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Renewable energy growth accelerated last year, a new report shows. But by itself, … [+]
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Around the world, the growth of green energy is accelerating. More than 80% of all new power generation projects built last year were renewable, leading to a 10.3% increase in the world’s total installed zero-carbon power generation, according to a new report.
Yet despite the reduction in energy demand in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, electricity generation from fossil fuels has also continued to grow. So, carbon emissions.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report found that 91% of new renewables last year were from wind and solar projects, with solar output growing the fastest, by 127 gigawatts, an increase by 22% compared to 2019. Wind power almost doubled compared to the total added the previous year, from 58 gigawatts added in 2019 to 111 gigawatts added in 2020.
Overall, IRENA found that the share of renewables in global electricity capacity increased by two percentage points, from 34.6% in 2019 to 36.6% in 2020.
This news should be welcomed by those who recognize that decarbonising the global energy system is an essential step in the fight against climate change. As a result, IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera was optimistic about the numbers.
“These numbers tell a remarkable story of resilience and hope,” said La Camera. “Despite the challenges and uncertainty of 2020, renewable energies have emerged as an undeniable source of optimism for a better, more equitable, resilient, clean and just future.” The year marked what he called “the beginning of the decade of renewable energies”. He added: “Costs are falling, clean technology markets are developing and never before have the benefits of the energy transition been so obvious.”
But the IRENA report also found that, despite the decline in energy demand and the greater share of renewables in 2020, fossil fuel capacity has also increased, but not as much as the year before. increasing by 60 gigawatts against 64 gigawatts. in 2019. China alone added 38 gigawatts of new coal-fired power plants last year.
Perhaps that is why La Camera ended his remarks with a note of caution: “As our review of our Global Energy Transition Outlook highlights, there is a lot to do,” he said. declared. Referring to the goal of the Paris Agreement, he concluded: “Our 1.5 degree outlook shows that planned energy investments must be redirected to support the transition if we are to achieve the 2050 goals. In this decade critical action, the international community must look to this trend as a source of inspiration to go further. “
The point is, as La Camera acknowledged, that while the share of renewables in electricity generation increases, fossil fuels are generating more carbon emissions than ever before. This year, for the first time, atmospheric CO2 reached 417 parts per million, 50% above pre-industrial CO2 levels seen in the 18th century.
The reason for the continued rise in emissions is that the growth of renewables has not kept pace with the growth in demand for electricity, as a recent report by Ember, a climate think tank based the UK.
Ember electrical analyst Dave Jones, who reviewed the IRENA report, commented: “We actually used more fossil-fueled electricity around the world in 2020 than in 2015, when the he Paris climate agreement has been signed. It is not enough to set a new record for renewable capacity this year; we have to set a new record every year. “
But just as important as new renewables, Jones pointed out, was the need to shut down fossil-fuel power generation for good.
“We need a plan to shut down the bad things – it’s the fossil fuels that are causing the problems,” Jones told Forbes.com. “The energy transition is not a transition to clean energy, it is a transition from fossil to clean. We have to treat it as such. “
Jones noted that on the same day as IRENA’s report, Global Energy Monitor reported that 2020 was another year of increased global coal-fired generation capacity. A similar report on gas, a fossil fuel that many countries have favored as a “cleaner” alternative to coal, will be released later this year.
“We still haven’t seen a single year of decline in coal production capacity,” Jones said. “We are certainly making good progress in building fewer coal and gas power plants, but we are still building them. We have to retire them. “
Jones added that putting in place a plan to phase out coal and gas-fired power plants was essential not only to reduce emissions, but also to enable workers in these industries to transition to long-term jobs in the world. the renewable energy sector.
“We cannot allow whole regions to be left behind,” he said. “Governments have rightly been excited about the jobs and investments that clean energy will bring. But that’s only half the challenge. “
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