/Nyheter/Politikk/2018/05/Kina-kutter-toll-paa-importvarer

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/05/30/hanwha-q-cells-opening-1-6-gw-solar-module-assembly-facility-in-georgia/

Trump tariffs are helping more than double U.S. solar capacity

President Trump wanted more U.S. solar manufacturing — and now he’s getting it.

Hanwha Q Cells Korea on Wednesday said it will build a factory in Georgia. JinkoSolar Holding Co. of China is planning one in Florida. And U.S. companies SunPower Corp. and First Solar Inc. say they’ll boost production in Oregon and Ohio.

The expansion underscores how immediate the reaction has been to the tariffs Trump imposed on imported panels in January to spur domestic manufacturing.

The duties could increase production capacity in the United States by at least 3.4 gigawatts, compared with 1.8 gigawatts at the end of last year, and would add to even more capacity already planned, based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance data.

It remains to be seen whether these factories will create the jobs Trump is after, but analysts say his policies are having a clear impact.

“Absent the Trump tariffs, this wouldn’t be happening,” Jeff Osborne, an analyst at Cowen & Co., said in an interview.

The push for tariffs began in April 2017, when Suniva Inc., a bankrupt Georgia-based panel maker filed a trade complaint arguing that it had been crippled by a flood of imports. Trump responded in January, imposing duties of as much as 30%, saying they were necessary to protect American manufacturers and create jobs.

While the plants announced by Hanwha and others will boost U.S. production, they’re unlikely to employ armies of workers, analysts said. As panel prices have declined, solar factories have become increasingly automated.

“While the Trump administration will claim this as a win, America’s victory is modest,” said Hugh Bromley, a New York-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “The profits will flow offshore, and the highly-automated production lines will bring few jobs.”

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-trump-solar-tariffs-20180530-story.html

https://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/oljefondet/fornoeyd-med-at-oljefondet-faar-gaa-inn-i-sol-og-vind/24347353

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/05/31/ihs-markit-at-snec-grid-parity-within-reach-in-china/

Hele denne saken bør leses, da den er et eksempel på hvordan verden virkelig ikke trenger kullkraft. Men noen utdrag:

Solar is starting to replace the largest coal plant in the western U.S.

On Navajo land in Arizona, a coal plant and coal mine that have devastated the environment are being replaced by solar–with both enormous benefits and local drawbacks that can serve as a lesson for how the rest of the country will need to manage the transition to renewables.

...

The coal plant, called the Navajo Generating Station, was built in the 1970s to provide power to growing populations in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. A nearby coal mine supplies the power plant with coal. As recently as 2014, the coal plant wasn’t expected to close until 2044–a date negotiated with the EPA to reduce air pollution. But reduced demand for coal, driven both by economics and climate action, means that the plant is scheduled to close in 2019 instead. The coal mine, run by Peabody Energy, will be forced to follow.

In 2016, Los Angeles, which owned a 21% share in the plant, completed a sale of its share to reduce city emissions. In 2017, the remaining owners announced that they would close the plant because coal power is no longer economically competitive. The plant’s largest customer, the Central Arizona Project, calculated that if it had purchased electricity from other sources in 2016, it could have saved $38.5 million.

...

Though customers no longer want the coal, there’s some resistance to the early closure. Both the coal plant and the coal mine provide tribal revenue and jobs in an area where nearly half the population is unemployed.

...

Natural springs have run dry. Windmills that used to pull up water from an aquifer no longer can. Thousands of Navajo families still don’t have running water. Plants that were used in traditional food, medicine, and to dye rugs no longer grow in the area.

“Many of our wildlife–for example, deer, elk, antelope–these are all gone,” Deal says. “They have moved on to other areas simply because they cannot find these plants anymore. We also noticed that the bald eagles and other hawks have moved on.

...

The coal plant emits more greenhouse gas pollution than roughly 3 million cars, contributing to the changing climate that is, in turn, leading to both drought and heat waves in the area. The plant also emits thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution a year, which can cause lung disease, heart attacks, and strokes. Other pollutants from the plant, like lead, mercury, and manganese, can cause brain damage.

...

Renewable energy can also bring new economic opportunity. When the coal plant owners decided to close in 2019, part of the agreement included turning over a 500-megawatt transmission line to Navajo tribal government. “We can see that having the transmission line is the greatest economic opportunity that the Navajo nation has ever had,” Deal says.

“It’s a great asset for the tribe, because they could either sell the rights of that transmission and make money, or they could develop their own projects . . . and use the transmission right to be able to sell pretty much to anybody in the western United States,” says Ormond. In addition to abundant sunshine, the Navajo reservation also has the best wind resources in Arizona, at Gray Mountain.

The first Kayenta solar farm, which started operating in April 2017, has 120,000 panels mounted on trackers that follow the sun to generate as much power as possible. It generates 27.3 megawatts of electricity, which is sold to Salt River Project, which also runs the coal plant. The power is sent across the reservation and to cities in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and California. At the height of construction, the project employed 284 people, the majority of whom were Navajo. The solar installation skills that workers gained can be used in the next solar plant, which will generate another 27.3 megawatts of power.

...

https://www.fastcompany.com/40577931/solar-is-starting-to-replace-the-largest-coal-plant-in-the-western-u-s

China’s leading power producers can generate solar power at rates as low as CNY0.31/kWh, “even below the price of coal power”.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/05/31/ihs-markit-at-snec-grid-parity-within-reach-in-china/

California gets more power from solar than gas in May

During May solar provided 17% of generation on California’s grid, outpacing gas for the first time on a monthly basis.

JUNE 4, 2018
In many ways California has led the transition to renewable energy in the United States. As the state continues to build more and more solar and modernizes its approach to electricity planning, it has even begun to deny the continuation of contracts to existing gas plants in favor of clean energy alternatives.

California was one of only three states in 2017 to get more than 10% of its power from solar, but has not stopped there. According to an analysis of data from California’s grid operator compiled by frequent pv magazine collaborator and self-described data geek Joe Deely, in May California solar generation rose to a new record of 3.02 terawatt-hours (TWh), representing nearly 17% of in-state generation. With gas falling to only 2.67 TWh, or around 15%, this means that solar provided more electricity for Californians than gas – for the first time ever on a monthly basis.

As is usually the case, it is important to look beyond these two sources of generation to get a more clear picture of what is going on here. While hydro generation has fallen from its high of 18% last May, it still provided 12% of electricity generation during the month, which is higher than in the drought years of 2014 and 2015.

The world set a new record for renewable power in 2017, but emissions are still rising



https://qz.com/1295830/2017-set-a-new-record-for-renewable-power-but-emissions-are-still-rising/

India høyner sitt mål om 175 GW innen 2022. Nytt mål: 225 GW.

...

India will add 225 GW renewable energy by 2022: Power Minister

Buoyant with rapid growth of renewable energy in India, the government is aiming to add 225 Gw by 2022. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday on four years of achievements of the BJP government in the power and renewable sector, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh said India would achieve the earlier target of 175-Gw in the next two years.

“India’s current renewable-based power capacity stands at 70 Gw, and we will cross the 175-Gw target well before 2022. We have new schemes like offshore wind, floating solar, which will help us over-achieve the current target," said Singh.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-will-add-225-gw-renewable-energy-by-2022-power-minister-118060501021_1.html

Mye bra nyheter om solenergi, men ser ikke ut til at rec får sin del av kaka, merkelig. Denne synker bare videre ned i dritten der sola aldri skinner!!! Aksje fra helvete dette og!!!!!

En satans aksje er det og som bandet Grim Reaper sang på 80 tallet :

Can I make you an offer? You can't refuse
I kept my eyes on you 'cause I tell you that you lose
And you can come with me to a place you'll know so well
And I will take you to the very gates of Hell

See you in Hell my friend
See you in Hell my friend
See you in Hell my friend
I'll see you in Hell

Kongekveite vi har mye av samme musikksmak har jeg forstått. Din kommentar om Bon Scott og hell aint a bad Place to be stemmer jo fint her inne. Håper vi alle ikke ender opp som legenden fylt til randen av billig whiskey og kvalt i våre egne oppkast. skal ut på tur til helgen å da blir det bon Scott å mye mye annet snadder. Dab kan de stappe opp.

Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an known enemy

Take your time, hurry up
The choice is yours, don't be late
Take a rest as a friend
As an old

Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria

Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach
As I want you to be
As a trend, as a friend
As an old

Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria

And I swear that I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I…

A Year After Trump’s Paris Pullout, U.S. Companies Are Driving a Renewables Boom

WASHINGTON — When President Trump announced on June 1 last year that the United States would exit the Paris climate deal, many of America’s largest corporations said they would honor the agreement anyway, vowing to pursue cleaner energy and cut emissions on their own.

A year later, there’s one area where that pledge is highly visible: renewable energy. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies, from tech giants like Apple and Google to Walmart and General Motors, are voluntarily investing billions of dollars in new wind and solar projects to power their operations or offset their conventional energy use, becoming a major driver of renewable electricity growth in the United States.

“You’re definitely not seeing corporations slow down their appetite for renewables under Trump — if anything, demand continues to grow,” said Malcolm Woolf, senior vice president for policy at Advanced Energy Economy, a clean energy business group. “And it means that many utilities increasingly have to evolve to satisfy this demand.”

One big question, however, is whether these corporate renewable deals will remain a relatively niche market, adding some wind and solar at the margins but not really making a sizable dent in overall emissions, or whether these companies can use their clout to transform America’s grid and help usher in a new era of low-carbon power.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/climate/companies-renewable-energy.html

Omstillingen går rett og slett for sakte, og farten må økes, sier Equinors konsernsjef Eldar Sætre i forordet til rapporten.https://e24.no/energi/equinor/equinor-rapport-om-energiomstillingen-gaar-for-sakte/24355051

Why Did China Tap The Brakes On Its Solar Program?

...

To put China's growth in perspective, in 2017 alone China added 53 gigawatts (GW) of new solar PV capacity. That addition was greater than the total solar PV capacity of any country at the beginning of 2017.

Given China's growing need for clean power, China's decision to curb subsidies caught many -- including me -- by surprise. Why would China make such a decision?

The decision may be rooted in actions of the Trump Administration. Earlier this year, President Trump announced a 30% tariff on imported solar equipment that would last at least the next four years. The decision was a response to a couple of U.S. solar companies charging that China's solar subsidies were allowing Chinese solar companies to undercut U.S. solar manufacturers.

Because China is the world's leading consumer of solar power, I didn't expect this decision to have a huge impact on China's solar industry. But now that a larger trade war looms, China may have made a decision to signal to the U.S. that it will stop allowing Chinese solar panel makers to substantially undercut U.S. manufacturers.

The "winners" here may be a few U.S. solar companies, but the overall growth rate of the solar industry may suffer. In the long run, solar PV is still certain to outgrow every other energy category, but in the short term this decision is going to create a lot of uncertainty around the industry.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2018/06/05/why-did-china-tap-the-brakes-on-its-solar-program/#76b7cbd0686f

Forrige innlegg bør leses i sammenheng med denne.


JUNE 7, 2018 / 4:35 AM

China says it does not want U.S. trade frictions to escalate
Reuters Staff

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that the country does not want an escalation of trade frictions with the United States, and that some specific progress was made in the latest round of talks that concluded over the weekend.

China has said that it is willing to increase imports from America as part of negotiations to reduce the United States’ $375 billion goods trade deficit with the world’s second-largest economy and defuse broader commercial tensions.

Sources have told Reuters that President Donald Trump has discussed with trade advisors a Chinese government offer to import an extra $70 billion in U.S. agricultural and energy commodities, but it is unclear if such as deal would be enough to avert a trade war.

Trump has threatened tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese exports as part of a separate dispute over Chinese intellectual property (IP) protections.

The administration has said that a final list of goods for a first wave of duties will be issued next week, and that U.S. Treasury Department plans to limit Chinese investment in the United States were also under way.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said that talks on Sunday between U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing included in-depth discussions about agriculture and energy trade, but he did not confirm that China had made a $70 billion offer.

Gao told a weekly news briefing that the talks had made specific progress, and reiterated China’s willingness to import more from the United States, but he did not offer details.

“There were discussions regarding specific areas of cooperation, including in-depth talks on agriculture and energy. China is willing to increase imports from the U.S. (as part of negotiations),” Gao said.

China on Sunday warned that any agreements reached on trade and business between the two countries will be void if Washington implements tariffs and other trade measures.

Structural issues that for years have angered Washington, such as Chinese joint venture rules, market access restrictions, and policies that result in technology transfers, were not covered during Ross’ latest trip to Beijing, according to sources.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china/china-says-it-does-not-want-u-s-trade-frictions-to-escalate-idUSKCN1J3079

IKEA to use only renewable and recycled materials by 2030

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ikea-sustainability/ikea-to-use-only-renewable-and-recycled-materials-by-2030-idUSKCN1J31CD

Carbon 'bubble' could cost global economy trillions

A rapid reduction in demand for fossil fuels could see global economic losses of $1-4 trillion by 2035 according to a new report.

Energy efficiency and low carbon technology could cause the downturn, even if governments fail to take new steps to meet the Paris climate goals.

The resulting "carbon bubble" could cause losses larger than the 2008 financial crisis, the authors say.

The US and Canada would be the biggest losers, the study finds.

According to the International Energy Agency (IES), the world invested around $700bn in oil, gas and coal in 2016.

While there has been a growing movement for divesting from shares in fossil fuel companies in recent years, the sector still accounts for 6% of global stock markets and 12% in the UK.

Research has often focussed on how these investments would be affected if the world takes new action to limit the global rise in temperatures to well under 2C as agreed in Paris in 2015.

One recent study found that 20% of the world's power plant capacity could become "stranded assets" if the Paris goal was met.

But this new report looks at the impact of low carbon technology in renewable energy, the electrification of transport and greater efficiency in fuel use, on demand for fossil fuel irrespective of whether new climate policies are adopted or not.

They also include the impact of a rapid sell off, of oil and gas reserves by producing countries eager to get rid of the fuels before they become worthless.

The authors say that by 2035, $1 trillion dollars could be wiped off the global economy if no new actions to limit warming to less than 2 degrees are taken. This could rise to $4 trillion if new policies to restrict emissions further are set.

"You don't need to have anything for the stranding to happen, because what has already been done in the past is driving this phenomenon," Prof Jorge Viñuales, study co-author from Cambridge University, told BBC News.

"Many investors don't take the carbon bubble seriously, they say that climate policies won't be adopted, and if they are adopted they won't be tough and even if they are tough they won't be adopted anytime soon - what we are saying is, that doesn't matter."

The authors say that while there will be some significant losers, the overall impact on global GDP will likely be balanced with countries like Japan, China and the EU seeing employment grow along with their economies as their imports of fossil fuels will become much cheaper.

"It is potentially catastrophic for high cost producers," said Prof Jorge Viñuales.

"The US will suffer in all events, the same for Russia and Canada - they could improve their situation by moving away from investment in fossil fuels and trying to develop renewable energy."

Some scientists and investors believe that fossil fuels will continue to play a significant role and stranded assets can be avoided if technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be developed and deployed. Other experts say this is a risky assumption.

"Many models assume that CCS will become cost competitive at some point, meaning that fossil fuels could still make up a part of a low-carbon energy mix - however it's not clear that the technology will ever become cost-competitive without a significant increase in current levels of investment," said Sini Matikainen, policy analyst at the Grantham Research Institute, who wasn't involved in the study.

"The authors also use a 2 degree scenario, so under the lower, more ambitious 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement, the losses from stranded assets could potentially be even larger than this paper suggests."

Other observers point out that in some parts of the world, the move away from fossil fuels has happened already

"I think we are seeing this play out," said Shelagh Whitley from the Overseas Development Institute, who have been researching the link between stranded assets and coal fired power stations in India.

"We thought when we started this three years ago that this would play out over the next decade, it is already happening."

"In India, you have public banks saying they have to write down all sorts of assets on their books, there are all sorts of new policies coming into place, it is happening much more quickly than people imagined."

If action is taken soon, the carbon bubble can be deflated say the authors. A simple first step would be to require all corporations to disclose their exposure to stranded assets.

If the bubble isn't dealt with quickly, the disruption of fossil fuel production may lead to political upheaval, and the rise of populism. Something the authors fear may be happening already.

"We have not tested the link with populism in the study but my take is that this is why some administrations are relying on fossil fuel policies," said Prof Viñuales

"And they are winning and getting a strong electoral base because the people working in those sectors have suffered a lot already."

The study has been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44357243

Mange har sluttet å putte penger i forurensede selskaper og teknologi. Flere beveger seg vekk fra oljeinvesteringer. Her på berget vil investorene mest sannsynlig være de siste som ser utviklingen og beveger seg over til fornybar. Heldigvis har oljeselskapet Statoil forstått dette og endret profil til energiselskapet equinor. Fremover må investeringene til equinor i større grad ligge i fornybar.

Trump’s latest attempt to protect coal looks positively socialist

REPUBLICANS ACCUSED President Barack Obama of being a socialist. Yet President Trump is preparing what could be the most astonishing and counterproductive instance of central planning the nation has seen in decades.

Mr. Trump last Friday ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to recommend ways to prop up struggling coal and nuclear power plants. Mr. Perry’s previous attempt at doing so was practically laughed out of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which unanimously rejected the notion that the U.S. power grid is at risk as clunker coal plants lose out to cheaper natural gas and renewables. But now the Trump administration is preparing more drastic alternatives.

One option would require the purchase of electricity from coal and nuclear plants under a law meant to keep power flowing during emergencies, such as hurricanes. Another scheme would hijack the 1950 Defense Production Act, which allows presidential intervention to secure critical goods when national security is at stake.

...

If Mr. Trump proceeds and the courts somehow allow such a perversion of the law, it would be hard to stop the next Democratic president from, say, using emergency powers to force the purchase of renewables at the expense of coal, oil and natural gas.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-latest-attempt-to-protect-coal-looks-positively-socialist/2018/06/06/6734ec70-68eb-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/11/canada-pension-plan-investment-board-worlds-first-to-issue-green-bonds/

The latest hot trend? Replacing coal plants with solar. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/11/lowest-approved-solar-power-contract-in-the-united-states-2-49¢-kwh/

Spain set to cancel solar tax
With her first official announcement, Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera has made it clear that the inglorious solar tax on distributed generation will be eliminated, while confirming her support for more ambitious EU renewable energy targets
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/12/spain-set-to-cancel-solar-tax/

Solar Has Overtaken Gas and Wind as Biggest Source of New U.S. Power

Solar power in U.S. climbed 13% in first quarter, SEIA says
New installations in 2018 expected to be similar to last year

Despite tariffs that President Trump imposed on imported panels, the U.S. installed more solar energy than any other source of electricity in the first quarter.

Developers installed 2.5 gigawatts of solar in the first quarter, up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to a report Tuesday from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. That accounted for 55 percent of all new generation, with solar panels beating new wind and natural gas turbines for a second straight quarter.

The growth came even as tariffs on imported panels threatened to increase costs for developers. Giant fields of solar panels led the growth as community solar projects owned by homeowners and businesses took off. Total installations this year are expected to be 10.8 gigawatts, or about the same as last year, according to GTM. By 2023, annual installations should reach more than 14 gigawatts.

“Solar has become a common-sense option for much of the U.S., and is too strong to be set back for long, even in light of the tariffs,” SEIA Chief Executive Officer Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-12/solar-surpasses-gas-and-wind-as-biggest-source-of-new-u-s-power