Beijing - Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30
billion in 2004, according to a report released today by the Renewable
Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Renewable sources such
as wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and geothermal provide more energy
than ever before and amount to 17 per cent of the global primary energy
supply. In addition to 720 gigawatts of large hydropower, technologies
such as wind, solar, biomass, and small hydropower, sometimes referred to
as "new renewables", now provide 160 gigawatts of electricity generating
capacity, about 4 per cent of the world total, the report finds.
REN21 is a global policy network created in response to a commitment of
the International Conference for Renewables Energies which was convened in
Bonn, germany , in 2004. Composed of representatives of governments,
business and civil society, REN21`s goal is to support the rapid expansion
of renewables energy use in developing and developed countries by
bolstering policy development and decision-making on sub-national,
national, and international levels.
"Renewable energy has become big business," said Eric Martinot, lead
author of
Renewables 2005: Global Status Report. Martinot, who is a
Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute and a Lecturer at Tsinghua
University in Beijing, notes that renewable energy is attracting some of
the world's largest companies, including General Electric, Siemens, Sharp,
and Royal Dutch Shell. The report estimates that nearly 40 million
households worldwide heat their water with solar collectors, most of them
installed in the last five years. Altogether, renewable energy industries
provide 1.7 million jobs, most of them skilled and well-paying.
The Global Status Report was compiled by Martinot, working with more than
100 researchers and contributors from at least 20 countries. It provides
an assessment of several renewables technologies-small hydro, modern
biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels-that are now competing with
conventional fuels in four distinct markets: power generation, hot water
and space heating, transportation fuels, and rural (off-grid) energy
supplies.
Countries with the strongest markets in renewable energies include Brazil
(particularly for biofuels), China (solar hot water and small hydro),
Denmark (wind), Germany (wind and solar PV), India (wind and rural solar
and biomass), Japan (solar PV), Spain (wind), and the United States.
The report finds that government support for renewable energy is growing
rapidly. At least 48 countries now have some type of renewable energy
promotion policy, including 14 developing countries. Most targets are for
shares of electricity production, typically 5-30 percent, by the 2010-2012
timeframe. Mandates for blending biofuels into vehicle fuels have been
enacted in at least 20 states and provinces worldwide as well as in three
key countries-Brazil, China and India.
Government leadership provides the key to market success, according to the
report. The market leaders in renewable energy in 2004 were Brazil in
biofuels, China in solar hot water, Germany in solar electricity, and
Spain in wind power.
Other findings in the report include:
- The fastest growing energy technology in the world is grid-connected
solar photovoltaic (PV), which grew in existing capacity by 60 percent
per year from 2000-2004, to cover more than 400,000 rooftops in Japan,
Germany, and the United States. Second is wind power capacity, which
grew by 28 percent last year, led by Germany, with almost 17 gigawatts
installed as of 2004.
- Production of biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) exceeded 33 billion
liters in 2004, when ethanol displaced about 3 percent of the 1,200
billion liters of gasoline globally.
- An estimated US $500 million goes to developing countries each year
as development assistance for renewable energy projects, training, and
market support, with the German Development Finance Group (KfW), the
World Bank Group, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) providing
the majority of these funds, and dozens of other donors and programs
providing the rest.
- Over 4.5 million "green" power consumers in Europe, the United
States, Canada, Australia, and Japan purchased renewable electricity at
the retail level or via certificates in 2004.
The Global Status Report fills a gap in the international energy
reporting arena, which has tended to neglect the emerging renewable energy
technologies. Regular updates will be produced in the future. The report
was produced and published by the Worldwatch Institute and released today
at the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference 2005, sponsored
by the Government of China. This Conference brings together government and
private leaders from around the world, providing a forum for international
leadership on renewable energy and connects the wide variety of
stakeholders that came together at the International Conference for
Renewable Energies in Bonn, Germany, in 2004.
Download:
Read the Report online (html)
Status Report
2007