Climate Democracy

At first glance, the Austrian performance in the energy sector looks quite bright: In the year 2014, about 33% of the gross final energy consumption was provided by renewable energy sources.

In 2015, a new State Energy Policy came into effect in the Czech Republic. While government plans still rely heavily on new nuclear reactors, new government strategies on renewables raise hopes.

2015 saw Polish PV increase by 240% and wind power generation by 40%. Despite these impressive numbers, Poland still remains the kingdom of coal.  

As it is in Ohio and elsewhere in the United States, the coal industry in Poland is declining amid economic and environmental pressures. And the industry’s political and cultural importance is prompting calls for government action to save it.

In addition to the usual, global overview of status and trends in reactor building and operating, as well as the traditional comparison between deployment trend in the nuclear power and renewable energy sectors, the 2016 edition of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) provides an assessment of the trends of the economic health of some of the major players in the industry.

After several decades of stagnation, the discovery of natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean and the introduction of domestic renewable energy could signal a rapid energy transition for Israel.

China set world records, again, in 2015 with its rapid renewable energy development, but China's continued overreliance on coal suggests a long road ahead towards a true clean energy transition.

In less than a decade, Uruguayan citizens have been privileged witnesses of a fast change, a true revolution, in the energy sector, and they are beginning to perceive its results.

South Africa shows how quickly an energy transition can be. In four years, with coal and nuclear power stations on hold, South Africa's  renewable energy program has nearly 100 plants in development.