Debunking the Myths of a Global Renewable Energy Boom: Why Fossil Fuels Remain the Backbone of Our World, By James Reed

In the echo chambers of environmental activism and mainstream media, we're constantly bombarded with headlines proclaiming a "renewable energy revolution." Solar panels blanketing deserts, wind turbines slicing through skies, and electric vehicles zipping down highways, it's painted as an unstoppable bloom that's finally dethroning fossil fuels. But peel back the layers of hype, and the picture looks starkly different. As of 2025, fossil fuels aren't just hanging on; they're thriving, powering the vast majority of global energy needs with reliability and affordability that renewables simply can't match. From a pro-fossil fuel perspective, this isn't a tragedy, it's a testament to the enduring value of coal, oil, and natural gas, in driving economic growth, ensuring energy security, and lifting billions out of poverty. Let's dissect the myths propping up the renewable boom narrative and reveal the inconvenient truth: the opposite is happening, with fossils fuelling the real energy story!

Myth 1: Renewables Are Exploding and Poised to Dominate Global Energy

The loudest myth is that renewables like solar and wind are experiencing an explosive boom, rapidly eclipsing fossil fuels. Proponents point to record installations, solar capacity surged in 2024, and clean power hit over 40% of global electricity generation, according to Ember's Global Electricity Review 2025. The International Energy Agency (IEA) echoes this, noting that renewables grew faster than overall energy demand last year. But here's the reality check: this "boom" is confined to electricity, which represents only about 20% of total global energy use. When you zoom out to the full energy mix, including transportation, heating, industry, and more, renewables (excluding hydro) accounted for a mere 7.3% of primary energy consumption in 2024, per the Energy Institute's Statistical Review of World Energy. Hydropower added another 2.7%, and nuclear 5.1%, leaving fossil fuels commanding over 80% of the pie.

Far from declining, fossil fuel demand rose by just over 1% in 2024, even as renewables expanded. The IEA"s Global Energy Review 2025 confirms that total energy appetite grew faster than average, boosting demand for all sources, including coal, oil, and gas. In developing giants like China and India, coal-fired power plants are still being built at a brisk pace to meet surging industrial needs. Wind and solar grew nearly nine times faster than total energy demand, yet they only met about 8% of global energy needs overall. This isn't a bloom; it's a niche expansion propped up by massive subsidies, trillions in government handouts worldwide, while fossils deliver the heavy lifting without the fanfare. From a fossil fuel advocate's view, this underscores the irreplaceable role of oil and gas in providing baseload power that's always on, unlike intermittent renewables that falter when the sun sets or winds calm.

Myth 2: Renewables Are Reliable and Sufficient to Power the World Alone

Another pervasive fable is that renewables are now reliable enough to stand on their own, rendering fossil fuels obsolete. Debunkers of anti-renewable myths often claim that advancements in battery storage and grid tech have solved intermittency issues, allowing solar and wind to meet year-round needs. But the data tells a different story: renewables' unreliability continues to force reliance on fossil backups. In 2024, as global electricity demand hit record highs (up 2% year-over-year), fossil fuels filled the gaps, with their share in the electricity mix dipping only slightly from 60.6% to 59.1%, according to Ember. That's hardly a rout, fossils still generated the majority, ensuring lights stayed on during peak demands or weather disruptions.

Take Germany, often hailed as a renewable pioneer: despite pouring billions into wind and solar, the country ramped up coal use in 2024 to avoid blackouts amid nuclear phase-outs and Russian gas cutoffs. Globally, the Resources for the Future (RFF) Global Energy Outlook 2025 projects that even in optimistic scenarios, renewables will comprise just over 50% of electricity by 2050, but fossil fuels will persist in transportation and heavy industry, where electrification lags. Pro-fossil advocates highlight how natural gas plants provide the flexible "peaking" power that renewables can't, quick to ramp up when solar dips. Without fossils, grids risk instability, as seen in California's rolling blackouts during heatwaves. Moreover, the myth ignores the massive land and resource footprint: wind farms and solar arrays require vast spaces, disrupting ecosystems and farmland, while fossil extraction is more concentrated and efficient. Fossils aren't just reliable; they're essential for energy security, especially in a world of geopolitical tensions where oil and gas reserves offer independence from volatile imports.

Myth 3: The Renewable Transition is Affordable and Inevitable, Boosting Economies Everywhere

The narrative pushes that renewables are cheaper than ever, with falling costs making the transition inevitable and economically beneficial. Solar and wind prices have indeed dropped, but this ignores the hidden bills: intermittency demands expensive storage and grid upgrades, often subsidised by taxpayers. The IEA reports a record $2 trillion in clean energy investments in 2024, yet fossil fuel investments held steady at around $1.7 trillion, reflecting market realities. In the U.S., the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2025 shows wind capacity rising to 153.8 GW by year's end, but natural gas remains the growth leader for electricity, thanks to its low operational costs and abundance from fracking.

From a pro-fossil stance, the "boom" is artificially inflated by policies that distort markets, like tax credits and mandates that inflate energy bills for consumers. In developing nations, where 80% of energy growth occurs, fossils are the affordable choice: coal powers Asia's manufacturing boom, creating millions of jobs and slashing poverty. Renewables, by contrast, often falter in these contexts due to high upfront costs and unreliable grids. The RMI's Energy Transition in 2025 analysis admits fossil emissions rose 0.8% to 37.4 GtCO2 in 2024, with no peak in sight for many regions. This isn't inevitability; it's a policy-driven illusion that burdens economies. Fossils, meanwhile, generate trillions in revenue, fund infrastructure, and support blue-collar jobs, from mining to refining, that renewables can't replicate at scale.

Myth 4: Fossil Fuels Are Dying Out Amid a Clean Energy Surge

Finally, the doomsday prediction for fossils, that they're on the brink of extinction as renewables surge. Yet, Forbes' August 1, 2025, article "The Renewable Illusion: Why Fossil Fuels Keep Winning" nails it: despite record renewables, fossil use climbed in 2024, driven by economic rebounds and population growth. Oil demand hit new highs, natural gas exports boomed (especially U.S. LNG to Europe), and coal consumption in non-OECD countries offset declines elsewhere. The Energy Institute notes that while renewables met a third of electricity, fossils powered the rest of the economy, from aviation to petrochemicals.

This myth overlooks fossils' adaptability: carbon capture tech and cleaner extraction make them viable long-term. In the U.S., solar outpaced gas in meeting new demand in 2024, per Ember's U.S. Electricity 2025 report, but wind and solar together only surpassed coal for the first time, hardly a death knell when gas dominates. Pro-fossil proponents argue this resilience is a strength: fossils provide energy density unmatched by dilute sources like wind, ensuring stability in a world adding billions to the grid. The "bloom" is selective hype; the opposite is true, with fossils enabling the very infrastructure that renewables piggyback on.

In conclusion, the myths of a global renewable energy bloom crumble under scrutiny. Renewables are growing, sure, but they're a supplement, not a replacement, for the fossil fuels that reliably power our modern world. From affordability and job creation to energy independence, coal, oil, and gas remain indispensable, especially as developing nations choose growth over green mandates. It's time to ditch the alarmism and embrace a balanced energy future where fossils lead, ensuring prosperity without the blackouts or bankruptcies of a rushed transition. After all, the real boom is in pragmatic energy policy, not fairy tales of wind and sun saving the day.

https://dailysceptic.org/2025/08/16/the-myth-of-the-global-renewable-boom/