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Renewable capacity ‘can be doubled worldwide at no extra cost’ – IRENA

Energy World; 01/03/2014

The global share of renewable energy could reach and exceed 30% by 2030 at no extra overall cost, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

A report from the organisation, REmap 2030, maps out a pathway for doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix based on the technologies available at the present. Energy efficiency and improved energy access can advance the share of renewables in the global energy mix up to 36%, says the report.

The report states that, when compared with the costs of climate change mitigation, health impacts and job creation, the transition to more renewables makes sense. ‘[It] practically pays for itself,’ says IRENA’s Director General Adnan Z Amin. ‘More renewables in the energy system provide greater flexibility, increase energy independence, and make the system more resilient.’

A rethinking of energy taxes and subsidies is critical to the economic case for renewable energy. A reduction of fossil fuel subsidies could facilitate the uptake of renewables, and subsidies for renewable energy could disappear altogether if greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution was appropriately priced, says the report.

News Item details

Journal title: Energy World

Countries: Worldwide -

Subjects: Energy efficiency, Solar energy, Electricity from fuel combustion, Electricity from nuclear fuel, Energy consumption, Hydrogen, Oil and gas, Nuclear fuels, Solid fossil fuels and derived products, Wind power, Hydro power, Wave power, Tidal Power, Carbon emissions