How do solar and wind change the electric grid?
Power grids don’t just move electricity around – they are complex works of engineering
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Insights
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Cutting emissions today limits future climate impacts, but certain changes are ‘locked in’ due to past CO2 emissions
Sea levels will rise this century and remain elevated for thousands of years due to our past emissions. Ice sheets, glaciers, and ocean temperatures will also face irreversible changes.
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Heatwave in England to bring temperatures above 32°C (89.6°F) – study finds climate change made this 100 times more likely
Study finds climate change made June 2025 heatwave in England 10 times more likely and temperatures above 32°C (89.6°F) 100 times more likely.
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A large solar plant in California is closing – what does it mean for solar power?
The Ivanpah solar plant uses solar concentration power, very different from the technology used in most solar farms today.
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Glacier collapse recently buried a Swiss village – here’s what scientists say triggered the event
The Birch Glacier collapse was mainly triggered by sudden rock avalanches which accumulated on top of the glacier, adding excess weight. Climate change likely contributed by destabilizing the slope of the Kleines Nesthorn mountain peak.
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Human-driven climate change largely responsible for last 50 years of worsening fire weather in Western North America, new study shows
Fire weather has been worsened by human-driven climate change in Western North America for 50 years, new study finds. Recent paper suggests that human-driven climate change contributed 81-188% to the observed increase in fire weather in that region.
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What caused Iberia’s blackout? Renewable energy’s opponents were quick to blame solar and wind, but multiple factors appear to be at play
We still do not have official information on what caused the blackout, but we can say that blaming solar or wind is likely overly simplistic and misleading.
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Agriculture emits greenhouse gases, but less than using fossil fuels, despite recent paper’s claim
A paper used unusual accounting methods by looking only at gross emissions and omitting CO2 sinks through reforestation; climate scientists explain that this method is misleading. It is like evaluating the status of your bank account based only on your income without looking at your expenses.
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Do renewables increase the price of electricity? Not necessarily
Adding more solar and wind can increase the price that homes pay for electricity. But energy type is only one piece of the puzzle, and simply because a grid has more solar or wind does not mean it is more expensive.
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Is vehicle pollution still a problem? Yes, here’s why it still harms health and climate
Individual vehicle emissions have improved through tighter regulations and better technologies, but vehicle pollution is an ongoing issue that harms human health and worsens climate change.
