UN Declares “Energy Transition is Unstoppable”
What’s new:
Two companion reports issued by UN agencies and the International Renewable Energy Agency conclude that global clean‑energy deployment has crossed “a positive tipping point” in cost and scale.
Why it matters:
Renewables are now more affordable than fossil fuels.
In 2024, renewables provided 74 percent of the increase in electricity generation and accounted for 92.5 percent of new generating capacity.
Clean energy investment rose to a record $2 trillion worldwide, $800 Billion more than investment in fossil fuels.
Presenting their findings at UN Headquarters, Secretary‑General António Guterres declared:
“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era—an era where cheap, clean, abundant energy powers a world rich in economic opportunity. The greatest threat to energy security today is fossil fuels. There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargoes on wind. Renewables mean real energy security, real energy sovereignty and real freedom from fossil-fuel volatility. This is our moment of opportunity.”
The studies show that onshore wind, utility solar and new hydropower were the three lowest‑cost power sources worldwide last year; solar electricity now undercuts the cheapest fossil option by 41 percent and wind by 53 percent.
Electric‑vehicle sales have climbed from 500,000 units in 2015 to more than 17 million in 2024, underscoring what Guterres called “a shift in possibility.”
Guterres welcomed the trend but warned that momentum remains uneven and too slow to keep global warming below 1.5 °C. “The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough.”
He criticized the “$620 billion in fossil‑fuel consumption subsidies “nearly nine times more than renewables receive” and urged governments to redirect that support, modernize grids, and file ambitious new climate plans before COP 30.
“Countries that cling to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies; they are sabotaging them,” Guterres insisted.
Another PA Township Goes Solar
What’s newWhitehall Borough, just south of Pittsburgh, has flipped the switch on a 22.2‑kW rooftop‑and‑canopy solar array that will cover more than 90 percent of its council building’s electricity and save local taxpayers nearly $100,000 over 25 years.
Why it matters
Elysium Solar Energy installed the project, which they landed the Whitehall project through the Pennsylvania Solar Center’s G.E.T. Solar program.
The project follows the template first set by West Rockhill Township in 2021, when they contracted Exact Solar to design and build a system to offset the energy usage of their municipal buildings with solar.
“Our goal was to offset $16,000 in taxpayer dollars per year (totally offset our power bill and sell some back to the utility to shorten our payback period). The first year we offset $16,551, and the second year we offset 19,327. To date, we’ve saved taxpayers $36,078.”
– Jim Miller, former West Rockhill board member
Each new borough‑scale system strengthens the case that small towns can hedge against volatile power prices while cutting emissions. “We’ve been hit hard by rising energy costs, so it’s a relief to take power into our own hands,” Borough Manager Courtney Wertz said, noting the project will let Whitehall redirect savings into community services.
Since installing solar in 2021, West Rockhill has reported faster‑than‑expected payback four years after installation, and Whitehall is the latest in a string of townships joining the solar trend.
See West Rockhill’s installation here:
New Jersey and Pennsylvania Townships interested in going solar should contact Exact Solar through our website.
DOE Drops $4.9 Billion Backing for Grain Belt Transmission Line
What’s new
The Department of Energy has cancelled its conditional $4.9 billion loan guarantee for Phase 1 of Invenergy’s 800‑mile Grain Belt Express, a high‑voltage DC transmission line designed to move up to 5 GW of Midwestern wind and solar power towards the East Coast.
Why it matters
DOE said the project is “not critical for the federal government to support.” adding that the company is unlikely to meet the financial conditions tied to the guarantee; the commitment had been issued last November but drew sustained opposition from Missouri landowners and GOP critics.
With the guarantee gone, Invenergy must rely on private financing to break ground next year.
The developer argues the line will cut consumer bills by $52 billion over 15 years and create 4,000 jobs. Clean‑energy advocates called the withdrawal “a backward move” just as demand surges from AI data centers and electrification.
Sources:
UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for even lower costs
Pennsylvania borough goes solar through nonprofit program
West Rockhill Township: A Shining Example - Exact Solar
DOE terminates loan guarantee for Midwest U.S. wind and solar transmission line
Trump administration canceled a $4.9B loan guarantee for a line to deliver green power
