The limits of not-so-clean energy

Reclaim Finance critiques the IEA's "clean energy" scope, asserting that several included technologies—such as CCUS, nuclear power, and solid biomass—are unsustainable due to high costs, environmental damage, or continued reliance on fossil fuels. The organization advocates for a narrower definition of sustainable power focused on solar, wind, ocean, and geothermal energy, as well as modernized grid infrastructure, and calls for banks to disclose detailed inventories of their energy transition financing.

• Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is characterized as a risky technology that may delay the transition from fossil fuels due to underestimated costs, high energy consumption (using 20% to 30% of a power plant's energy), and poor capture performance. The document notes that only two projects are currently running worldwide, both of which have failed to meet promised capture rates and faced financial difficulties.
• Hydrogen production is currently dominated by fossil fuels, which account for 81% of global production. The document argues that only "green hydrogen"—produced via water electrolysis powered by sustainable sources—is sustainable, and its use should be restricted to non-electrifiable sectors like shipping and steel rather than residential heating or power storage.
• Nuclear power is deemed unsustainable for the energy transition because the massive investments and long lead times required for new capacity prevent the rapid decarbonization needed by 2040, and limited uranium reserves make global-scale development irrelevant for long-term sustainability.
• Certain renewable sources are identified as unsustainable: solid biomass can emit 3% to 50% more CO2 than coal per unit of energy and creates a "carbon debt" that takes decades to reabsorb; biogas and biofuels can have lifecycle GHG intensities comparable to or higher than fossil fuels and compete with agricultural land.
• Truly sustainable energy sources include solar (photovoltaic and thermal), wind (on and offshore), ocean power, and geothermal, provided they follow human rights policies like the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights or Free, Prior and Informed Consent. For hydropower, the document states that no new projects should be developed in the European Union, with financing limited to refitting and upgrading existing plants.

APA

Martin, L. (2023). The limits of not-so-clean energy. Reclaim Finance. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2023/10/27/the-limits-of-not-so-clean-energy/

Chicago

Martin, Léo. The limits of not-so-clean energy. Reclaim Finance, 2023. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2023/10/27/the-limits-of-not-so-clean-energy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martin |first1=Léo |title=The limits of not-so-clean energy |publisher=Reclaim Finance |date=27 October 2023 |url=https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2023/10/27/the-limits-of-not-so-clean-energy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martin2023limits, author = {Martin, Léo}, title = {{The limits of not-so-clean energy}}, publisher = {Reclaim Finance}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2023/10/27/the-limits-of-not-so-clean-energy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }