Energy 📍

With the world’s most important fossil fuel supply route at a near-standstill, many advocates for wind and solar say the transition to renewable energy is about to shift to a much higher speed. The United Nations climate chief, Simon Stiell, recently described an “immense irony” in which leaders who have “fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom.” He didn’t name President Trump, but the United States is aggressively promoting petroleum and natural gas, and its attack on Iran has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the route for about one-fifth of global oil trade. It will take time to see how fully Mr. Stiell’s prediction plays out. But a report on Wednesday underlines one reason for the sentiment: At a time when oil and gas supply is faltering, the cost of wind and solar energy keeps declining. And, when paired with battery systems for storage, renewables can often provide steady electricity more cheaply than fossil fuels, even when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow.