Over 600 million people in Africa lack access to energy, while the 46 percent of the population in Africa who do have access use less than all of Spain alone. Lack of energy access suffocates the continent’s economy, resulting in diminished growth compared to other developing regions. As the African population rapidly increases, the demand for reliable energy, secure jobs, and a sustainable future will increase in tandem.
Read More
Colombia’s National Roadmap for Net Zero Carbon Buildings, launched in June 2022 by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, aims to achieve net zero in all new buildings by 2030 and all buildings by 2050. Developed in partnership with WRI’s Zero Carbon Building Accelerator, the roadmap provides a framework for how the country can decarbonize the built environment by setting out clear goals, defining actions and identifying the actors responsible for implementation.
Read More
A directive set forth by Assembly Bill 525 (AB 525, Chiu, Chapter 231, Statutes of 2021) directs that on or before June 1, 2022, the California Energy Commission (CEC) shall “evaluate and quantify the maximum feasible capacity of offshore wind to achieve reliability, ratepayer, employment, and decarbonization benefits and shall establish megawatt offshore wind planning goals for 2030 and 2045.” On August 12, 2022, the CEC adopted a report whose preliminary findings set planning goals of 2,000-5,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030 and 25,000 MW by 2045.
Read More
Over the last 15 years, community solar in the United States has grown dramatically: Installed community solar capacity increased almost 700% between 2006 and 2019. To support LMI participation in the clean energy economy and broader uptake of community solar, the development of catalytic partnerships — dynamic relationships that link utilities, non-profits, financial institutions, developers and other stakeholders to ease financial impediments — will be critical.
Read More
The energy crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine has focused the attention of EU Member States and European institutions, forcing them to reevaluate energy security and the clean energy transition in the region. Where Europe gets its energy from and how much it pays for it is an increasingly pressing concern. Prioritizing a ‘just transition’ has been voiced by politicians at the highest level, including the European Commission’s Vice President Frans Timmermans.
Read More
The total cost of implementing NDCs in Africa is estimated at USD 2.8 trillion over 2020- 2030. This includes the estimation of loss and damage when provided by countries. Of this, national governments have committed to providing USD 264 billion (about 10%), with the remaining USD 2.5 trillion identified as climate finance needs. Across all African regions, reported needs greatly exceed country allocations from national government budgets.
Read More
The fourth phase of the UK governments Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is perhaps the most successful so far, procuring around 11 GW across a variety of clean technologies. The largest capacity of over 7 GW has been acquired from new offshore wind projects off the coast of Great Britain. For the first time, new technologies such as tidal streams and floating offshore wind projects were successful in the fourth round.
Read More
In Denmark, Eurowind Energy intends to build five big land based energy facilities. The overall capacity of all the centres will be around 2.5 GW. According to the business, all five projects will include wind turbines, solar PV, batteries, and PtX hydrogen synthesis. In addition, the business intends to focus on integrating biogas and hydrogen refining into the centres.
Read More
Since the ambitious 30 GW by 2023 offshore wind target was released by the Biden–Harris Administration, there has been a noticeably positive attitude towards pushing the rollout of offshore wind on the political agenda. Although no new offshore wind turbines were installed in the US in 2022, the US offshore wind market continues to gain strong momentum in both state and federal waters.
Read More
In November 2020, the European Commission presented an EU-wide strategy for offshore wind. The strategy includes both the Commission’s vision and targets for offshore wind in Europe, as well as non- binding guidance for European member states on how to reach their individual national goals and contribute to achieving the EU ́s overarching targets for the uptake of offshore wind. The strategy defines a non-binding volume target of 300 GW by 2050, with a subtarget of 60 GW by 2030 for the whole of the EU.
Read More
Governments around the world are looking to accelerate and broaden the scope of their renewables programs to help reduce their reliance on imported energy at this volatile and unpredictable time. Here, key developments within 10 markets that are taking interesting and varied approaches to trying to secure their energy supplies are explored — from the tripling of onshore wind and solar in Germany to green hydrogen investment in India.
Read More
Elevated gas prices and a future tight market means blue hydrogen is no longer a low-cost solution; IEEFA estimates that blue hydrogen costs published by the UK government last year are now 36% higher, calling into question continued policy support for development of the technology. Blue hydrogen is an extension of the gas value chain and does not make sense as an investment during a gas price crisis.
Read More
Hydrogen is expensive to distribute via shipping and pipeline, which is why today the large majority of it is manufactured at the point of consumption. Realistically, is Europe going to be willing to pay that very significant price difference? North African governments and firms should therefore be wary of promises of large export markets for expensive to manufacture and ship green hydrogen, and the synthetic fuels made from it.
Read More
In recent years, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) discussions have gained traction in Southeast Asia (SEA). With the technology-intensive nature of CCUS, several countries could provide reference points for the CCUS potential in Asia: China, Japan, and South Korea. All three countries have a long history of technology leadership and energy investments in the region. Their experiences with CCUS can provide a glimpse into the future path of CCUS in SEA.
Read More
South Korea’s wind and solar output far below corporate needs. South Korea’s top 11 exporters consume 4.5 times more electricity than generated by wind and solar in 2020. South Korea’s biggest companies could lose a key competitive edge over the next decade, as they struggle to secure critical supplies of domestic renewable energy, without a significant boost from the incoming Yoon administration.
Read More
Poland’s restrictive onshore wind law limits the deployment of new wind projects to a value that is not compatible with EU’s climate targets. An update to Poland’s problematic onshore wind law is already on the table, yet the government is delaying the amendment despite huge public support. Being the cheapest energy source, onshore wind could also help lower the extremely high coal-and-gas-driven electricity prices, currently wreaking havoc in the country’s economy.
Read More
Invenergy, a global developer, owner and operator of sustainable energy solutions and GE Renewable Energy, have announced commercial operations for the 998 MW Traverse Wind Energy Center, the largest wind farm constructed in a single phase in North America. Located in north central Oklahoma, Traverse joins the operational 199 MW Sundance Wind Energy Center and the 287 MW Maverick Wind Energy Center.
Read More
Australian energy utility, AGL, has received approval to build a 500 MW battery, with up to four hours of storage. The proposal has been approved by the state Department of Planning and Environment. The grid-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage system will be based at the site of the soon-to-be-closed Liddell power plant near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley.
Read More
The government of UK has announced funding for the installation of new renewable energy storage systems around the country. The government has awarded $9 million to 24 projects around the country as part of the Longer Duration Energy Storage (LODES) competition, which is worth a total of $91 million.
Read More
EDP Renewables, a Spanish renewable energy company, has invested S$1.1 billion for a 91 percent stake in Singapore-based solar manufacturer Sunseap. The agreement was initially announced in November 2021, and it was finalised when all regulatory requirements were completed. EDPR has also announced plans to invest S$10 billion by 2030 in Singapore to build a clean energy hub that will serve the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. This investment is part of the company’s APAC market strategy.
Read More