Faster adoption of renewables necessary — energy expert
10m people employed by global renewable energy sectorworldwide
More than 10 million people are now employed within the global renewable energy sector, yet the world is still far from keeping to the global temperature rise goals set by the Paris climate agreement, a top energy expert said in the capital yesterday.
In order to ensure that average global temperatures do not rise by more than two degrees Celsius, the pace of renewable energy adoption must be six times faster, said Adnan Z. Ameen, director general at the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
“[Such an] acceleration of renewables deployment, buttressed by energy efficiency, would require significant upfront investment but would reap longterm benefits. The global economy in this scenario would grow by one per cent, and employment in the sector would triple from today’s levels. Importantly, global welfare would improve by 15 per cent, including through better health, reduced air pollution and [reduced negative impacts of climate change],” Ameen said. Decision makers must now quickly learn how to invest in renewables and accurately manage their risk and potential, he added. Ameen was speaking at the 15th council meeting of the Irena, an intergovernmental organisation that aims to support countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future. Irena has been headquartered in Abu Dhabi since its creation in 2009. Delegates at the meeting heard that the worldwide renewable energy sector currently employs 10.3 million people, including in 500,000 jobs created last year alone. More than 70 per cent of these jobs are based in China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany and Japan, with the solar photovoltaic industry employing the most people.
A record 167 gigawatts of new renewable capacity was also added last year, an increase of 8.3 per cent over 2016, Ameen said. Solar grew by a remarkable 32 per cent, followed by 10 per cent growth in wind energy. Yet, policymakers are continuing to underestimate the potential of renewables.
“This potential has systematically been underestimated, and the deployment has consistently outperformed the predictions of theoretical models in the energy space. This is problematic. The renewables potential needs to be properly planned for and fully realised,” Ameen recommended. He pointed to the example of France, where residents now have the ability to collectively self-consume the renewable energy they produce and sell any excess to the national grid.