In renewable energy, we've barely scratched the surface

With the help of the right public policies, the world could get most — close to 80 per cent — of the energy it needs from renewable sources by mid-century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

A new IPCC report, backed with findings from more than 120 researchers, finds that implementing renewable energies could save the equivalent of 220 to 560 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions between 2010 and 2050. The wide range stems from the various scenarios for future energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Which scenarios become reality depends upon the policies set by governments around the world.

“The report shows that it is not the availability of the resource, but the public policies that will either expand or constrain renewable energy development over the coming decades,” said Ramon Richs, co-chair of the IPCC’s Working Group III. “Developing countries have an important stake in this future — this is where most of the 1.4 billion people without access to electricity live yet also where some of the best conditions exist for renewable energy deployment.”

That’s an important consideration for the renewable energy market: with energy demand rapidly increasing in developing countries, that is where the greatest potential lies. Countries like China and India hold the key to both developing renewable energies through manufacturing and ensuring that carbon emissions are kept in check. However, neither of those goals is possible without significant governmental support, through targets and limits, on both a national and international scale.

The report identified the following as having the greatest potential to affect our future energy mix:

• Bioenergy – Energy crops; forest, agricultural and livestock residues; and so-called second-generation biofuels
• Direct solar energy – Includes photovoltaics and concentrating solar power
• Geothermal energy – Based on heat extraction from the Earth’s interior
• Hydropower – Includes run-of-river, in-stream and dam projects with reservoirs
• Ocean energy – Ranging from barrages to ocean current devices and technologies that harness temperature differences in the marine realm
• Wind energy – Includes on- and offshore systems.

Currently, renewable energy accounts for just under 13 per cent of the world’s energy mix, with the majority of this coming from biomass. However, developments in recent years have led to new installed capacity for renewables outpacing that of conventional sources in Europe. Of the 300 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity generating capacity added globally between 2008 and 2009, 140 GW came from renewable energy.

Beyond this, there is still huge potential. Less than 2.5 per cent of the globally available potential resources for renewable energy are currently being used; in other words, more than 97 per cent remains untapped, which leaves myriad opportunities for further development.