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5 Powerful Facts for Global Wind Day

Union of Concerned Scientists

We at the Union of Concerned Scientists think a lot about wind power. In honor of Global Wind Day , here’s a roundup of what we’re seeing and what we’ve been thinking—five facts about wind energy to keep in mind as you celebrate, or at least make note, on June 15. Wind power is big, and getting bigger.

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How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Most studies show that achieving these targets will require an unprecedented increase in wind and solar power to decarbonize the power sector and meet the increased demand for zero- carbon electricity to replace fossil fuels in building, industrial and transportation sectors. Map courtesy NREL: Denholm et al.

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How Are Lithium-ion Batteries that Store Solar and Wind Power Made?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Sleek solar panels forged from silver and silica from the depths of the Earth translate the sun’s blindingly fiery light energy into electricity. Wind turbines with blades each the size of a 12-story building punctuate the skyline of wind-swept fields and help power entire cities. Batteries help store surplus energy.

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Climate Policy and the Audacity of Hope

Legal Planet

Wind power costs fell by half from 2008 to 2021. The Department of Energy estimates the cost of an electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack declined 89% between 2008 and 2022. Different batteries may be ideal in settings where charging speed is not a factor, such as utility-scale electricity storage.

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Analysis: Could electric vehicles feed China’s grid?

A Greener Life

Two-way charging could give vehicles like these the potential to stabilise power supplies by discharging stored electricity back to the grid. Across 30 minutes, 50 electric vehicles (EVs) discharged almost one megawatt-hour into the grid – enough electricity to meet the needs of 133 households for a day.

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Ask a Scientist: Two Dozen States Can Meet 100 Percent of Electricity Demand with Renewables by 2035

Union of Concerned Scientists

Nearly all of the alliance members have a renewable electricity standard (RES), which requires utilities in their jurisdiction to increase their use of renewable energy to a particular percentage by a specific year. EN: What were your top findings? Under current policies and plans, carbon dioxide emissions would decline by only 12 percent.

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In the Race for Clean Energy, the United States is Both a Leader and a Laggard—Here’s How

Union of Concerned Scientists

Announcing recently that the world broke a record by generating 30 percent of all electricity from renewable sources in 2023, the British think tank Ember said the data proves we are in a “new era” of energy in which a permanent decline in fossil fuels is “inevitable.” percent of the globe’s electricity in 2015, solar now produces 5.5