In a report on the feasibility and challenges of achieving a 100% renewable energy future published on 3 April and promoted by means of an online seminar on Wednesday 5 April, the global renewable energy policy multi-stakeholder network REN21, which works with UNEP, the IEA, the World Bank and IRENA, stated that more than 90% of the 114 energy experts from all regions of the world agree that renewable energy technologies serve to lower the barrier for communities to gain access to energy services.
An estimated 100 million people now receive electricity via distributed renewable energy systems, and markets for such systems are growing rapidly, REN221 says.
More than 70% of the experts interviewed consider a global transition to 100% renewable energy to be “both feasible and realistic”, with European and Australian experts most strongly supporting this view
The report highlights the overwhelming consensus that renewable power will dominate in the future, with many experts noting that even large international corporations are increasingly choosing renewable energy products either from utilities or through direct investment in their own generating capacity.
It notes, too, that numerous companies, regions, islands and cities have set 100% renewable energy targets. Nearly 70% of the experts interviewed expect the cost of renewables to continue to fall, beating all fossil fuels within 10 years’ time. Wind and solar photovoltaic are, in fact, already cost-competitive with new conventional generation in most OECD countries.
In addition, countries as diverse as China and Denmark are demonstrating that GDP growth can be decoupled from increasing energy consumption.
However, experts from Africa, the US and Japan, were sceptical about reaching 100% renewable energy supply in their own countries or regions by 2050, largely due to the vested interests of the conventional energy industry.
The experts take the view that drop-in solutions, such as the replacement of combustion engines with electric drives, will not be sufficient to transform the transport sector. A modal shift will be required, for example, from road to rail.
Lastly, the experts highlight that the lack of long-term policy certainty and the absence of a stable climate for investment in energy efficiency and renewables hinder development in most countries.
“Wishful thinking won’t get us there; only by fully understanding the challenges and engaging in informed debate about how to overcome them, can governments adopt the right policies and financial incentives to accelerate the pace of deployment”, argues REN21 in a press release. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)