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James Norman

@jamesnorman.bsky.social
361 followers 92 following 90 posts

Research Analyst at Global Energy Monitor | PhD in energy meteorology | Energy transition and climate impacts

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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Great to have co-authored this latest Global Energy Monitor @globalenergymon.bsky.social briefing with Aiqun Yu (@aiqun.bsky.social ) and Ye Huang. Read more here! globalenergymonitor.org/research/chi...
globalenergymonitor.org
China's wind and solar megabases face a coal test
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Local wind and solar use—through electrification, storage, and green hydrogen production—could bypass transmission constraints and help decarbonize industry. But China’s growing coal-based fuels + chemicals sector risks absorbing green hydrogen as a marginal feedstock with little emissions benefit.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
But the challenge is increasingly integration, not construction. Curtailment is rising, particularly in the megabase regions, as grid bottlenecks and limited system flexibility prevent available renewable generation from being fully used.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Over half of the development pipeline is concentrated in six northwestern and northern regions, home to China’s wind and solar megabases, the largest renewable-energy deployment project in the world.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NEW: China is building more wind and utility-scale solar than the rest of the world combined. More than 500 GW of its 1,360 GW capacity in development is already under construction. globalenergymonitor.org/research/chi...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
It’s interesting! And probably good enough national-level indicative. Low capacity factors for solar are well known. But the instantaneous view is less obvious, especially with the backdown/curtailment
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Good find! so generous to provide it as a vector graphic! ;)
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Amazing! What a big chunk. Is this the TRAS down data from ancillary.grid-india.in ?
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Nice! Three Gorges Tianjin Nangang Offshore Wind Power Demonstration Project. 24x8.5MW turbines. Right of Tianjin port, one of China's busiest www.gem.wiki/Tianjin_Nanh...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Yes, the full picture would be ideal... though captive capacity and generation quite static (charts 32+34) And recent solar deployment meeting much of incremental demand whether grid connected but not metered or fully off-grid cea.nic.in/wp-content/u...
cea.nic.in
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Nothing yet. It’s the first table here that shows the ‘monitored capacity’. Looks like Ember are uprating India solar generation to account for this gen gap, though don’t think that their methodology doc has been updated to reflect this yet cea.nic.in/wp-content/u...
cea.nic.in
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Nice! Are these reports quarterly? Noting that the solar generation is likely under reported, as a chunk of rooftop solar is missing. The monthly CEA RE reports mention 'Monitored Capacity (MW) for which generation data is available', which undercount India’s total solar capacity by 20-25%.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Nice tool! Lots of depth on the country and plant profiles!
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World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) @nuclearreport.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
🟢 MAJOR UPGRADE! We're proud to present the hugely upgraded WNISR datavisualization tool. 📊 Discover detailed status and trends, from individual reactor history to recent national developments, by cross-filtering the data of 75 years of Nuclear Power. Try it out! ⬇️ ⬇️ dv.worldnuclearreport.org
dv.worldnuclearreport.org
75 Years of Nuclear Power
Explore global nuclear power reactors, their status, capacity, and operational details as of 1 January 2026.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
thanks for keping it going nonetheless!
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Hi – noting a possible hiccup on the gen data from ‘grid-india.in’. My usual free browser-based vpn isn’t working since last week. Though I found the Proton browser-based vpn does the trick. Paid for service unfortunately…
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Nice! The India and China dashboards are mega useful
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
It's y-axis upgrade time again ;)
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Robin Hawkes @robhawkes.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Here's a sneaky peak the next release of the GB Renewables Map, or should I say the GB Not Just a Renewables Map… That's right, all types of power assets are coming to the map! Plus a whole bunch of other improvements.
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Robbie Andrew @robbieandrew.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
India's solar is making a solid contribution to daily generation, even in the middle of winter. (In fact the insolation minimum is during the monsoon season.)
Graph showing: India's grid power mix: 25 December 2025
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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 03/02/2026
Africa recorded its fastest solar growth on record in 2025, driven by a surge in utility-scale projects
bloom.bg
Africa Solar Capacity Seen Rising Sixfold After 2025 Record
Africa recorded its fastest solar growth on record in 2025, driven by a surge in utility-scale projects, and could add more than six times last year’s annual capacity by 2029, according to a new industry report.
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Yan Qin @yanqin.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
🔆China electricity consumption to grow 5%-6% in 2026 said China Electricity Council in its latest 2025-2026 analysis and outlook report For 2026, it also expects power peak load to rise to 1570-1630 GW, and Solar capacity to take over Coal
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Diren Kocakuşak, Ph.D. @direnkocakusak.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Our upcoming data release on February 10, 2026, will include +35k wind and +103k solar assets worldwide — all part of our open-access energy infrastructure datasets. The updated wind & solar data and briefing drops Feb 10 via @globalenergymon.bsky.social #renewables #wind #solar 🧪💡☀️💨
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Diren Kocakuşak, Ph.D. @direnkocakusak.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Today's @carbonbrief.org explainer on gas in China featured @aiqun.bsky.social: "With the rapid expansion of renewables and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, I don’t foresee a bright future for gas power.” 🔌 www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-wh...
carbonbrief.org
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China’s climate strategy - Carbon Brief
While gas could play a role in decarbonising some aspects of China’s energy demand, multiple factors would need to change
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Does India really need new coal plants—or can clean power additions and higher utilisation of existing fossil capacity do the job?
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Always an interesting compilation. The battery storage headlines particularly eye catching!
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
86% of new coal-fired power capacity planned to begin operating in 2026 will be in China giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
China pushes coal-fired power projects alongside renewables
Vast majority of 104 electricity-generating units set to start operation worldwide this year are in China
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
India’s 2025 renewable power build was impressive⚡ ☀️ 38 GW solar 🌬️ 6.5 GW wind 🌊 4 GW large hydro Solar +55%, wind +85% above the previous record year (2024). Coal also set for a bumper year: already +7 GW added by November, with December data still to come cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3716e1b8c6c...
cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
from giga to terawatts on the y-axis in this latest forecast, a sure sign of progress! about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Structural change or abnormally weak year for demand? Cooler pre-monsoon period, excess rainfall, and longer monsoon certainly dampened demand and boosted hydro. Likely a return to more normal temperature and rainfall conditions in 2026 and higher power demand growth. Can solar+wind still keep up?
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
India’s total electricity generation up just ~1% in 2025 and record solar+wind deployment (+35GW/6GW as of November). Extra solar+wind, plus strong monsoon hydro, more than covered the total generation increase, and pushed coal generation down 3%. Hasn't fallen like that before (outside Covid era)
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Meanwhile solar+wind become the majority source of the state's power in 2025 y-t-d, while solar curtailment runs at record levels, "up to 48% at peak hours" www.mercomindia.com/rajasthan-cu...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Interesting! Solar+wind become the majority source of power in the state in 2025 y-t-d
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Jenny Chase @solarchase.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
1. To opinions! Solar is the cheapest source of bulk electricity in many countries, and the quickest to deploy, and now you couldn't stop it being built if you wanted to. The limits to PV build in most places are grid access, permitting, and sometimes installation labour.
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Lauri Myllyvirta @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
A crystal ball for solar in China? The production minus exports of solar cells tends to predict new installations with a lag. While installations predictably slumped since May with new pricing policy, production has been strong for two months, suggesting pick up in installations.
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Diren Kocakuşak, Ph.D. @direnkocakusak.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
A new Nature article using GEM data (@globalenergymon.bsky.social) found that the top 250 oil and gas firms own just 2% of the world's renewable power. #renewables 💡🧪 Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Even more ways to slice through Global Energy Monitor's extensive power sector data! @globalenergymon.bsky.social globalenergymonitor.org/projects/glo...
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World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) @nuclearreport.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
⚡️ The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2025 is now available online ! 🔗 www.worldnuclearreport.org/World-Nuclea... 📊 Follow the live presentation from Rome: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J54...
youtube.com
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2025
YouTube video by Kyoto Club
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
liked this figure: 23 nuclear power plants under construction abroad, 20 by Russia’s Rosatom, 2 by France’s EDF, and 1 by and China’s CNNC
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Quite blunt from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2025: "Solar Adds Hundreds of Gigawatts, Nuclear Remains Irrelevant in the Market" www.worldnuclearreport.org/IMG/pdf/wnis...
worldnuclearreport.org
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
A detailed rundown of the BRICS group and climate action. Particularly relevant in the run up to COP
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Lauri Myllyvirta @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
New from us: India's power sector emissions fell for only the 2nd time in half a century, due to both economic and weather factors and record clean energy growth. The current drop is unlikely to be sustained but clean energy projects in the pipeline can peak power sector emissions well before 2030.
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David Fickling @davidfickling.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Coal generation would be even lower if hydroelectricity wasn’t going through another of its drought years (though rainfall in August was a little better than the terrible numbers in July): www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Clear Skies Won’t Help China’s $167 Billion Dam
Beijing has managed to keep its emissions under control. Years of drought are threatening to undo that progress.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Long way to pushing fossils down through the rest of the day/month/year. But renewables are helping squash coal-fired generation, which is down ~2.4% year-to-date while total demand grew ~1.6%. Good coverage of that renewables push by @gavinjmaguire.bsky.social here www.reuters.com/markets/comm...
reuters.com
India's solar boom keeps coal use in check so far in 2025
Surging electricity output from solar farms has led to a rare decline in fossil fuel power production in India so far in 2025, and is setting the stage for a potential drop in annual coal-fired power output in the world's second-largest coal consumer.
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Increasingly, during the tail end of summer, electricity on India’s power grid is getting sourced mainly by solar, wind, and hydro for an hour or two around midday. I don’t think that’s happened before in India
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Open Energy Transition @oetenergy.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
⚡ Help map the world’s electricity grid! #MapYourGrid trains new & experienced mappers in OpenStreetMap. Next trainings: Sept 3 & 10. Join & support the #EnergyTransition 👉 mapyourgrid.org/map-it/ (meeting links) & discord.gg/a5znpdFWfD (Discord community)
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Coal continues to lose ground in China’s power mix, dropping its monthly share to historic low of 51% in June 2025. But still new coal plants are permitted and built, 21 gigawatts in first half of 2025. More here 🔽
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Looking at the energy sector section, energy system emissions increase 35-54% under the two scenarios considered, by 2035, with up to 20% of energy system emissions being mopped up by BECCS/CCS… COP President climate leadership…?
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Brazil’s NDC targets 59-67% reduction on 2005 emissions, by 2035 (850-1,050 MtCO₂e). The Ministry of the Environment is wrapping up consultation on the National Mitigation Strategy, which includes a Sectoral Plan consistent with this NDC target brasilparticipativo.presidencia.gov.br/processes/pl...
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James Norman @jamesnorman.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Slides and recording available here for this useful update on 'Current State of NDCs 3.0' www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/iki-media...
international-climate-initiative.com
Current State of NDCs 3.0
Current state of NDCs 3.0, the analysis of the Climate Action Tracker (CAT), and its use in project implementation
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