Renewable electricity capacity to increase by 60% in the next five years, IEA predicts

Renewable electricity capacity to increase by 60% in the next five years, IEA predicts

Dec 16, 2021

Renewable power installations are forecast to break a record this year, according to IEA’s new report

The International Energy Agency (IEA) today updated its forecast for the global renewable electricity capacity, predicting that renewable installations will soar by more than 60% by 2026. The new report suggests renewables will set a record in 2021 with almost 290GW expected to be commissioned by the end of the year with growth being 3% higher than the pace of increase in 2020.

The report also shows that renewables will account for almost 95% of the increase in global power capacity through 2026. Of the renewable energy sources, solar is predicted to increase its capacity by 17% this year – that will set a new annual record of almost 160GW, according to the IEA.

In addition, total offshore wind capacity is forecast to more than triple by 2026.

The IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol said: “The growth of renewables in India is outstanding, supporting the government’s newly announced goal of reaching 500GW of renewable power capacity by 2030 and highlighting India’s broader potential to accelerate its clean energy transition.

“China continues to demonstrate its clean energy strengths, with the expansion of renewables suggesting the country could well achieve a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions well before 2030.”

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Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

06 Jul, 2022

Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

Why are energy prices high compared to a year ago?

By Vander Caceres • 14 Jun, 2022

Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

What does volatility mean for your journey to net zero?

20 May, 2022

Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.

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