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Wind and solar power generated more than a third of Brazils electricity in August, the first month on record the two renewable sources have crossed that threshold, according to government data made public on Thursday and analyzed by energy think tank Ember. The clean energy sources accounted for 34% of the countrys electricity generation last month, producing a monthly record of 19 terawatt-hours (TWh), enough to power about 119 million average Brazilian homes for a month, Ember told The Associated Press. That surpassed the previous high of 18.6 TWh set in September 2024. The milestone came as hydroelectric output, Brazils dominant power source, fell to a four-year low. Brazil shows how a rapidly growing economy can meet its rising need for electricity with solar and wind, said Raul Miranda, Embers global program director based in Rio de Janeiro. Solar and wind are a perfect match for Brazils hydropower resources, taking the pressure off in drought years. A diversified mix is a fundamental strategy for tackling risks related to climate change,” he said. Hydropower dips, fossil fuels stay low Hydropower provided 48% of electricity in August, only the second month on record it has supplied less than half of Brazils power. Despite the weak hydro output, fossil fuel plants, mainly powered by natural gas, coal and oil, accounted for just 14% of generation, or 7.8 TWh. In past drought years, fossil fuel use has spiked to cover shortfalls, reaching 26% in August 2021. Ember said the rapid growth of wind and solar helped Brazil avoid similar surges this year. Wind and solar power are also reshaping the countrys energy mix. In 2024, they generated 24% of Brazils electricity, more than double their share from five years earlier. Solar power grew from just over 1% of generation in 2019 to 9.6% in 2024, while wind climbed from 8.8% to 15% over the same period. Brazils power sector emissions peaked in 2014 and by 2024 had fallen 31% even as electricity demand rose 22%, Ember said. The think tank credited a fifteenfold increase in wind and solar generation with outpacing demand growth and cutting fossil generation by 45%. Praise and warnings Ricardo Baitelo, project coordinator at Brazils Institute for Energy and the Environment, said the record reflects more than a decade of steady growth in wind and solar capacity, with solar expanding rapidly in recent years. This is a number that was expected, because the installed capacity of these sources has been built over at least 15 years and, more recently, with solar energy, he said. But it is undoubtedly symbolic, and you see these sources contributing a significant fraction of electricity at a given moment and showing that they are important. They are not alternative sources, they are already a well-represented part of Brazils electricity mix. He said the milestone highlights Brazils shift from an almost entirely hydro-based power system to one built on three main pillars: hydro, solar and wind. He added that Brazil is the only G20 country currently on track to meet the goal of sharply increasing renewable energy within the next five years a target set at the U.N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023. This is the big warning and a yellow light that could turn red, Baitelo said. And Brazil needs to take urgent measures to avoid losing this condition and this good example of wind and solar deployment. Paulo Pedrosa, president of Abrace Energia, which represents large energy consumers, said Brazils heavy reliance on subsidies to expand renewables, particularly residential solar, has created distortions in the power market. The excess of renewable energy subsidy models has increased the cost of energy and, ironically, promoted the contracting of expensive thermal energy, which is necessary to keep the system balanced when there is no wind and no sun, Pedrosa said. He argued Brazil should focus on using its abundant clean, low-cost energy to boost industrial output and competitiveness while contributing to global decarbonization. Baitelo warned that without reforms, fossil fuel interests could seize the opportunity to expand thermal generation in upcoming auctions, increasing greenhouse gas emissions even as renewables grow. ____ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Steven Grattan, Associated Press
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The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged Thursday with inflation back under control and the economy weathering Trumps tariff onslaught better than expected. The banks rate-setting council left its benchmark deposit rate unchanged at 2% at a meeting at its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt. The focus in Europe has shifted to the fiscal crisis in France and any possible role for the ECB in containing potential market turmoil that could erupt from the countrys out-of-control deficit and political logjam. Bank President Christine Lagarde said after the rate decision that monetary policy was in a good place and that decisions are being made meeting by meeting.” She gave no hint of future moves, saying the bank is not on a predetermined path.” The ECB is standing pat on interest rates even as the US Federal Reserve has held the door open for a possible cut at its Sept. 17 meeting. The 20 countries that use the euro currency and where the ECB sets rate policy showed 0.1% growth in the second quarter over the quarter before, not great but not sliding into outright recession either despite the disruption from U.S. President Donald Trumps new and higher tariffs. The S&P Global survey of purchasing managers, a key indicator of economic activity, came in at 51 in August, with readings over 50 indicating expansion. The EUs executive commission calmed the mood somewhat by negotiating a 15% ceiling on US tariffs, or import taxes, on European goods brought into the US. While thats far higher than pre-Trump tariff levels, Trump had threatened even higher rates and the deal gives some certainty that trade will continue, albeit with higher costs. “Trade uncertainty has clearly diminished, Lagarde said. The ECBs deposit rate influences borrowing costs throughout the economy. The ECB raised rates sharply to combat a burst of inflation in 2021-23, and has since lowered them as inflation came back under control and concerns grew about growth. Higher rates fight inflation but can slow growth, while lower rates can stimulate economic activity by making borrowing cheaper for purchases. Eurozone inflation was 2.1% in August, roughly in line with the banks target of 2%. With growth holding up, that means there was no great pressure to move rates Thursday. Analysts think another cut is possible in coming months. Lagarde was asked several times about the French government’s fiscal crisis. The French governments bond-market borrowing costs have risen somewhat due to the inability of a divided parliament to tackle the large deficit, which was 5.8% of GDP last year. In case of a full-blown market panic that sends rates higher, the ECB could intervene to purchase French bonds and drive down borrowing costs. But thats only possible for countries that are obeying the EUs rules on limiting debt or are moving to comply, which France at this point is not. Lagarde said the ECB’s emergency bond market backstop, dubbed the transmission protection instrument, was not discussed at the meeting and that the broader European bond market was functioning normally. Im not commenting on any particular country, but suffice to say that we always monitor market developments and euro area sovereign bonds are orderly and are functioning smoothly with good liquidity, she said. Analysts say the challenge for Lagarde is to avoid suggesting the ECB would bail out politicians who wont manage the governments finances properly, while not taking such a hard line that she unsettles bond markets. David McHugh, AP business writer
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Income inequality dipped, more people had college degrees, fewer people moved to a different home and the share of Asian and Hispanic residents increased in the United States last year, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. These year-to-year changes, big and small, from 2023 to 2024 were captured in the bureau’s data from the American Community Survey, the largest annual audit of American life. The survey of 3.5 million households asks about more than 40 topics, including income, housing costs, veterans status, computer use, commuting, and education. Here’s a look at how the United States changed last year. Income inequality dips Income inequality or the gap between the highest and lowest earners in the United States fell nationwide by nearly a half percent from 2023 to 2024, as median household income rose slightly, from $80,002 to $81,604. Five Midwestern states Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin had statistically significant dips, along with Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Puerto Rico. North Carolina was the only state to see a statistically significant rise in inequality. North Carolina State economist Michael Walden said it reflected the state generating high-paying jobs in tech and other professional sectors, while the post-pandemic labor shortage which raised wages in lower-paying service jobs had ended. In South Dakota, which had a leading 4% drop, the inequality dip could reflect stronger growth in the household income among lower and middle income households (or smaller growth in the income of the highest brackets), state demographer Weiwei Zhang said Wednesday in an email. In Nebraska, it could be high employment rates across all demographic groups since high employment leads to income, thus less income inequality, said Josie Schafer, director of the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska Omaha. In Massachusetts, one of the traditional strengths of the state’s economy high-paying jobs in life science, high tech and research has been sluggish in the past two years, said Mark Melnik, director of economic and public policy research at a University of Massachusetts Amherst institute. The typical jobs in this industry are the kind of thing that helps Massachusetts have the highest per capita (income) in the country but also exacerbates some elements of income inequality, Melnik said. Greater diversity and fewer people married The United States became more demographically diverse, and fewer people were married from 2023 to 2024. The non-Hispanic white population, who identify with only a single race, dropped from 57.1% to 56.3%, while the share of the nation’s Asian population rose from 6% to 6.3% and the Hispanic population rose from 19.4% to 20%. The rate of the Black population stayed the same at 12.1%, as did the American Indian Alaska Native alone population at 1%. In the marriage department, the share of men who have never married increased from 37.2% to 37.6%, and it rose from 31.6% to 32.1% for women. Fewer people moved, as costs of renting and owning homes rose Last year, only 11% of U.S. residents moved to another home, compared to 11.3% in the previous year. The decline of people moving this decade has been part of a continuous slide as home prices have skyrocketed in some metros and interest rates have gone up. In 2019, by comparison, 13.7% of U.S. residents moved. The monthly costs for U.S. homeowners with a mortgage rose to $2,035 from $1,960. Homeowners with a mortgage in California ($3,001), Hawaii ($2,937), New Jersey ($2,797), Massachusetts ($2,755), and the District of Columbia ($3,181) had the highest median monthly costs. Costs for renters also increased as the median rent with utilities went from $1,448 to $1,487. Mike Schneider, Associated Press
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