Coal continues to dominate global energy supply

The progress made in renewables in the past decade has been overshadowed by the continued dominance of coal, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The report, released (6 April) to coincide with the Clean Energy Ministerial Meeting taking place in Abu Dhabi, found that 47 per cent of global new electricity demand over the last ten years was met by coal, eclipsing the efforts made in the renewable sector over the same period.

Richard Jones, Deputy Executive Director of the IEA, who presented the report to the conference said: “Despite countries’ best efforts, the world is coming ever closer to missing targets that we believe are essential for meeting the goal agreed in Cancun to limit the growth in global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius.”

He believes the world’s dependence on fossil fuels is not only threatening environmental sustainability but also poses short-term risks to political stability and economic activity.

The report found that clean technologies are making progress globally, but concluded that clean energy policies are required to drive this further, including the remove of fossil fuel subsidies, and implementation of transparent and predictable incentives for cleaner energy.

Jones said: “A number of countries have shown that achieving rapid transition to cleaner technologies is possible, and can be done from the bottom up. We must see more ambitious, effective policies that respond to market signals while providing long-term, predictable support.”

This has been particularly apparent in the example of solar PV and wind power, which have both achieved strong growth thanks to favorable policy, says the report.

In the U.S., where last week President Obama announced his “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future”, saying a place remains for fossil fuels in the current energy mix, global investment in American green technology has hit its highest point since 2008, according to a report by Cleantech Group.

Steven Chu, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary also announced this week (5 April) two-investment projects in renewable energy. Along with Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior, he announced $26.6 million funding for research and development projects in hydropower technology, including pumped storage.

As part of the SunShot Initiative, which looks to advance solar research, Chu also announced up to $115.5 million over five year for funding in development of advanced solar PV manufacturing processes.

International collaboration will be key in ensuring momentum, according to the report, which mirrors what UK Energy and Climate Security, Chris Huhne said. Attending this week’s ministerial Huhne pushed for international collaboration in CCS.

The report called for extensive deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a critical step towards meeting climate change targets, with 100 large-scale projects needed by 2020.

While there are over 70 CCS project currently planned, the report says it is still uncertain how many of these will be realised because of recent delays allocating public funding.
 
Coal remains the fastest growing global energy source, and the report authors said any development in CCS must be teamed with making current power stations more efficient, as they will undoubtedly be providing energy for years to come.

Despite this, the authors said: “Switching to less carbon-intensive fuels (e.g. from coal to natural gas) and improving the efficiency of coal plants will achieve significant reductions in CO2 and should be a top priority.”

 

Image: Michael Cote | flickr