RENEWABLES
Ren21 — the Renewable EneRGy Policy Network for the 21st Century — has recently published the 2014 edition of its annual Global Status Report . The report indicated that over the past decade , developing and emerging nations have made substantial progress in the realm of renewable energy and the trend is expected to continue .
A Surge in PV Power Worldwide , PV installation has surpassed wind power in new growth : in 2013 , more PV than wind power technology was installed globally for the first time , with PV installation growth up 38 percent and a running
“ In the early 2000s we saw upward trends , but nobody really predicted the extraordinary expansion of renewables that unfolded in the last decade ”
– Christine Lins , Executive Secretary , REN21 total of 139 GW worldwide . This is enough to generate at least 160 TWh ( tetrawatt hours ), or about 0.85 percent of the planet ’ s electricity demand .
Germany has led the world in cumulative PV installations since 2005 . China is expected to install 10 GW per year and may surpass Germany ’ s total capacity in 2016 . The fastest PV growth is projected to continue in China and Southeast Asia , Latin America , the Middle East and North African countries and India . By 2018 , the cumulated capacity could reach between 320 GW and 430 GW worldwide .
Investments Are Down , But So Are Costs According to the report , 2013 marked the second year in a row of global decline in investment , partly due to uncertainty over incentive plans in the Europe and United States and to retroactive reductions in support in other nations . Europe ’ s investment in renewable energy decreased by 44 percent from 2012 , and for the first time , China invested more than all of Europe combined . Of the top ten investors in renewable energy in 2013 , seven were developed nations
22 June 2014