Amazing Renewable Energy Facts

● Renewables generate 22.1% of global electricity and are responsible for 19% of final energy

consumption around the world. . 1

● 1GW of solar takes on average 1 year to permit and build, compared to 13 years for 1 GW of

nuclear. 2

● The US solar industry now employs more people than the country’s coal and natural gas

industries combined. 3

● Despite Australia’s history as a coal­fired economy, the nation’s solar industry employs a “far larger” amount of people than its fossil­fuelled power stations. 4

● It is both technically and financially feasible to achieve 100% renewable energy this century.

The technical potential for renewable energy is far greater than current human energy use,

and studies suggest it could supply almost 100% of global energy demand by 2050. (WWF, The

Energy Report

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/energy_solutions22/re

newable_energy/sustainable_energy_report/)

● Solar power is projected to grow so much that the International energy Agency predicts that

solar will provide the world with the majority of its electricity needs in a few decades. 5

● The manufacturing costs of solar have dropped from around 60 USD a watt in the 1970s to

1.50 USD today. 6

● IRENA estimates that renewable energy jobs reached 6.5million in 2013. In decreasing order,

the largest employers were China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany, Spain and

Bangladesh. 7

1 http://newclimateeconomy.report/energy/ 2 http://c1cleantechnicacom.wpengine.netdna­cdn.com/files/2011/08/solar­less­expensive­nuclear.png 3 http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/01/31/us­solar­industry­employs­more­coal­gas­industries­combined 4 http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/solar­industry­provides­far­more­jobs­in­australia­than­coal­69251 5 http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/29/solar­power­could­produce­50­of­global­electricity­iea­report­concludes/ 6 http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/10/solar­power­graphs­to­make­you­smile/ 7 http://www.irena.org/publications/rejobs­annual­review­2014.pdf 

Source: IRENA http://www.irena.org/publications/rejobs-annual-review-2014.pdf

Countries that already have a huge share of RE in their electricity production and some cool targets

(data from REN 21 Global Status Report. 2014

http://www.ren21.net/Portals/0/documents/Resources/GSR/2014/GSR2014_full%20report_low%

20res.pdf p. 119):

● Belize: 94 % in 2012, 63% excluding large hydro.

● Croatia produced almost 50% of its electricity through RE in 2012.

● Chile produced almost 40% of its electricity from RE in 2012.

● Costa Rica produced 92% of its electricity from RE in 2012 and aims at 100% by 2021.

● Fiji produced 67% of its power with RE in 2012 and aims for 100% RE by 2030

● Gabon generated 40% of its power from RE in 2012 and aims at 70% in 2020.

● Germany generated 25% of its power from RE in 2013 and aims at 80% by 2050.

● Madagascar aims for 75% of its power coming from RE in 2020.

● New Zealand aims at 90% of its electricity to come from RE by 2025 and already generated

72% from RE in 2012.

● Nicaragua is aiming for 90% RE in the power sector by 2020.

● Tuvalu aims at 100% RE by 2020 in the power sector.

● Uganda generated almost 80% of its electricity from RE in 2012 and Uruguay 60%.

● Albania, Iceland and Lesotho all generated 100% of their electricity from RE in 2012.

● Guatemala has a target of 85 % RE in final energy demand by 2026

● Global wind power capacity was just 17 GW at the turn of the millenium, by 2005 this had

risen to 59GW, in less than 10 years this increased by a factor of 5 to more than 318GW, and

the sector continues to grow exponentially. 8

● The largest wind farm farm is the Alta Wind Energy Centre in California, USA. It will soon

generate more than 3 (average) coal fired power stations. 9

● The Prefecture of Fukushima, that experienced the worst nuclear accident in history, is not

only aiming at powering itself entirely through renewable energy by 2040 but is also planning

to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm and largest solar farm in Japan.

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/02/06/fukushima-100-renewable-energy/

Solar

The conservative International Energy Agency argues that solar power will likely become the worlds

largest power source by 2050. 10

There are now more than one million home solar power systems installed in Australia 11

The largest solar electric generating system in the world at present occupies previously unused land in

the Mojave Desert, USA. The 377MW, 3,500 acre solar plant was completed in 2013 and provides

140,000 California homes with electricity every day. Plant construction and maintenance created

2,100 jobs and will has generated about $650 million in employee wages and earnings . 12

Solar energy is even working at night on a commercial scale thanks to new technology that allows 13

for hours and hours of heat storage. The Gemasolar tower plant in Sevilla, Spain uses molten salt to

store energy for up to 15 hours and provide power through the night. In 2013, renewable energy

provided 42% of Spain's power demand . 14

8 http://www.gwec.net/wp­content/uploads/2014/04/6_21­2_global­cumulative­installed­wind­capacity­1996­2013.jpg 9 http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html#.VHSQw2SUd5w 10 http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/pressreleases/2014/september/how­solar­energy­could­be­the­largest­source­of­electricity­by­mid­century.html 11 http://www.energymatters.com.au/education/solar­wind­trivia/ 12 http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/renewable­energy/see­worlds­largest­thermal­solar­plant­370mw­under­construction­mojave­desert/ 13 http://phys.org/news/2011­07­gemasolar­solar­thermal­power­hours.html 14 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate­change/energyrevolution/renewable­energy­myths/ 

Locating the transition - countries

● Germany now gets a quarter of its energy from renewable sources and is on track to achieve

80% by mid century.

● Denmark will invest $960 million to go 100% renewable by 2050 and thanks to the cost

savings on fuel costs Denmark is expecting to make this money back and actually achieve a net

financial gain.

● In 2013 China accounted for 21% of all global renewable investment, adding more than five

times more wind and nearly twice as much solar as any other country.

● India is committed to rapidly scaling up their solar capacity 5 fold from 20GW to 100GW by

2022.

● The Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu has committed to be powered by 100% clean energy by

2020.

● Around 50 cities including Sydney, Munich and San Francisco are going 100% renewable.

● Just a few years ago, Nicaragua depended almost entirely on imported fuel oil to                           generate electricity even though it lacked thermal plants to do so efficiently on                         anything close to a large scale. Rolling blackouts and a hefty import bill from                           Venezuelan oil spurred the country to aggressively pursue renewable energy                   development. And the results have been remarkable. From 2006­12, the country                     attracted $1.5 billion in renewable investments, including over $400 million from                     U.S.­based Ram Power in the Polaris geothermal plant. Now renewables account for                       50% of the country’s electricity, and government officials predict it will rise to 80%                           within a few years. Of its current mix, geothermal provides 16%, wind provides 15%,                           hydropower provides 12%, and biomass provides 7%.  15

● Costa Rica reported that it managed to power itself already entirely through RE for 75                             consecutive days.  16

Locating the transition - businesses

15 http://blogs.blouinnews.com/blouinbeatbusiness/2015/03/26/forget­the­canal­nicaraguas­renewable­energy­revolution/ 16 http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097457_what­country­powered­itself­entirely­on­renewable­energy­for­75­days 

Major businesses are helping to drive the clean energy transition by signalling their commitment and

support for 100% renewable energy. IKEA, Swiss Re, BT, Formula E, H&M, KPN, Mars, Nestlé, Philips,

Reed Elsevier, J. Safra Sarasin and Yoox are just some of the major organisations that are going to

make sure their operations are powered by 100% renewable energy. Household names like Apple,

Google, Facebook and Amazon have also pledged that their data centres will be powered by 100%

clean, renewable energy.

Locating the transition - communities

Communities in fossil fuel and nuclear reliant countries are challenging the national status quo and

going 100% renewable. For example, the town of Kisielice in northern Poland, a coal dominated

region, has totally phased out its use of fossil fuels in favour of clean renewables.

Another example is Perpignan Méditerranée in France, it is aiming to become the first urban territory

in Europe to meet all its electricity needs by means of local renewable projects - 75% of the region’s

electricity needs are already met by renewable energy thanks to these local efforts.

The transition is creating employment

An estimated 6.5 million direct or indirect jobs around the world are created by renewable energy

industry. This includes 2.6 million in China, 894,000 in Brazil, 625,000 in the USA, 391,000 in India and

371,000 in Germany. The solar PV industry alone generates over 2.2 million jobs for communities

across the globe and wind power is responsible for employing over 800,000 people . 17

Estimates show that global wind power employment could increase to as much as 2.1 million in 2030

and 2.8 million in 2050. Similar projections estimate that worldwide solar PV production alone could

create as many as 6.3 million jobs by 2030.

The IPCC says investments in renewable energy could provide 155,000 direct and 115,000 indirect

jobs in the Middle East and North Africa by 2050. The World Bank predicts that renewable energy

could account for over 50,000 jobs in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco by 2025 in solar component

manufacturing alone.

In more and more places around the world the renewable energy industry is out-stripping dirty

energy industries when it comes to job creation. In the USA for instance, it is estimated that there are

more solar-workers than coal-workers . 18

The transition is bringing people out of energy poverty 17 Ren21 global status report 2014 18 http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/22/news/economy/solar­jobs/index.html 

Almost 3 billion people suffer from both, erratic or no access to electricity and reliance on

inefficient and polluting solid biomass fuels for cooking. There are many examples that demonstrate

how decentralised renewable energy can play a critical role to connect these people and their

communities with clean, safe sources of electricity and power.

Morocco has put in place consistent policy support, including favourable financing options and

regulatory frameworks, to support the deployment of renewable energy solutions. The impact has

been particularly great in rural areas, where the electrification rate increased from 18% to 98%

between 1995 and 2012.

In Bangladesh Government has established a goal of increasing electricity access in rural Bangladesh

to 100%, this goal is being implemented almost exclusively with the use of solar home systems due to

its economic advantages.

A recent IEA scenario for universal energy access by 2030 assumes 56% of the investment would go to

“mini-grids” and off-grid solutions, with up to 90% using renewable energy sources. 19

The transition is improving public health

Switching to clean renewable energy sources helps to protect people from the negative health

impacts associated with fossil fuel pollution.

The World Health Organization has estimated that air pollution was responsible for around 7 million

deaths worldwide in 2012 . In Europe alone coal power plants are causing ill-health in Europeans 20

worth €43 billion each year by contributing to higher rates of respiratory and cardiovascular disease,

among other killer diseases . 21

Research suggests that phasing out dirty fossil fuels and switching to clean, renewable energy sources

could prevent 1.3 million early deaths every year, by 2050 . 22

The future of the transition is bright

19 http://newclimateeconomy.report/energy/ 20 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air­pollution/en/ 21 http://www.env­health.org/IMG/pdf/heal_report_the_unpaid_health_bill_­_how_coal_power_plants_make_us_sick_finalpdf.pdf 22 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24246­green­energy­pays­for­itself­in­lives­saved­from­smog.html#.VHWn42SUd5w 

The conservative IEA envisions solar and wind sources adding more electricity production than either

coal or gas through to 2035 and by 2040 they expect renewable energy to be responsible for

one-third of global power generation.

The IEA says that through to 2040 wind power accounts for the largest share of growth in

renewables-based generation (34%), followed by hydropower (30%) and solar technologies (18%). 23

Other scenarios see renewables scaling-up even faster. For example, the International Renewable

Energy Agency (IRENA) identifies potential that would give 60% more generation from renewables

than is realised in the IEA scenario, and would result in 44% share of renewables in electricity

production by 2030.

PwC says Europe and North Africa could run on 100% renewable energy by 2050. Studies suggest

renewable energy could supply 95% of global energy demand by 2050, which makes a shot at 100%

within this century technically and financially feasible.

Government’s support the transition (but could do more)

There are policies to support the phase-out of fossil fuels and the uptake of renewable energy spread

throughout the world - 144 countries had renewable energy targets at the end of 2013. This is a

positive sign, but more governments need to be supporting the switch to 100% renewables.

Denmark is the first OECD country that has committed to achieving 100% renewable energy in

electricity and heat by 2030 and to be totally fossil-free by 2050 - this includes the transport sector.

Scotland has established a target to supply 100% of the nation’s electricity demand from renewable

sources by 2020.

The clean energy transition isn’t just for rich, industrialised countries. The governments of Cape Verde

in Africa, Costa Rica in Latin America, Tuvalu and Tokelau in the South Pacific and the island of Sumba

in Indonesia are all committed to 100% renewable energy.

Investment in the transition is big (but could be bigger)

In 2013 China invested the most and installed the most renewable energy capacity, followed closely

by the USA and Japan. In terms of investment in renewable energy by share of GDP we get a very

different set of champions - Uruguay comes out on top, closely followed by Mauritius and Costa Rica.

23 http://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/WEO2014SUM.pdf 

New investment in clean energy rose rapidly from $60 billion in 2004 to $317 billion in 2011.

However, over the last few years investment has slowed somewhat to $251 billion in 2013 . 24

Fossil-fuel subsidies totalled $550 billion in 2013 and experts say they are holding back investment in

renewables.

Latin America could accelerate clean energy investment and the roll out of renewables in the region

by cutting subsidies for the fossil fuel industry - which can be worth more than 5% of GDP in countries

such as Ecuador and Venezuela. If this switch was made, the Inter-American Development Bank states

the region could produce 22 times the renewable energy it needs.

Renewables are increasingly cost competitive

Governments and investors take note - rapid cost reductions have allowed global renewable energy to

expand, even as investments slowed down. The cost of providing electricity from wind and solar

power plants has plummeted over the last five years, so much so that in some markets renewable

generation is now cheaper than coal or natural gas.

Since 1990 the cost of wind energy has halved. In places as diverse as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South

Africa, Turkey, and several US states, the cost of electricity production from onshore wind power now

is on par with or lower than fossil fuel alternatives.

In Brazil, wind power has been the cheapest source of new power in recent auctions for new

electricity contracts. South Africa similarly has seen wind power procured at costs as much as 30%

below those of new coal-fired power. 25

According to a study by the investment banking firm Lazard, the cost of utility-scale solar energy in the

USA is as low as 5.6 cents a kilowatt-hour, and wind is as low as 1.4 cents. In comparison, natural gas

comes at 6.1 cents a kilowatt-hour on the low end and coal at 6.6 cents. Even without subsidies, the

firm’s analysis shows that wind energy is as cheap as 3.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The most competitive onshore wind power sites can deliver electricity costs at as little as USD $0.04

per kilowatt-hour, making wind power the cheapest electricity option in many places . 26

Solar PV power is now half the cost it was just in 2010, as module prices have fallen 80% since 2008.

At least 53 solar PV plants over 50 MW were operating by early 2014, in at least 13 countries, and

several planned projects are now considered competitive without subsidies.

24 http://about.bnef.com/presentations/clean­energy­investment­q3­2014­fact­pack/content/uploads/sites/4/2014/10/Clean­energy­investment­%E2%80%93­Q3­2014­fact­pack.pdf 25 http://newclimateeconomy.report/energy/ 26 http://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/Renewable_Power_Generation_Costs.pdf 

Rooftop solar for homes is also competitive with retail electricity prices in several countries, including

Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany and Italy. Even at high financing rates, solar PV is now cheaper

than diesel generators, often the main alternative in rural areas in developing countries where grid

connections are unavailable or cost-prohibitive. 27

The renewables sector is incredibly innovative

There are numerous examples to demonstrate that the renewable energy sector is constantly

innovating in order to boost efficiency, drive down costs and increase the benefits of clean

technologies. Here are some examples:

André Broessel’s orb-like system is supposedly 35% more efficient than a standard panel, doing even

better when combined with a tool for tracking the sun.

The IBM “sunflower” is set to launch in 2017. It will not only provide electricity – it will also desalinate

water for sanitation and drinking. A group of several solar generators could provide enough fresh

water for an entire town.

27 http://newclimateeconomy.report/energy/ 

A new solar plug-and-play installation process using glue to attach modules could reduce the time and

costs of rooftop solar installation from days to hours . The permitting is handled by a combination of 28

electronic sensors and software that communicates with local jurisdictions and utilities. Ultimately,

the installers claim, it could reduces consumer costs from $22,000 to as little as $7,500.

End

Notes

Detailed modelling for the United States as a whole showed how an electricity system with 80%

renewables would be feasible with technologies that are commercially available today. 29

IEA world energy outlook: The share of renewables in power generation increases most in OECD

countries, reaching 37%, and their growth is equivalent to the entire net increase in OECD electricity

supply. However, generation from renewables grows more than twice as much in non-OECD

countries, led by China, India, Latin America and Africa.

Iceland's power supply went from 75% imported coal to more than 80% local geothermal and hydro in

30 years.

A global move towards 100% renewable energy is vital for addressing the twin problems of depleting

conventional fossil fuel reserves and climate change as well as associated problems such as urban air

pollution. 100% renewable is feasible and likely for practically all countries by 2100. With enough

political will and concerted efforts, this can be achieved as early as 2050. Modified quote Professor

S.C. Bhattacharya (India)

28 http://www.fraunhofer.org/ 29 http://newclimateeconomy.report/energy/ 

Renewables accounted for 56% of new installed power capacity in 2013.

Offshore wind power increased by 1.6GW in 2013.

For context - 3.5 GW, Plant Bowen in Georgia, the largest coal power plant in the U.S., can provide

electricity to about 1.9 million homes.

The worlds largest wind turbine is manufactured by Vestas and generates 8MW of clean electricity,

enough to power 7,500 homes every year.

The 5 countries with the most wind power relative to population size are: Denmark, Spain, Portugal,

Sweden and Germany. The 5 countries with the most wind power relative to national wealth (GDP)

are: Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Cape Verde, Romania 30

The largest concentrating solar power plant (100 MW) in operation is currently in Abu Dhabi, but it

won't stay at the top of the list for too long. Brightsource Energy is putting the finishing touches on its

massive Ivanpah concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the Mojave desert, and if all goes well, the

switch should be flipped this year. Ivanpah will have a capacity of 377 megawatts, or about enough 31

energy to power 140,000 houses. It took more than 5 years to plan it, get permits, finance it, and build

it. created 2,100 jobs for construction workers and support staff and will have generated about $650

million in employee wages and earnings.

The Jasper solar farm, located near Kimberley in South Africa, is now the continent's largest solar

power project. Construction was completed in October, and it is now fully operational (you can read

that in the Star Wars emperor's voice ). With a rated capacity of 96 megawatts, Jasper will produce

about 180,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually for South African residents, enough to power

up to 80,000 homes. 32

The 5 countries with the most solar power relative to population size are: Germany, Italy, Belgium,

Czech Republic and Greece.

30 http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/07/renewable­energy­charts­renewable­energy­facts/ figs from 2012 31 http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/renewable­energy/see­worlds­largest­thermal­solar­plant­370mw­under­construction­mojave­desert/ 32 http://www.treehugger.com/renewable­energy/africas­largest­solar­farm­325000­pv­modules­now­fully­operational.html?source=fb&subsource=20141117clfb01&utm_source=gpeace&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=20141117clfb01 

EU has 42% of global power capacity of non-hydro renewables.

As a result power prices have fallen not just in Germany but in neighbouring countries too . 33

Denmark will invest DKK5.6 billion (USD960 million) to go 100% renewable by 2050. But the transition

will more than pay for itself - investing in energy savings and rolling out renewable energy with its

low to zero fuel costs will save Denmark DKK6.9 (USD1.17) in energy costs over the same time frame.

Germany has been a pioneer: 80% of its new generating capacity in the last decade came from

renewables (50% from solar and wind), with significant resources expended on early deployment

when costs were still high to drive technologies towards commercial viability. Spain, Portugal, and

Denmark have expanded wind power to more than 20% of electricity over the past decade.

In America, if the renewable energy sector grew 25% by 2025, it would be the same as taking the

equivalent pollution from 70 typical coal-fired plants a year out of the air and would create more 34

than 202,000 clean energy jobs

As the transition continues, there will be more than 400,000 German clean energy jobs by 2020

There is no doubt that a fully sustainable and largely renewable global energy system is technically

and economically possible by 2050. Ecofys did the calculations for The Energy Report (TER) with the

following clear message: by utilising today's technologies alone, 95% of all energy can be renewable

by 2050, comfortable lifestyles can be developed and sustained, and long-term benefits can outweigh

short-term costs. Quote from David de Jager

As global renewable electricity generation expands in absolute terms, it is expected to surpass that

from natural gas and double that from nuclear power by 2016, becoming the second most important

global electricity source, after coal. Globally, renewable generation is estimated to rise to 25% of gross

power generation in 2018, up from 20% in 2011 as deployment spreads out globally . 35

China dominated clean technoogy investments in 2013 investing more than $54 billion. 36

33Cheeseman, G. “ElectElectricity Prices Fall In Europe As German Renewable Energy Output Increases”, Triple Pundit, April 15th, 2014 

 34 600 MW 35 http://www.iea.org/topics/renewables/ 36 http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/energy­efficiency­grows­as­clean­energy­investment­falters