Does the Biden Administration understand why China dominates intermittent wind and solar energy production? – Is it good?
Essay by Eric Worrall
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Australia’s Minister of Climate and Energy Chris Bowen announced a joint agreement to break China’s dominance in wind and solar power generation.
Breaking China’s clean energy dominance is ‘a must,’ US and Australia claim after new climate tech deal
New agreement on fast-track climate solutions signed as countries emphasize need to diversify supply chains
Adam Morton Climate and environment editor
@adamlmorton Tuesday, July 12, 2022 18.58 AEST…
During a joint press conference in Sydney, the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, and the Australian Minister of Energy and Climate Change, Chris Bowenannounced a “zero accelerator partnership,” which includes an initial focus on long-term energy storage and grid digitization.
They said the deal was driven in part by the need for a clean energy and vital mineral supply chain that is not heavily reliant on China, which is responsible for about 80% of energy technology production. Sun. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), which is expected to reach 95% by 2025.
Granholm compared the danger of China’s dependence on clean technology with the West’s overreliance on Russia’s fossil fuels – a mistake that triggered a global energy crisis after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I worry that China has a lot of technology and supply chains that could make us vulnerable if we don’t develop our own supply chains,” she said. “From an energy security standpoint, it is imperative that countries with similar values develop their own supply chains, not only for the sake of climate but also for our energy security.
“We’ve seen what happens when we rely too much on one entity for our fuel, and we don’t want that to happen – so diversify those energy sources and engage Partnering with partners is part of our energy security. “
Bowen agrees. “It is good for our economy and good for our national security to have supply chains between us and between friends and allies,” he said.
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It’s no mystery why China dominates intermittent wind and solar power generation.
Producing solar and wind energy consumes a lot of energy. Chinese energy is cheaper than Western energybecause China burns coal for energy.
The US and Australia can make all the deals they want to “break China’s domination”, but as long as no one solves the fundamental problem, as long as China can compete with the Chinese powerhouses. energy-intensive manufacturers in the US and Australia because China’s energy costs are lower, those agreements won’t be worth the paper they’re written on.
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