2017 Was a Record Breaking Year for Renewables, But More Needs to Be Done to Meet Paris Goals
2017 broke the record for increased renewable energy capacity, Reuters reported Sunday. But it still isn’t enough to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in line with the goals of the Paris agreement.
These are the conclusions of the Renewables 2018 Global Status Report, the most recent annual report from Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), an organization that works to facilitate a transition to renewable energy by sharing knowledge, developing policy and urging action.
The report found that the power sector was making inspiring progress in moving towards a renewable future, but that more had to be done by the heating, cooling and transport sectors, which account for 80 percent of global energy demand.
“We may be racing down the pathway towards a 100 percent renewable electricity future but when it comes to heating, cooling and transport, we are coasting along as if we had all the time in the world. Sadly, we don’t,” REN21 Executive Sec. Randa Adib told Reuters.
Renewable electricity strides included the fact that 70 percent of all new power capacity added to the grid in 2017 came from renewable sources. This was mostly due to the falling price of solar and wind power. Renewable power upped…
