Like many of you, in December last year I followed with interest the news reports from COP28. As it concluded, there was much written in the media about whether the nations of the world would actually do what is needed to restrict the rise in average global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Now… Continue reading Rising carbon dioxide levels
Tag: environment
Rising use of fossil fuels
I was disturbed to read the recent UN report pointing out that the government plans and projections from the major fossil fuel producers would lead to an increase in global coal production until 2030, and in global oil and gas production until at least 2050. This conflicts with government commitments under the Paris Agreement, and… Continue reading Rising use of fossil fuels
Solar energy costs
In a previous post I talked about the advantages of solar electricity compared to other renewable source of electricity. In this post I’ll move away from my normal scientific topics and discuss the costs of small scale solar energy and how it compares with other renewables. Whats is 'the LCOE'? When comparing the relative costs… Continue reading Solar energy costs
Advantages of solar energy
As shown in the graph and table below, most renewable electricity is generated by hydroelectric power. Solar energy lies in third place behind wind. Electricity generated from renewable sources. From Our world in data (2018). The ‘Others’ category includes biofuels (e.g. burning wood, animal and agricultural wastes), geothermal energy and wave/tidal power) Despite only being… Continue reading Advantages of solar energy
Explaining Science 