IPCC: Almost 80 per cent of global energy to come from renewables by 2050
UN-commissioned report predicts 77 per cent of energy could come from renewable sources, but only if the right policies are adopted.
The full scale of the growth potential enjoyed by the global renewable energy industry has been underlined today with the release of a major new UN-commissioned report, which predicts that renewable sources could provide up to 77 per cent of the world’s energy by 2050.
The final version of the long-awaited Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (PDF) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released earlier today at an event in Abu Dhabi.
As anticipated, the report concludes that, with the right policies, it is technically and economically feasible for the renewable sector to become the dominant force in the global energy industry over the coming decades.
“With consistent climate and energy policy support, renewable energy sources can contribute substantially to human well-being by sustainably supplying energy and stabilising the climate,” said professor Ottmar Edenhofer, co-chairman of Working Group III, at the report launch. “However, the substantial increase of renewables is technically and politically very challenging.”
The 26-page report provides a summary of a 1,000-page comprehensive assessment compiled by more than 120 experts working for the IPCC’s Working Group III. It is based on modeling for more than 160 different scenarios of the uptake of renewable energy, which are condensed to four over-arching scenarios.
The report concludes that concerted policy efforts could result in the rapid rollout of renewable energy technologies, although the proportion of renewable energy will increase even without enabling policies.
It also predicts that the emergence of renewables as the dominant energy source could lead to cumulative greenhouse gas savings equivalent to 220 to 560 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide between 2010 and 2050.
The cuts delivered through this could play a major role in ensuring that concentrations of greenhouse gases remain below 450 parts per million, and that this could be sufficient to limit average global temperature rises to below two degrees centigrade.
The most optimistic of the four in-depth scenarios predicts renewable energy capacity to rise from just under 13 per cent of total energy capacity in 2008 to 77 per cent by 2050. It also estimates that renewables could provide up to 407 exajoules a year, which is more than three times the annual energy supply in the US in 2005.
The report acknowledges that many renewable energy technologies are more costly than fossil fuel-based alternatives. But it argues that policy interventions that aim to include environmental impacts in energy prices, and recognise the wider economic, social, environmental and health benefits of renewable, can help drive adoption.
It also predicts that up to $5,100bn must be invested in renewables up to 2020 in order to reach the most optimistic scenario, while a further $7,180bn must be invested between 2021 and 2030.
Significantly, the report argues that, although advanced technologies are required to integrate high levels of renewable energy capacity into energy grids, these systems can and are being deployed.
It also notes that nearly half of new electricity generating capacity added in 2008 and 2009 came from renewable sources, and renewable will contribute more energy in 2050 than nuclear and CCS technologies under most of the reviewed scenarios.
The report is likely to be challenged by many in the nuclear and fossil fuel industries, who have long questioned the technical feasibility of generating the bulk of the world’s energy from renewables.
But Youba Sokona, co-chairman of the IPCC Working Group III, said that the report would provide policymakers with “some much needed clarity” as they attempt to draw up low-carbon policies.
“The potential role of renewable energy technologies in meeting the needs of the poor and in powering the sustainable growth of developing and developed economies can trigger polarised views,” he said.
“This IPCC report has brought some much needed clarity to this debate in order to inform governments on the options and decisions that are needed if the world is to realise a low-carbon, resource-efficient and equitable development path.”
The full scale of the growth potential enjoyed by the global renewable energy industry has been underlined today with the release of a major new UN-commissioned report, which predicts that renewable sources could provide up to 77 per cent of the world’s energy by 2050.
The final version of the long-awaited Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (PDF) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released earlier today at an event in Abu Dhabi.
As anticipated, the report concludes that, with the right policies, it is technically and economically feasible for the renewable sector to become the dominant force in the global energy industry over the coming decades.
“With consistent climate and energy policy support, renewable energy sources can contribute substantially to human well-being by sustainably supplying energy and stabilising the climate,” said professor Ottmar Edenhofer, co-chairman of Working Group III, at the report launch. “However, the substantial increase of renewables is technically and politically very challenging.”
The 26-page report provides a summary of a 1,000-page comprehensive assessment compiled by more than 120 experts working for the IPCC’s Working Group III. It is based on modeling for more than 160 different scenarios of the uptake of renewable energy, which are condensed to four over-arching scenarios.
The report concludes that concerted policy efforts could result in the rapid rollout of renewable energy technologies, although the proportion of renewable energy will increase even without enabling policies.
It also predicts that the emergence of renewables as the dominant energy source could lead to cumulative greenhouse gas savings equivalent to 220 to 560 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide between 2010 and 2050.
The cuts delivered through this could play a major role in ensuring that concentrations of greenhouse gases remain below 450 parts per million, and that this could be sufficient to limit average global temperature rises to below two degrees centigrade.
The most optimistic of the four in-depth scenarios predicts renewable energy capacity to rise from just under 13 per cent of total energy capacity in 2008 to 77 per cent by 2050. It also estimates that renewables could provide up to 407 exajoules a year, which is more than three times the annual energy supply in the US in 2005.
The report acknowledges that many renewable energy technologies are more costly than fossil fuel-based alternatives. But it argues that policy interventions that aim to include environmental impacts in energy prices, and recognise the wider economic, social, environmental and health benefits of renewable, can help drive adoption.
It also predicts that up to $5,100bn must be invested in renewables up to 2020 in order to reach the most optimistic scenario, while a further $7,180bn must be invested between 2021 and 2030.
Significantly, the report argues that, although advanced technologies are required to integrate high levels of renewable energy capacity into energy grids, these systems can and are being deployed.
It also notes that nearly half of new electricity generating capacity added in 2008 and 2009 came from renewable sources, and renewable will contribute more energy in 2050 than nuclear and CCS technologies under most of the reviewed scenarios.
The report is likely to be challenged by many in the nuclear and fossil fuel industries, who have long questioned the technical feasibility of generating the bulk of the world’s energy from renewables.
But Youba Sokona, co-chairman of the IPCC Working Group III, said that the report would provide policymakers with “some much needed clarity” as they attempt to draw up low-carbon policies.
“The potential role of renewable energy technologies in meeting the needs of the poor and in powering the sustainable growth of developing and developed economies can trigger polarised views,” he said.
“This IPCC report has brought some much needed clarity to this debate in order to inform governments on the options and decisions that are needed if the world is to realise a low-carbon, resource-efficient and equitable development path.”
You can return to the main Market News page, or press the Back button on your browser.
