Climate, pollution, clean/renewable energy Stanford U Prof, Civil & Env Eng; Director, Atmos/Energy Prog Cofounder-Solutions Proj/100% Movement Testified Held v Montana, Navahine v Hawai’i https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/ Stanford.io/Jacobson
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The fact the US is installing PV at a rate only 8.2% that of China reflects not only the current administration's ridiculous policies, but also the bad all-of-the-above policies of previous ones that pushed fossils (carbon capture, direct air capture, blue H2) with WindWaterSolar
Breaking: Record 380 GW solar PV installed globally first half 2025, 64% higher than first half of 2024 (232 GW) and only 13% less than all of 2023 (438 GW) China installed 67% (256 GW) India 6.3% (24 GW) US 5.5% (21 GW) Brazil and Germany 1.3% (7 GW) ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
Climate triples heat deaths in Europe theecologist.org/2025/sep/01/...
World’s largest floating solar farm (650 MW) now partly connected to grid. Sits on flooded land previously used for coal mining. Co-located with 550 MW of wind and 300 MW/600MWh batteries. www.marineinsight.com/know-more/wo...
Japan Just Switched on Asia’s First Osmotic Power Plant, Which Runs 24/7 on Nothing But Fresh Water and Seawater www.zmescience.com/ecology/japa... @zmescience.bsky.social
Japan Just Switched on Asia’s First Osmotic Power Plant, Which Runs 24/7 on Nothing But Fresh Water and Seawater www.zmescience.com/ecology/japa... @zmescience.bsky.social
Its the whole system, with no FF, etc. web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Factcheck: 16 False+Misleading Myths About Solar by @carbonbrief.org interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/so... FALSE 1) Solar is ‘unreliable’ 2) ‘Solar+wind are expensive’ 3) ‘As nations use more solar, bills get more expensive’ 4) Solar farms emit "more carbon over their lives than they save’
World's largest sand battery is now live in Finland 100 MWh heat storage Intermittent WWS electricity heats sand up to 400C. Air sent through pipes in the sand heats up and produces steam for industry and hot water for district heat newatlas.com/energy/large... @christianonre.bsky.social
"Rooftop PV should be installed as much as possible worldwide. It not only helps eliminate pollution from current electricity generation, but it also reduces the need for land & transmission+distribution lines, thereby reducing the cost associated with both, plus wildfire risk."
Point is to have a 3-letter acronym. Otherwise, it is too complicated. WWS has worked well for 16 years.
“Due to the scale of the renewable energy transition needed worldwide, both rooftop and utility PV will be needed in large quantities. As such, policies should encourage both and hinder neither."
WWS includes both geothermal and storage web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
“Due to the scale of the renewable energy transition needed worldwide, both rooftop and utility PV will be needed in large quantities. As such, policies should encourage both and hinder neither."
"Rooftop PV should be installed as much as possible worldwide. It not only helps eliminate pollution from current electricity generation, but it also reduces the need for land & transmission+distribution lines, thereby reducing the cost associated with both, plus wildfire risk."
14) Solar farms have a ‘devastating impact on house prices in the area’ 15) Solar farms ‘just can’t withstand the harsh elements of nature’ 16) ‘The rush for solar panels is leaving us at the mercy of China’
MISLEADING 10) ‘Solar panels should be on roofs’ not in fields 11) Solar should be built on ‘old brownfield sites…not on green land’ 12) ‘Bird & bat deaths are common’ on solar farms 13) Solar farms are ‘destroying habitats on an industrial scale’
5) Solar is ‘a serious threat to agriculture & food security’ 6) Energy projects will generate a ‘tsunami of solar panel waste’ 7) Battery storage presents a ‘huge fire risk’ 8) Heatwaves make solar panels much 'less efficient’ 9) Solar farms ‘will be designated brownfield sites
Factcheck: 16 False+Misleading Myths About Solar by @carbonbrief.org interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/so... FALSE 1) Solar is ‘unreliable’ 2) ‘Solar+wind are expensive’ 3) ‘As nations use more solar, bills get more expensive’ 4) Solar farms emit "more carbon over their lives than they save’
World's largest sand battery is now live in Finland 100 MWh heat storage Intermittent WWS electricity heats sand up to 400C. Air sent through pipes in the sand heats up and produces steam for industry and hot water for district heat newatlas.com/energy/large... @christianonre.bsky.social
Wait. Voters in deep red states are paying less for electricity because they have the most Green energy sources? How does that happen?
New EIA data: 6 GOP states met 48.5-86.7% of their annual electricity demand from wind: SD 86.7% IA 74.9 KS 68.7 WY 59.6 ND 48.6 OK 48.5 web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... and all had elec price 2.4-5.1 c/kWh below the US avg web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... Wind supplied 10.9% of all US demand
Look at the 2nd table (below the table with the countries).
To reiterate, the more WindWaterSolar, the lower the electricity prices in the United States WWS dominates electricity production relative to demand in 11 states (these states supply 51-120% of their demand with WWS), and electricity prices in 10 of those 11 states are far below the U.S. average.
Solar & wind made up 91.2% of new US power capacity Jan-May '25; Fossils made up only 8.8%: Solar: 11.52 GW (75.6%) Wind: 2.38 (15.6%) Gas: 1.38 Oil: 0.014 Coal -0.057 Tot: 15.235 FERC also projects 84% of new capacity through 2028 will be solar+wind www.utilitydive.com/news/renewab...
Solar & wind made up 91.2% of new US power capacity Jan-May '25; Fossils made up only 8.8%: Solar: 11.52 GW (75.6%) Wind: 2.38 (15.6%) Gas: 1.38 Oil: 0.014 Coal -0.057 Tot: 15.235 FERC also projects 84% of new capacity through 2028 will be solar+wind www.utilitydive.com/news/renewab...
“Despite the Trump admin putting its thumb on the scale to slow solar down, the American people are demanding low-cost, reliable power, and solar is stepping up to meet that demand every day.” Solar & wind make up 92% of new US power capacity Jan-May '25 www.utilitydive.com/news/renewab...
India installs 18 GW of solar in H1 2025 www.pv-magazine.com/2025/08/27/i... - very good news from #India for solar PV ... and much more demand ahead www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Wind is the gift that keeps on giving...particularly to red states -keeping lights on & electricity prices low and using less footprint on the ground than any energy source. Even allowing farmers to earn more income with no crop loss. One would think everyone would support it.
To reiterate, the more WindWaterSolar, the lower the electricity prices in the United States WWS dominates electricity production relative to demand in 11 states (these states supply 51-120% of their demand with WWS), and electricity prices in 10 of those 11 states are far below the U.S. average.
Wind is the gift that keeps on giving...particularly to red states -keeping lights on & electricity prices low and using less footprint on the ground than any energy source. Even allowing farmers to earn more income with no crop loss. One would think everyone would support it.
A thought experiment. What if the world's climate policy for the next few years was: flood the planet with cheap or free solar panels? billmckibben.substack.com/p/a-modest-p...
New EIA data 11 states now meet the equivalent of 51.3-120.3% of their electricity demand (Q324-Q225) with WindWaterSolar (7 mostly wind) SD 120.4% MT 95.3 IA 78.5 WA 76.2 ME 69.6 KS 69.4 WY 67.7 OR 62.8 NM 62.1 ND 56.4 OK 51.3 10 have elec prices far below US avg web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
New EIA data States with the most WindWaterSolar as a % of demand have the lowest electricity prices Of 11 states supplying 51-120% of demand w/WWS, 10 have prices 1.8-5.1 c/kWh below US avg Of 18 states supplying 34-120% w/WWS, 15 are 1.4-5.1 c/kWh below avg web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
New EIA data: 6 GOP states met 48.5-86.7% of their annual electricity demand from wind: SD 86.7% IA 74.9 KS 68.7 WY 59.6 ND 48.6 OK 48.5 web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... and all had elec price 2.4-5.1 c/kWh below the US avg web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... Wind supplied 10.9% of all US demand
New study: oil & gas are major killers Oil & gas cause 91,000 air pollution deaths per year, 9,100 pre-term birth incidences/y, 216,000 asthma incidences/y, 1600 cancers/y in US 4,800 deaths/y from extracting & processing fuels 86,200 deaths/y from burning fuels www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The only good thing here is that Trump is laying out a blueprint for the next administration on how to eliminate entirely oil, fossil gas, and coal extraction and use in the U.S. Trump halts work on nearly complete New England offshore wind project abcnews.go.com/Business/wir...
100% WindWaterSolar could power the US for all purposes using less farmland (0.84% of US land) web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... than for corn ethanol (1.24%), which fuels only 4% of US transport web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... USDA halts solar+wind funding on farms www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/...
Figs 5 and 6 of this 2009 paper compare the footprint and spacing areas among many energy sources (including PV for EVs, wind for EVs, and corn ethanol for flex-fuel vehicles) to run all US vehicles. Results: ~100x more land for corn ethanol than PV for EVs web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Solar vs ethanol comparison thread from one of our top climate scientists, let’s go:
On top of that, wind turbines don't even take up farmland. They are like a second crop that gives farmers extra cash beyond that what they get from their crops.
As such, discouraging solar PV on farmland and EVs while encouraging corn ethanol saddles consumers with tens of billions of dollars of excess fuel costs for decades web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Also, battery-electric vehicles convert 80-86% of the electricity in them to motion; ethanol vehicles convert only 17-20% of their energy to motion. So, a BEV running on solar PV uses 1/80th-1/100th the land to go the same distance as does a corn-ethanol vehicle.
It should be obvious why stopping wind & solar subsidies on farmland is not a good idea: Photosynthesis is only 1% efficient; solar PV panels are 20-25% efficient. So the same land with a solar PV panel provides 20-25 times the energy as land with a bioenergy crop on it.
As such, discouraging solar PV on farmland and EVs while encouraging corn ethanol saddles consumers with tens of billions of dollars of excess fuel costs for decades web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Also, battery-electric vehicles convert 80-86% of the electricity in them to motion; ethanol vehicles convert only 17-20% of their energy to motion. So, a BEV running on solar PV uses 1/80th-1/100th the land to go the same distance as does a corn-ethanol vehicle.
It should be obvious why stopping wind & solar subsidies on farmland is not a good idea: Photosynthesis is only 1% efficient; solar PV panels are 20-25% efficient. So the same land with a solar PV panel provides 20-25 times the energy as land with a bioenergy crop on it.
100% WindWaterSolar could power the US for all purposes using less farmland (0.84% of US land) web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... than for corn ethanol (1.24%), which fuels only 4% of US transport web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... USDA halts solar+wind funding on farms www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/...
Those who oppose immediate efforts to replace fossil fuel extraction and use with electrification across all energy sectors and providing the electricity from clean, renewable sources (wind, solar, geo, hydro, along with storage) are supporting continued death & illness on a massive scale.
New study: oil & gas are major killers Oil & gas cause 91,000 air pollution deaths per year, 9,100 pre-term birth incidences/y, 216,000 asthma incidences/y, 1600 cancers/y in US 4,800 deaths/y from extracting & processing fuels 86,200 deaths/y from burning fuels www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Here's a thought experiment prompted by @billmckibben.bsky.social The world needs ~8.6 TW of annual-ave end-use power in 2050 if all end-uses are electrified web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... If this power were produced by PV, with a capacity factor of 20%, that's 43 TW of PV nameplate capacity.
So, over 25 y, that is only 0.09% of world GDP/y to provide the panels. Even with a full cost est of $58 tril from the paper above, the savings from electrifying & providing electricity with WWS vs BAU results in energy- & social cost payback times of 6 y & <1 y, respectively
At $0.06/W for new Chinese solar PV www.alibaba.com/product-deta... that's only $2.58 trillion to power the world (of course ignoring storage, inverters, labor to install, T&D). But that $2.58 trillion is only 2.3% of the world GDP for ONE year.
Here's a thought experiment prompted by @billmckibben.bsky.social The world needs ~8.6 TW of annual-ave end-use power in 2050 if all end-uses are electrified web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... If this power were produced by PV, with a capacity factor of 20%, that's 43 TW of PV nameplate capacity.
As a history major who took 10 years to get a degree, @tednordhaus.bsky.social is not even competent to comment on science let alone criticize other people's findings. He is an attention-seeking extremist with no qualifications or positive attributes. A non-researcher committed to zealotry.
The @thebti.bsky.social is a useless organization with a history of zealotry over nuclear and several wannabe scientists continuously trying to get attention by skewing information, telling-half truths, manipulating statistics, failing to do research, and pretending they have credentials.
7 reasons why new large+small nuclear reactors are useless for solving air pollution, climate, or energy security 12-23 years from plan to operation 2-6x the cost of wind 9-37x the CO2e as wind Weapons proliferation Meltdown risk Waste risk Mining lung cancer nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-...
New analysis: 100% WindWaterSolar across all US energy sectors will occupy ~56% less land than current energy: Fossils+nuc 1.16% of US land Corn for ethanol: 1.24% Total: 2.4% web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... 100% WWS only ~1.06% of US land for new installs web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
It’s as if you want to ignore facts in front of you. You cannot build it at all in less than17 years in NA. And Europe. =absolutely useless. If you can’t see this then goodbye.
Please see the link with the table
Propaganda and faceless claims. Pretending you can even build it in less than 17 years in North America or Europe then claiming it is cheaper. Total drivel and nonsense.
"To be fair," admit nuclear can't start producing a kWh to sell for 17-18 y, whereas wind+solar sell its kWhs after ~3 y And when it starts producing, nuc cost/kWh is 2-6x wind/solar And nuc needs battery backup since worldwide, it is down 25% of time and never meets demand the rest of the time.
And most of the land needed for WWS is empty space between wind turbines that can be used for multiple purposes, including putting some of the solar on.
New analysis: 100% WindWaterSolar across all US energy sectors will occupy ~56% less land than current energy: Fossils+nuc 1.16% of US land Corn for ethanol: 1.24% Total: 2.4% web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... 100% WWS only ~1.06% of US land for new installs web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
7 reasons why new large+small nuclear reactors are useless for solving air pollution, climate, or energy security 12-23 years from plan to operation 2-6x the cost of wind 9-37x the CO2e as wind Weapons proliferation Meltdown risk Waste risk Mining lung cancer nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-...
Trump (and his entire administration) is shockingly dumb about (electric) power @billmckibben.bsky.social billmckibben.substack.com/p/trump-is-s...
Where is the energy emergency requiring more fossils? U.S. annual-average end-use supply & demand for all power from all fuels and across all sectors: transport, industry, residential, commercial sectors, have been constant (only 3.3% increase) from 2000-2023 (latest data).
San Mateo County Transit approves $36.3m for new charging infrastructure for 37 existing electric buses & 110 more planned "Investment...is about cleaner air, healthier communities and a more sustainable future" Aims to operate 100% 0-emis fleet by 2040 www.rwcpulse.com/transportati...
And when you switch your gasoline car to an EV, end-use power goes down a lot, even though you now need electricity that wasn't needed before This is because an EV needs 1/4th the power to go same distance as a gasoline car-so end-use power goes down 4 units for each 1 unit of electricity increase
Thank you. Yes, I'm testifying. Great to see your kids involved!
California on pace to become 100% WindWaterSolar 24/7/365 by 2033 57.5% of all demand in 2025 met by WWS, vs 52.4% in 2024. 2 more >100% WWS days for 176 of 229 (76.9%) in 2025 Gas down 25% v '24 & 43% v '23 Demand down 2.4% v '24 & 2.6% v '23 despite more EVs, heat pumps, AI
Here is how U.S. all-sector end-use power demand & supply would have decreased 1960-2023 if we had gone through the 5 stages of electrification to transition the U.S. to WindWaterSolar. End result: 56.7% less demand. Can still do this in the future web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Not with ground source. They have COO=5. The 4 is a weighted average of air and ground source. And air source in mild climates are 4.
Here is how U.S. all-sector end-use power demand & supply would have decreased 1960-2023 if we had gone through the 5 stages of electrification to transition the U.S. to WindWaterSolar. End result: 56.7% less demand. Can still do this in the future web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Don’t make excuses. Total energy demand is going down with EVs and heat pumps and, in fact electrification of industry. Even using wind instead of gas eliminates energy for mining gas. You are cherry picking to justify the unjustifiable.
And even better news: Same thing when you switch to an electric heat pump. For every 1 unit electricity increase due to the heat pump, end-use demand goes down 4 units because heat pumps use 1/4th the energy (and average power) as combustion heaters for the same heat.
And when you switch your gasoline car to an EV, end-use power goes down a lot, even though you now need electricity that wasn't needed before This is because an EV needs 1/4th the power to go same distance as a gasoline car-so end-use power goes down 4 units for each 1 unit of electricity increase
Of course looking at electricity only is misleading because it ignores that a large portion of the electricity increases is people moving from ICE vehicles to BEVs, so total end-use demand goes down in that case far more than electricity goes up since ICE fuel:BEV electricity ratio is 4:1
Electricity is only 17.7% of end-use power, so a 5% increase in electricity demand would increase end-use demand by 0.89%. Demand in Calif in 2025 so far is 2.2% lower than in 2024 despite CA having by far most EVs and the 3rd most datacenters in US, due partly to roof PV offsetting increases
Where is the energy emergency requiring more fossils? U.S. annual-average end-use supply & demand for all power from all fuels and across all sectors: transport, industry, residential, commercial sectors, have been constant (only 3.3% increase) from 2000-2023 (latest data).
It's mid-August and the California ISO grid is using 25% less fossil gas in 2025 than from Jan 1-Aug 13, 2024 & 42% less than from Jan 1-August 13, 2023. WWS has supplied 57.5% of all demand in 2025 v 52.4% in 2024 and 48.3% in 2023 At this pace, CAISO will be 100% WWS 24/7/365 by 2033!
World's largest (4.1 GW) offshore wind farm approved by Scottish government. Next largest: 3.6 GW. Project could generate enough electricity to meet the annual electricity needs of every Scottish home twice over. www.aol.com/one-worlds-l...
How do you charge a battery-electric car with no grid electricity nearby? With on off-grid microgrid run on solar PV+batteries. Microgrid also powers the buildings 24/7 WWS=WindWaterSolar @stanforddoerr.bsky.social @woods.stanford.edu @stanfordenergy.bsky.social @stanforduniversity.bsky.social
Ironic given the Model T is what destroyed the EV industry starting in 1908 "the most radical change on how we design and how we build vehicles at Ford since the Model T" @Ford says it's investing $5 b in EVs, with a new model to start at $30,000 www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-el...
Ironic given the Model T is what destroyed the EV industry starting in 1908 "the most radical change on how we design and how we build vehicles at Ford since the Model T" @Ford says it's investing $5 b in EVs, with a new model to start at $30,000 www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-el...
Imports from 10 WECC states: WA 74.2% of demand Q224-Q125 met with WWS OR 62.4% ID 45.8% MT 93.8% NV 47.8% WY 65.9% UT 21.7% CO 42.8% AZ 25.1% NM 63.2% web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... Avg weighted by state demand+adding Canadian hydro->58.65% of imports met w/WWS -->Imports similar WWS as CAISO
Imports from 10 WECC states: WA 74.2% of demand Q224-Q125 met with WWS OR 62.4% ID 45.8% MT 93.8% NV 47.8% WY 65.9% UT 21.7% CO 42.8% AZ 25.1% NM 63.2% web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j... Avg weighted by state demand+adding Canadian hydro->58.65% of imports met w/WWS -->Imports similar WWS as CAISO
WindWaterSolar persists through summer 172nd of 222 days in '25 with >100% WWS on CAISO grid Gas down 26% v '24 & 43% v '23 Solar up 19% v '24 & 47% v '23 Batteries up 64% v '24 & 213% v '23 57.5% of '25 demand met by WWS Imports from 10 states+Canada ~58% WWS Imports ~same WWS as in-state
In four years, large offshore wind farms will be built offshore of both U.S. coasts. They save lives, create jobs, provide stable energy for generations, minimize transmission needs and visible lines, lower energy costs, and help reduce hurricane damage.
World's largest (4.1 GW) offshore wind farm approved by Scottish government. Next largest: 3.6 GW. Project could generate enough electricity to meet the annual electricity needs of every Scottish home twice over. www.aol.com/one-worlds-l...
Batteries shatter peak discharge record: 11.166 GW at 7:15 PM Wed 8/6 Highest total (724.2 GWh) and peak (40.08 GW) demand day of year Batteries can now meet 28% of this peak demand for 4 h which is why gas is becoming obsolete CA breaking records even when not a 100% WWS day
Big win for rooftop PV! California Supreme Court orders Appeals Court to review whether NEM3.0 unlawfully harms roof PV Petition said rule-making failed to evaluate correctly benefits of roof PV pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/08/07/c... 11 benefits PUC didn't consider web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
See the bar chart in the figure.
Big win for rooftop PV! California Supreme Court orders Appeals Court to review whether NEM3.0 unlawfully harms roof PV Petition said rule-making failed to evaluate correctly benefits of roof PV pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/08/07/c... 11 benefits PUC didn't consider web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/j...
Batteries shatter peak discharge record: 11.166 GW at 7:15 PM Wed 8/6 Highest total (724.2 GWh) and peak (40.08 GW) demand day of year Batteries can now meet 28% of this peak demand for 4 h which is why gas is becoming obsolete CA breaking records even when not a 100% WWS day
This is the emergency
What could possibly cause this collapse? And if fossil gas use is collapsing, doesn't that mean there is no fossil-fuel energy emergency requiring more digging for gas?
Gas is down 26% in just 1 y and 44% in 2 y on California's main grid 171 days (of 217) and counting with >100% WindWaterSolar for part of the day: ~20% of all hours among the 217 days >100% WWS! WWS has supplied 57.7% of demand in '25, v 52.7% in '24 and 48.5% in '23
These two charts are giving fossil fuel investors nightmares! This is the last three years of electricity provided to the California electricity grid from batteries and methane. Read and weep fossil fools! #EnergySky
Using #solar panels, battery packs, and energy-efficient appliances, the #Stanford professor's all-electric house generates more energy than it uses. “I have not paid an electric bill in eight years,” Mark Jacobson says. www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco... #NetZero #EnergyEfficiency #EnergyTransition