See This? It's the Present, and the Future

As opposed to coal, oil, and gas...

“Harnessing the Sun” by Photographer Ruijuan Huang

The world’s most lucrative photography competition is called HIPA. That’s short for the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award. This year’s theme is sustainability. The $40,000 First Prize category winner of Sustainability was Chinese photographer Ruijuan Huang. Her photo, titled “Harnessing the Sun” shows an array of solar panels blanketing Shixing County, China. Here’s her narrative of the image:

“An aerial view of Shixing County showcases an impressive expanse of solar panels strategically placed across the lush hills of Guangdong Province. The vibrant green landscape contrasts with the sleek, blue solar arrays, highlighting the integration of technology and nature. Winding paths flow through the installation, illustrating the proactive approach to solar energy generation in the area. Bathed in warm sunlight, this expansive array of panels generates clean energy while supporting the local community’s commitment to sustainable development, exemplifying the region’s efforts to harness abundant solar resources for a greener future.”

And here’s another winning photo from the HIPA competition.

The $30,000 Second Prize in Sustainability went to French photographer Virginie Ellis for her photo “Towards a Bright Future.” Her narrative is:

“In the vast Sharjah desert, a caravan of camels, symbols of the UAE’s nomadic heritage, traverse the golden sands. Their path is illuminated by a radiant solar tower, representing the nation’s commitment to renewable energy and sustainability. The camels’ dark silhouettes juxtapose against the tower’s bright glow reflecting a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. As their journey progresses, a vision for a greener future is encapsulated, emphasizing the potential for harsh environments to embrace eco-friendly solutions while celebrating an enduring heritage.”

Donald J. Trump, on the other hand, wants to drill for oil and gas.

What’s the market for oil and gas, compared to the markets for wind and solar?

“From 2019 to 2023, clean energy growth outpaced growth in fossil fuels by a ratio of two-to-one. The production of low-emissions electricity grew by around 1 800 TWh, despite the stagnation of hydro power and decline of nuclear power due to drought and forced outages of the nuclear fleet in the European Union. Fossil fuel-based electricity generation grew by slightly less than 850 TWh. In end uses, the consumption of clean energy grew around two times more than fossil fuels.

The coal demand avoided is around 580 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) annually. This is 30% higher than the actual increase in global annual coal demand of around 440 Mtce from 2019 to 2023. The largest driver of avoided coal demand was deployment of solar PV and wind power in electricity sectors around the world, with the two technologies avoiding around 320 and 235 Mtce of annual coal demand respectively. This is equal to the annual coal demand for electricity generation of India and Indonesia combined.

Avoided demand for natural gas is around 180 bcm annually on an energy equivalent basis. This is nearly two times more than the actual increase in global annual natural gas demand of around 100 bcm from 2019 to 2023. The deployment of wind and solar PV provides the largest share of this avoided natural gas demand (155 bcm), although heat pump deployment also avoids around 15 bcm of annual demand and nuclear power also contributes. The avoided gas demand is more than the pre-invasion pipeline exports of natural gas from Russia to the European Union, which were around 150 bcm in 2021.

Avoided demand for oil amounts to almost 1 mb/d in energy equivalent terms. Without this, oil demand would have risen above the pre-pandemic level instead of hovering still slightly below it in 2023 on an energy equivalent basis. Electric cars provided the majority of avoided oil demand.”

Source: https://www.iea.org/reports/clean-energy-market-monitor-march-2024

The more money and time wasted on drill baby drill, the further behind we fall.

To quote Pete Seeger, We’re waist deep in the big muddy, And the big fool says push on.