RenewableS 2013 GlObal STaTUS RePORT - REN21

FOREWORD
Access to modern energy enables people to live better lives—
providing clean heat for cooking, lighting for streets and homes,
cooling and refrigeration, water pumping, as well as basic
processing and communications. Yet over 1 billion people still
lack access to modern energy services.
As a result of the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for
All Initiative and the upcoming Decade of Sustainable Energy
for All, achieving universal energy access has risen to the top of
the international agenda. However, given that the world recently
passed 400 parts per million of atmospheric CO 2 —potentially
enough to trigger a warming of 2 degrees Celsius compared
with pre-industrial levels—meeting growing energy needs in
a climate-constrained world requires a fundamental shift in
how those energy services are delivered. Renewable energy,
coupled with energy efficiency measures, is central to achieving
this objective.
Renewables already play a major role in the energy mix in many
countries around the world. In 2012, prices for renewable
energy technologies, primarily wind and solar, continued to fall,
making renewables increasingly mainstream and competitive
with conventional energy sources. In the absence of a level
playing field, however, high penetration of renewables is still
dependent on a robust policy environment.
Overall, the rate of policy adoption has slowed relative to the
early-to-mid 2000s. Revisions to existing policies have occurred
at an increasing rate, and new types of policies have begun
to emerge to address changing conditions. Integrated policy
approaches that conjoin energy efficiency measures with the
implementation of renewable energy technologies, for example,
are becoming more common.
Global investment in renewable energy decreased in 2012,
but investment expanded significantly in developing countries.
Global investment decreased in response to economic and
policy-related uncertainties in some traditional markets, as well
as to falling technology costs, which had a positive effect on
capacity installations. Renewable energy is spreading to new
regions and countries and becoming increasingly affordable in
developing and developed countries alike.
At the same time, falling prices, combined with declining policy
support in established markets, the international financial
crisis, and ongoing tensions in international trade, have challenged
some renewable energy industries. Subsidies to fossil
fuels, which are far higher than those for renewables, remain
in place and need to be phased out as quickly as possible. The
emergence of shale gas brings a new dynamic to the energy
market, and it remains to be seen how it will affect renewable
energy deployment globally.
Despite fiscal and policy uncertainties, renewables are bringing
modern energy services to millions of people, and increasingly
meeting the growing demands for energy in many countries.
Widespread deployment of renewable energy technologies is
changing the energy-access dynamic in a number of developing
countries, and is turning rural villages into thriving centres
of commerce. Globally, in just five years, solar PV soared from
below 10 GW in 2007 to just over 100 GW in 2012. In the EU,
renewables accounted for almost 70% of new electric generating
capacity in 2012.
We stand on the cusp of renewables becoming a central
part of the world’s energy mix. As technical constraints are
overcome, most of the alleged limitations to achieving higher
shares of renewables are due to a lack of political will to enact
the necessary policies and measures. It is time to address this
remaining hurdle. The Renewables 2013 Global Status Report
provides renewable energy proponents and decision makers
with information and motivation to tackle the challenges ahead.
On behalf of the REN21 Steering Committee, I would like to
thank all those who have contributed to the successful production
of the GSR 2013. These include lead author/research
director Janet L. Sawin, together with the other section authors;
the GSR project managers, Rana Adib and Jonathan Skeen; and
the entire team at the REN21 Secretariat, under the leadership
of Christine Lins. Special thanks go to the ever-growing network
of more than 500 contributors, including authors, researchers,
and reviewers, who participated in this year’s process and
helped make the GSR 2013 a truly international and collaborative
effort.
The REN 21 Renewables 2013 Global Status Report provides
useful insight into the global renewable energy market and
policy arena. I trust that it will serve as an inspiration for your
work towards a rapid worldwide transition to a renewable
energy future.
Arthouros Zervos
Chairman of REN21
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