Welcome ! As a young French Marketing professional with a Master's in International Management I have been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Sounds great ? Don't hesitate to subscribe now !
According to an International Energy Agency official, a third of ALL global energy needs could be answered by solar energies within the next five decades. (photovoltaic, concentrated and thermal)
And this could be a low estimate : as Climate Progress notes : ” Solar is clearly proving itself without a price on carbon. With an effective pricing regime in place, a 30% penetration would almost certainly be low. “
Today, oil is accounting for around a third of the energy we use. I wonder how our world would look if solar became this ubiquitous. I hope I will be able to see this ! ( I would be 77 years old then…)
According to the IEA’s annual report, the situation is getting bleaker and bleaker. Confirming that we have five years to start decreasing our global emissions – cf. my previous post on that very matter – it is also providing several other findings.
As you can sure imagine, several websites published lengthy articles on the very matter. In today’s article we will review the main findings and the most essential parts of the World Energy Outlook 2011.
World leaders will meet again very soon in Durban, South Africa, to discuss about the future of the Kyoto Protocol. It’s time they, we, step up and heed the calls for serious actions. Continue »
To Yale Environment 360 : “In the wake of the Fukushima meltdowns, some nations are looking to move away from nuclear power. But not China, which is proceeding with plans to build 36 reactors over the next decade.
Now some experts are questioning whether China can safely operate a host of nuclear plants.” Indeed, building so many reactors in such a little time seems dangerous, especially if as the article goes :
” The International Energy Agency suggests that 30 new nuclear reactors must be built each year between now and 2050 to cut CO2 emissions in half. ” Continue »
In a bit more than 15 little years, the entire world may face declining coal production. This was the subject of a post on The Oil Drum. This is a huge problem as to date it accounts for 41 percent of the world’s electricity (IEA 2010).
” World coal production is dominated by China. China’s coal production is projected to peak in 2027 with a peak production level of 5.1 billion tons. World (excluding China)’s coal production is projected to peak in 2027.“
This is not entirely new as I wrote a post two years ago stating that peak coal could occur as early as 2025. What are we waiting for to push efficiency and alternatives ? China is doing it already, but will it be enough ?
Here is another renewable energy we little hear about… According to a new publication from the IEA, geothermal could provide about 3.5% of annual global electricity production, 3.9% of energy for heat by 2050.
As the press release notes : ” there is potential to achieve at least a tenfold increase in the global production of heat and electricity from geothermal energy – heat emitted from within the earth’s crust – between now and 2050. “
Currently, geothermal represents 0.3% and 0.2% of electricity and heat, respectively. It is worth noting that Indonesia believes this could bring up to a third of its electricity by 2025.
To the IEA : ” CO2 emissions reach a record high in 2010; 80% of projected 2020 emissions from the power sector are already locked in. Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history. ”
” After a dip in 2009 caused by the global financial crisis, emissions are estimated to have climbed to a record 30.6 Gigatonnes (Gt), a 5% jump from the previous record year in 2008, when levels reached 29.3 Gt. ”
” In addition, (…) 80% of projected emissions from the power sector in 2020 are already locked in, as they will come from power plants that are currently in place or under construction today. ” Continue »
You may perhaps remember it, the International Energy Agency is banking a lot on carbon capture and storage (CCS). Indeed, the IEA believes that it could account for 15 % of greenhouse gases emissions reductions.
However, CleanTechnica got an interesting article on how this solution fails to deliver. One of the main reasons is that ” globally there are now fewer than half a dozen full-scale CCS projects in operation around the world. ”
I believe we should stop banking on this technology. I previously wrote that it won’t solve the climate change problem as it is is too risky, too expansive, too little and… too late. Continue »
… but fossil fuels are progressing even faster. This is in a nutshell the message from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA, the OECD energy office) latest report, the Clean Energy Progress Report. As GreenTechMedia noted :
” Renewable energy generation has grown, on average, by 2.7 percent a year since 1990. Electricity generation, however, has grown by 3 percent, meaning that the steps forward have been eclipsed by the overall market.”
Indeed, coal, despite being dozens of times dirtier than renewables, has fulfilled 47 percent of the new electricity demand in the past decade. Continue »
Renewable energy sources are progressively going from the fringe to the mainstream. Indeed, to the IEA they may provide as much electricity to the grids than coal by 2035. Now, here is a market study that provides further evidence :
” According to the new market research report ‘Global Renewable Energy Market Outlook (2008 – 2015), published by MarketsandMarkets, the global renewable energy market is expected to reach a size of $614.92 billion by 2015.”
This is great but I really would like to know how many green jobs will be created. Guess that with so much money – 460 billion euros – there will be a lot.
Like every year at this period, the International Energy Agency published this week its latest World Energy Outlook (WEO). This year it is focusing on how country members can reach the goal they committed to in Copenhagen.
Indeed limiting the rise in temperatures to 2°C is an important goal that requires a plan of action. The IEA also focused on the two Asian giants, India and China and on the tremendous potential of renewable energy sources.
As you can imagine, this report is full of interesting facts and figures. As I browsed various websites I am able to propose you a selection of the main findings. Continue »
