“The world is in a race against time. The single most important thing we could do to reduce CO2 emissions quickly and cost-effectively, is phase-out coal and speed up investments in energy efficiency and renewables. When China announced in January that it was cancelling more than 100 coal plants currently in development, they set an example for governments everywhere: change happens quickly when governments act – by establishing clear, long-term policy and financial signals and incentives.”

Christine Lins, Executive Secretary, REN21

““The world is adding more renewable power capacity each year than it adds in new capacity from all fossil fuels combined. One of the most important findings of this year’s GSR, is that holistic, systemic approaches are key and should become the rule rather than the exception. As the share of renewables grows we will need investment in infrastructure as well as a comprehensive set of tools: integrated and interconnected transmission and distribution networks, measures to balance supply and demand, sector coupling (for example the integration of power and transport networks); and deployment of a wide range of enabling technologies.”

Arthouros Zervos, Chair, REN21

“Developments over the course of 2016 show that renewables play a central role in today’s energy provision. This latest report from REN21 –the Renewables 2017 Global Status Report—illustrates that renewables are also playing an increasing role in the industry sector and contributed to the broader de-coupling phenomenon where economic growth occurred against the backdrop of global energy-related C02 emissions from fossil fuels and industry nearly flat for the third-year running. UNIDO welcomes this release as it is only by managing our global emissions that we will be able to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement.”

Li Yong, Director General, UNIDO

“The latest REN21 Renewables 2017 Global Status Report provides excellent insight into the remarkable gains being made by renewable energy around the world. IRENA finds that renewable power generating capacity saw its largest annual increase ever in 2016, and in parallel, that global employment numbers rose due to record deployment of renewables (particularly solar PV) in 2016. The global total number of jobs in renewable energy has now reached 9.8 million. Collectively these numbers clearly show that we are well on our way in the global transition to a sustainable energy future.”

Adnan Z. Amin, Director General, IRENA

“REN21’s Renewables Global Status Report 2017 contains a message of optimism in accelerating the global clean energy transition which is well worth reading. 2016 saw decision makers continue to implement policies during the year to attract investment, drive deployment, foster innovation and encourage greater flexibility in infrastructure.”

Christian Zinglersen, Head of Secretariat, Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)

“Over 2016 there has been a dramatic and sustained improvement in the competitiveness of renewable power generation technologies. Around the world, renewables have benefited from a cycle of falling costs spurred on by accelerated deployment, and the competiveness of renewable power generation technologies continues to improve The most spectacular RE prices were revealed through auctions that are gaining in popularity in many countries. The REN21 Renewables 2017 Global Status Report clearly documents this, providing decision and policy makers with timely, robust data.”

Vivien Foster, Global Lead for Energy Economics, Markets & Institutions, The World Bank Group

“We all want a healthy environment and healthy people, and clean energy is a central part of the solution. A global transition to renewable erg technologies like solar and wind are also key ingredients of delivering on the Paris Agreement, keeping the global temperature rise below 2C and avoiding catastrophic climate change. This new report shows where we are on this journey, and the data is clear: we need to move faster”.

Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment

“REN21’s Renewables 2017 Global Status Report documents for the first time how enabling technologies are facilitating and advancing the deployment of renewable energy. ICT, storage systems, EVs and heat pumps are just a few that are facilitating and advancing the deployment of renewable energy. Even though these technologies were not developed for this purpose originally, they are showing tremendous capacity to facilitate greater system integration, data collection and dissemination of system resources, and more effective demand response. Understanding the role of enabling technologies is key to ensuring high level of renewable uptake. We welcome REN21’s work which perfectly complements analysis done by the IEA.”

Paolo Frankl, Renewable Energy Division Head, IEA

“Here in Ontario, we strive to put out as reports that are as beautiful and as useful as the Renewables Global Status Report Series. This series serves as inspiration for how data should be collected and presented to document the contribution of renewables to any region’s energy mix.”

Dianne Saxe, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Canada

“This year’s REN21 Renewables 2017 Global Status Report demonstrates once again that renewable energy is starting to live up to its enormous potential. We are entering the era of “base-cost renewables”, in which wind and solar are cheaper than fossil-based technology, and therefore become the default choice for new capacity. As the costs of solar PV and wind continue to decrease, investors will keep funding more renewable energy capacity for less money, and the power markets are going to have to run to keep up”.

Michael Liebreich, Advisory Board Chairman, BNEF

“The economic case for renewables as the backbone of our global energy system is increasingly clear and proven. The environmental upside of clean energy is matched on the question of cost. Offering ever greater bang-for-buck, renewables are quite simply the cheapest way to generate energy in an ever-growing number of countries. Last year 48 developing countries on the frontline of climate change joined others in committing to futures built on one hundred percent renewable energy. They set an example for others to follow, but made the choice based on cold hard economics as much as the need to address climate change. Yet to bend the emissions curve, the uptake of renewables needs to happen faster across all nations. This is a race to the top and the cost of being left behind is significant. As the US waivers on its commitment to climate action, in the face of the global consensus reached in the Paris Agreement, those who turn their back on renewables risk being left”.

Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, and Convenor of Mission 2020

“The REN21 Global Status Report continues to serve as the premier source of quantitative and reliable information on the status and developments of renewable energy technologies worldwide.  ISES is very pleased for the opportunity to contribute to this important and timely study”.

Dave Renne, President, ISES