The global energy crisis has triggered unprecedented momentum behind renewables, with the world poised to add as much renewable energy in the next 5 years as it has done in the last 20 years.
The ongoing energy crisis has made as much renewable energy available in the world in the last 20 years ready to be added in the next 5 years. This has triggered an unprecedented rise in the renewable energy sector so far.
The IEA special report “Renewables 2022” provides analyses of the new policies implemented in response to the energy crisis.
The ongoing energy crisis around the world is causing a rapid rise in demand for renewable energy sources. Globally, renewable energy capacity growth will almost double in the next 5 years. This is an increase that will surpass even coal, the largest source of electricity generation ever.
Energy security concerns stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have led countries to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. According to the IEA’s special report Renewables 2022, renewable energy capacity is foreseen to increase by 2,400 GW over the period 2022-2027. This foreseen large increase is 30% higher than the amount of growth projected a year ago. According to the report, renewables will overtake coal by early 2025 to become the largest source of electricity.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said: “Renewables were already expanding rapidly, but as countries sought to reap their energy security benefits, the global energy crisis pushed them into an extraordinary new phase of even faster growth. The world is preparing to add as much renewable energy in the next 5 years as it has done in the previous 20 years. This is a clear example of how the current energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and safer energy system. The continued acceleration of renewables is critical to helping to keep the door open to limit global warming to 1.5°C.”
The war in Ukraine is a decisive period for renewable energy sources as governments want to replace Russian gas with alternatives. As stated in the report, with the energy crisis and climate targets, the amount of renewable energy capacity added in Europe in the period 2022-2027 is expected to be twice as high as in the previous five-year period.
In addition to Europe, the upward revision in renewable energy growth projected for the next five years is being driven by China, the US and India, which are implementing policies faster than planned, introducing regulatory market reforms to combat the energy crisis. As a result of the recent 14th “Five-Year Plan”, China is projected to account for almost half of its new global renewable energy capacity additions over the 2022-2027 period. At the same time, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act has created new support and long-term awareness for the expansion of renewable energy sources in the United States.
The IEA special report also envisages accelerating solar panel installations on residential and commercial rooftops to help consumers lower their energy bills. Worldwide wind capacity nearly doubled over the forecasted period, with overseas projects accounting for one-fifth of this growth.
Wind and solar power together are expected to account for more than 90% of renewable energy capacity over the next five years.
According to the report, new policies in the United States and India are expected to increase investment in solar power generation by up to $25 billion over the 2022-2027 period, indicating signs of diversification in global PV supply chains as well. As China continues to exert influence, its share of global production capacity could decline from 90% today to 75% by 2027.
Total global biofuel demand is expected to increase by 22% over the 2022-2027 period. The U.S., Canada, Brazil, Indonesia and India account for 80% of the expected global expansion in biofuel use, and all five countries already have comprehensive policies in place to support growth.
The IEA report also highlights that rapid growth in advanced economies requires overcoming various regulatory and permitting challenges and a faster diffusion of renewable electricity into the heating and transport sectors. The current accelerated situation globally envisages efforts to solve supply chain problems, expand grids and use greater sources of resilience to safely manage larger shares of variable renewables. This accelerated situation, along with faster renewable energy growth, will bring the world closer to a path consistent with reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, which offers the chance to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
For detailed information about the energy market and more, follow our Vensol Energy current news and blog page!