Renewables Surpass Coal Globally, Despite US Setbacks

Solar and wind power are outpacing coal for the first time
globally. However, the US faces challenges in meeting clean energy
goals due to material shortages, a lack of skilled workers, and
political roadblocks. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly
email update on all things wind technology. This episode is
sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about
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YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the
show? Email us! Something remarkable happened this year. For
the first time in history, renewable energy generated more power
than coal worldwide. Solar grew thirty-one percent in just six
months. Wind and solar together outpaced electricity demand. China
built more clean energy in half a year than the rest of the world
combined. India's renewable growth beat demand. Their fossil fuel
use dropped. Why? Simple economics. Wind and solar are now the
cheapest sources of electricity. But here in America, we have a
problem. Johns Hopkins researchers just discovered we'll fall
thirty-four percent short of our clean energy goals by twenty
fifty. Not because renewables cost too much. Because we don't have
the materials to build them. Nickel. Silicon. Rare earth elements
with names like neodymium and dysprosium. China controls ninety
percent of the processing. And last week, they announced export
controls. Meanwhile, in Britain... They're creating four hundred
thousand clean energy jobs by twenty thirty. Plumbers.
Electricians. Welders. Building wind farms. Installing solar
panels. Running smart grids. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband put it
simply: "Where are the good jobs of the future going to come from?
This is the answer." The Sizewell C nuclear plant alone needs ten
thousand workers. But here's the rub - they need to triple their
welders, double their plumbers. The workers don't exist yet. Down
in North Carolina... Duke Energy just announced a new plan. They're
delaying wind projects. Extending coal plants. Not because coal is
cheaper - it isn't. But because artificial intelligence and data
centers are driving electricity demand eight times faster than
expected. Glen Snider from Duke says they need reliability while
demand surges. The irony? Duke's moving away from the cheapest new
sources of power - wind and solar - just when they need the most
electricity. They're choosing to extend expensive coal plants that
cost more to run. Australia sees opportunity... Treasurer Jim
Chalmers is in New York meeting with Blackstone and Wall Street.
Australia has lithium, manganese, rare earths. They claim they can
deliver the world's lowest-cost renewable electricity by twenty
fifty. "Australia has exactly what the world needs, when the world
needs it," Chalmers says. Think about this... The technology works.
Solar and wind are cheaper than coal. Batteries can store the
power. Countries using these technologies are seeing their energy
costs drop. But America faces three bottlenecks: First, we don't
control the materials. Second, we don't have the skilled workers.
Third, states like North Carolina are choosing reliability over
cost savings. President Trump calls renewables "a joke." But JP
Morgan says something different. They say America will have to use
renewable energy whether we like it or not. Nuclear takes too long
to build. Fossil fuels cost too much. The numbers tell the story...
Britain: Four hundred thousand new jobs. America: Seven hundred
thirty gigawatts short of materials. North Carolina: Eight times
the demand growth. Global renewables: Cheaper than coal for the
first time. We're watching the free market work. The cheapest
energy is winning worldwide. Except in places where politics and
supply chains get in the way. The future of energy isn't about
saving anything. It's about economics. And right now, the economics
are clear. The cheapest power comes from the sun and wind.