Renewable energy has the potential to power the world completely, but this can only be achieved through urgent improvements in grid infrastructure and integrated planning, according to the new Energy Systems & Infrastructure module of the Renewables 2024 Global Status Report.
The Renewable Energy Systems & Infrastructure module of the Renewables 2024 Global Status Report launched on 17 September 2024. The report highlights recent trends and developments in policies, deployment and technological advances related to electricity grids, energy storage and sector coupling.
In 2023, renewables hit a record-breaking high, accounting for 30% of global electricity, with solar and wind contributing to 13% of the total. However, simply increasing the share of renewables is not enough to shift the energy system away from fossil fuels.
This module highlights the critical need for improvements in grid transmission and distribution, energy storage, and system flexibility. These upgrades are essential for distributing power, ensuring reliable 24/7 electricity, and integrating variable renewables like solar and wind into the grid, in the context of electricity demand.
Without long-term planning, strong policies and focused investments to scale up infrastructure like grids, storage, and sector coupling, we can’t fully realise the potential of renewable energy.
Dive into the Renewables 2024 Global Status Report
REN21 has been releasing the Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) since 2005, and as a collection of modules since 2023, to rigorously cover the energy system from its different elements, including demand, supply, systems and infrastructure, and economic and social value creation.
This Energy Systems & Infrastructure Module follows the three previous modules of the GSR 2024 series – the Global Overview, Energy Demand module and Energy Supply module – which provide the status of renewables in the wider energy system and in the context of global challenges such as climate change, development goals, and the geopolitical landscape.
The upcoming module will explore different aspects of renewable energy and economic and social value creation.
