As last week’s Agenda published, the US presidential election was on a knife-edge. Now we are (unless you’re of Donald Trump’s way of thinking) on firm ground over the outcome, and the global renewables industry has been weighing the implications of a President in Joe Biden who believes in the climate emergency and doesn’t view wind turbines as cancer-causing bird-killers.
Recharge reported the early euphoric reaction of the US renewable energy sector – “a beautiful day” as one put it – and the mounting global excitement as Biden’s team said the new President would be pushing world leaders to raise their game on climate action.
An opinion article by Recharge editor-in-chief Darius Snieckus pointed out that Biden’s election is "an inflection point" for the entire planet with implications for the renewables revolution that cannot be overestimated.
The opportunities on offer for the US itself were underlined by an in-depth look by Recharge at the offshore wind potential of the Gulf of Mexico, currently not the focus of the sector but with an estimated 500GW of commercial possibilities in the heartland of America’s fading oil & gas industries.
That was backed up when the governor of Louisiana Jon Bel Edwards called for more federal help in building a blueprint for offshore wind in the Gulf, describing it as a major opportunity not “pie in the sky”.
The current incumbent of the White House wouldn’t agree – but, thankfully, that will all change soon.
The contrast is striking between Australia’s government – half-hearted at best in its support of renewables and at worst dinosaur-esque in its enthusiasm for fossil fuels – and its growing status as a global clean-energy pacesetter.
The nation is home to some of the planet’s most ambitious renewable energy projects, such as the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, and now, out of the blue, one of its biggest would-be players in the unlikely shape of iron ore giant Fortescue Minerals.
The company’s billionaire chairman Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest sparked huge interest this week when he claimed Fortescue is poised to turn itself into one of the world’s biggest green energy generators with a jaw-dropping 235GW target.
Forrest is well-known in Australia for his love of the big statement, and his words will rightly be treated with caution ahead of action.
But in the week that the International Energy Agency said renewables are smashing all records, even in the face of the Covid pandemic, it’s tempting to conclude that Forrest is doing nothing more than putting his company at the centre of the global success story of the 21st century – and that’s just good business.
Much as 2020 has been a time of eruptive change, there are still some constants in life.
One of these is Recharge’s coverage of the biggest wind sector conference and exhibition in the world, WindEnergy Hamburg, running this year 1-4 December.
We again have the privilege of being Exclusive Official Media Partner of WindEnergy Hamburg and WindTV, the live platform being set by WindEurope for the conference side of the event, and have reshaped our delivery to give delegates the news and intelligence they need to make the most of WindEnergy Hamburg 2020.
This will include:
· a dedicated front-page carousel on our website carrying real-time reporting and analysis from the virtual conference floor and around the exhibitors stands
· a daily e-newsletter and five-minute video digest from Recharge Editor-in-chief Darius Snieckus curating the news you need to know – and why it matters to the wind market
· and a special WindEnergy Hamburg edition of this Agenda e-newsletter as the event draws to a close to capture the highlights of the week.
Plus, Recharge will be streaming on socials through WindEnergy Hamburg with who-said-what-when, as well as posting all the high-caliber editorial you’ve come to expect from the global wind industry’s leading title.
‘See’ you in Hamburg!
