Some Good News: 10 Countries Generate Almost 100% Renewable Electricity
Some days, the effort to go from burning mostly fossil fuels to using renewable energy can really seem like a slog. Things are improving, but all too often, it looks like a glacial pace (back before glaciers were melting faster, of course). Snails would get bored and fall asleep watching it. It’s just that bad.
But it’s good to notice the small victories and celebrate them, and find ways to learn from them. Today’s small victory is that there are already 10 countries in the world whose electric power generation comes from 97 to 100% renewable energy sources.
Ten countries whose electric power generation is with 97.5-100% #WindWaterSolar in the yearly average & four other countries closing inhttps://t.co/KP3uiilEsI #WWS
Updated with @IEA data from 100% Clean, Renewable Energy & Storage for Everythinghttps://t.co/gRxsVFkrnx #COP26
— Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) October 25, 2021
Let’s get a quick look at the list:
Before we analyze this, let’s keep some caveats in mind. First off, this is only energy generated in each country, and not energy consumed. If power is going out to other countries or coming in from other countries, it doesn’t hurt or help this number. The year in parentheses is the year this data came from, and it’s the most recent year data was available for that country.
If you look at the top 10 list here, it’s not full of wealthy countries. Several African countries are on the list, along with countries in South America and the Caribbean. My goal in mentioning this isn’t to pick on these countries, as they’re generally not as poor as they’re often made out to be, but they’re doing a lot better at this than places like the United States, China, Russia or the UK.
If you’ve given this chart a close look, you’ve probably already noticed that most of the power comes from hydroelectric power. This isn’t surprising, because hydroelectric power has been around for a LONG time. When solar power was just a funky test project at world’s fairs and auto shows in the 1950s, many places in the world were already heavy users of hydroelectric power. It’s relatively cheap, it’s reliable, and it’s able to generate power any time of day or night and in almost any season.
When we look at the next 4 countries that are beginning to approach 100%, we can learn a bit more. Scotland, for example, is very heavy on wind, and has managed to get to 90% renewables. Kenya gets 44% of its power from geothermal. This shows us that as more countries get to the point where they’d earn an “A” on a test, we’re going to see much greater diversity in how they got there. Some countries will start to show up with large amounts of solar, tidal, or wave power.
As someone who lives in the United States, I think it’s entirely fair to paint this report as damning for us. We’ve had everything going for us, and we’re not even on the chart. We’d only earn about 20%, and get a very solid F if this was a school grade.
I think it’s totally fair to say that this reflects poorly on other “developed” countries that can’t seem to place on the list while “poor” countries aren’t emitting a bunch of greenhouse gases. Worse, the countries contributing the least, despite tens of millions in population, are the ones likely to suffer the worst under climate change.
It’s good to celebrate this small victory, but we also need this to be a kick in the pants to get our crap together!
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Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.
Based on the latest NHTSA report, Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ keep crashing in Austin, Texas, despite ‘safety monitors’ preventing an unknown number of crashes.
Under an NHTSA Standing General Order SGO, automakers are required to report crashes involving their autonomous driving (ADS) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) within five days of being notified of them.
For years, Tesla was only reporting ADAS crashes, since, despite the names of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, they are only considered level 2 driver assistance systems.
Since the launch of the Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, where Tesla moved the supervisor from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, it has now reported its first few crashes under the ADS reporting.
In the first month of operation in July, Tesla reported three crashes with its ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin.
This week, NHTSA has updated its crash report and revealed a 4th crash that happened in September:
| Report ID | Incident Date | Incident Time (24:00) | Make | Model | Model Year | Automation System Engaged? | Highest Injury Severity Alleged | Crash With | Roadway Type | Weather |
| 13781-11687 | SEP-2025 | 01:25 | TESLA | Model Y | 2026 | ADS | Property Damage. No Injured Reported | Other Fixed Object | Parking Lot | Partly Cloudy |
As we previously highlighted, when it comes to both ADS and ADAS crash reporting, Tesla abuses the redacting capacity and hides most information about its crashes, unlike most of its competitors.
Therefore, we don’t have much information about this new crash, but it reportedly occurred in a parking lot and involved a Tesla Robotaxi crashing into a “fixed object,” resulting in property damage.
What’s most interesting about this crash is that it comes as Tesla released the first bit of data about its Robotaxi program in Austin.
During its earnings call last week, Tesla confirmed that the Robotaxi fleet has traveled 250,000 miles since its launch in late June.
Therefore, Tesla Robotaxi currently crashes at a rate of about once every 62,500 miles. That’s with a safety monitor with a finger on a kill switch, ready to stop the vehicle at all times.
We have no data on how often Tesla’s safety monitors prevent crashes in its robotaxis.
For comparison, the NHTSA report lists 1,267 crashes involving Waymo vehicles. However, Waymo’s robotaxis have covered over 125 million fully driverless miles since inception. That’s a crash every 98,600 miles and without any onboard safety monitor.
Electrek’s Take
That’s the problem with comparing Tesla and Waymo.
At least we can now clearly see that Waymo’s incident rate is much lower than Tesla’s, but that’s with a safety monitor in Tesla robotaxis that prevents an untold number of crashes.
The actual difference could be 10x higher. We simply don’t know. Tesla has always refused to share any data regarding disengagement or intervention rates.
One thing is clear: Tesla is way behind Waymo in autonomous driving safety.
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The electric hot hatch is more than just a show car, Subaru says it offers capabilities only possible with a battery EV.
Subaru unveils new electric STI hot hatch
It’s been quiet on the STI front since Subaru dropped the gas-powered WRX STI in 2022. However, that may change very soon.
The WRX STI was axed due to stricter emissions regulations in Europe, leading many to believe it would be replaced with an electric version. Subaru even said it was looking into opportunities for a next-gen STI version, including an electrified model, but said it would not be built on the new WRX platform.
Now, we are getting our first look at the future of STI. Subaru unveiled two new STI vehicles at the Japan Mobility Show on Wednesday, one a battery-electric (BEV) model and the other a gas-powered model.
Subaru said the EV variant, dubbed the Performance-E STI concept, “represents the future of the Performance Scene, spearheading Subaru’s new generation.”
The electric hot hatch still features a design that “evokes the brand’s heritage,” but with a bit more flair. Unlike the gas version, the Performance-B STI, the EV debuts a new three-line LED headlight design and sportier silhouette.
According to Subaru, the electric STI is “not just a show car,” it can also be used as a daily driver. The aim was to create a performance car that “would inspire everyday life,” Subaru said, adding that “this packaging is only possible with a battery EV.”
The electric hot hatch is equipped with a cylindrical battery, which offers a lower center of gravity and opens up interior space.
Subaru said the setup results in a 15% lower center of gravity than on its previous vehicles. By optimizing downforce and air resistance, the company claims it will outperform the current Subaru Global Platform.
The electric hot hatch also features a new “next-generation suspension” that lowers the hood height by more than 5% while improving control and responsiveness.
Subaru didn’t reveal any other specifics, but said that it will incorporate “innovative technologies” to offer an intuitive, exhilarating driving experience.
Will we see the electric hot hatch actually come to life? Subaru didn’t confirm it was headed for production, but said it represents the future and spearheads a new generation. When and if we will see an electric Subaru STI remains up in the air for now.
Subaru isn’t the only one jumping into the electric hot hatch craze. Honda revealed the Super-ONE at the Japan Mobility Show today, a compact EV that’s packed with fun features.
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