Renewable Energy Outlook: 2018 Analysis and Forecasts to 2023
Introduction
The International Energy Agency (IEA) provides a comprehensive overview of the global renewable energy landscape, focusing on the evolution and challenges in various sectors. The IEA aims to enhance the reliability, affordability, and sustainability of energy through policy recommendations and data analysis.
Key Areas of Focus
- Energy Security: Ensuring diverse, efficient, flexible, and reliable energy sources.
- Economic Development: Supporting free markets to promote economic growth and address energy poverty.
- Environmental Awareness: Analyzing policies to mitigate environmental impacts, particularly addressing climate change and air pollution.
- Global Engagement: Collaborating with association and partner countries, especially major emerging economies, to tackle shared energy and environmental challenges.
Membership
The IEA comprises 30 member countries, 7 association countries, and other partners:
- Member Countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Commission.
Progress in Renewables
- Electricity Sector: Wind and solar photovoltaic technologies are increasingly competitive with fossil fuels in many countries.
- Heat and Transport: These sectors account for the majority of global energy demand but have seen less progress in renewable adoption compared to the power sector.
- Modern Bioenergy: Plays a critical role in decarbonizing these sectors, yet receives less attention despite its significant contribution to renewable energy consumption.
Bioenergy Growth
- Forecast Period (2018-2023): Bioenergy is expected to lead growth in renewable energy usage globally.
- Current Status: In 2023, bioenergy remains the largest source of renewable energy due to its widespread use in heat and transport sectors.
- Sustainability: Expansion of modern bioenergy must adhere to rigorous sustainability guidelines to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions and avoid social, environmental, and economic impacts.
Data and Access
- Data Availability: The IEA is expanding data accessibility for the Renewables 2018 report, available at www.iea.org/renewables2018.
- Restricted Access: Detailed forecasts and data are available via a restricted website, requiring login credentials.
Conclusion
The IEA emphasizes the importance of addressing "blind spots" in the energy system, such as increasing electricity demand for air conditioning and the impact of rising petrochemical demand on oil markets. Modern bioenergy holds significant potential to "green" industries and transportation, but must be managed sustainably. The IEA calls for robust and transparent sustainability frameworks to govern bioenergy supply and use, ensuring a more sustainable and secure energy system.
Dr. Fatih Birol
Executive Director, International Energy Agency