CanaryMedia: "Chart: Solar and wind are meeting—and exceeding—new power demand." In the third quarter of this yr the world added more wind + solar production [not just capacity] of electricity than the increase in demand. According to data from energy research firm Ember, power demand rose by 603 terawatt-hours [TWh] compared to that same time period last year, while solar increased by 498 TWh + wind generation grew by 137 TWh. As a consequence scary to the fossil fuel folks, their contribution [mainly methane gas] dropped by 17 TWh.

"It’s unclear whether this flatlining marks the beginning of the end for fossil-fueled electricity or whether it’s just a pause before another surge in dirty power." Common consensus is that the world’s appetite for electricity will expand rapidly in the coming years, as the International Energy Agency expects power demand to rise by a staggering 40% over the next decade. "The planet is warming and driving increased use of air conditioning. AI developers are building massive power-hungry data centers. Cars, homes, and factories [including steel + aluminum smelting] are being electrified."

To actually decarbonize, 'carbon-free energy needs to not only keep pace with electricity demand but far outrun it.' Sadly, it’s almost not worth extrapolating to long-term forecasts about the growth of clean energy, given how inaccurate they’ve been in the past, + the IEA in particular has proven inept in this regard. Just sayin'.