Energy revolution: a sustainable world energy outlook 2015

摘要

With all the good news from the renewable power sector, the overall transition away from fossil and nuclear fuels to renewables is far too slow to combat dangerous climate change, according to this report.IntroductionThe good news first: the Energy [R]evolution is already happening! Since the first edition was published in 2005, costs for wind power and solar photovoltaics (Pv) have dropped dramatically and markets have grown substantially. between 2005 and the end of 2014 over 496,000 MW of new solar and wind power plants have been installed – equal to the total capacity of all coal and gas power plants in Europe! In addition 286,000 MW of hydro-, biomass- , concentrated solar- and geothermal power plants have been installed, totaling 783,000 MW of new renewable power generation connected to the grid in the past decade – enough to supply the current electricity demand of India and Africa combined. Renewable power generation has become mainstream in recent years. Onshore wind is already the most economic power source for new capacity in a large and growing number of markets, while solar Pv is likely to follow within the next 3 to 5 years. utilities in Europe, North America and around the globe are feeling the pressure from renewables, and the oldbusiness models are starting to erode. . In Germany, where the capacity of solar Pv and wind power is equal to peak demand, utilities like RWE and E.on struggle. More and more customers generate their own power. The future business model for utilities will have to change from selling kilowatt-hours to selling energy services if they are to survive. However, with all the good news from the renewable power sector, the overall transition away from fossil and nuclear fuels to renewables is far too slow to combat dangerous climate change. During the past decade almost as much capacity of new coal power plants has been installed as renewables: 750,000 MW. Over 80% of the new capacity has been added in China, where not only wind and solar power lead their respective global markets, but also new coal. But there are the first positive signs that the increase in coal use is coming to an end in China. The amount of coal being burned by China has fallen for the first time this century in 2014, according to an analysis of official statistics. China’s booming coal in the last decade has been the major contributor to the fast-rising carbon emissions that drive climate change, making the first drop a significant moment.