The opening paragraph of The Guardian article, ‘US wind energy industry breezes past 50GW milestone’.

Related:

• ‘Setting the Record Straight on Oil and Clean Energy’ (Huffington Post)
• ‘Obama slams Romney’s opposition to wind energy tax credit’ (Los Angeles Times)
• ‘IEA Forecasts 40% Growth in Renewable Power Generation in Next 5 Years’ (Clean Technica)

(Photo source: Clean Technica)

1 out of 11: The IEA’s New Report Card on Climate Change and Clean Energy

From The IEA:

While progress is being made on renewable energy, most clean energy technologies are not being deployed quickly enough, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today in an annual progress report presented to ministers and representatives of nations that together account for four-fifths of global energy demand.

The report, Tracking Clean Energy Progress, highlighted the rapid progress made in some renewable technologies, notably the solar panels easily installed by households and businesses (solar PV) and in onshore wind technologies. In fact, onshore wind has seen 27% average annual growth over the past decade, and solar PV has grown at 42%, albeit from a small base. Even more impressive is the 75% reduction in system costs for solar PV in as little as three years in some countries. This serves as evidence that rapid technology change is possible. Unfortunately, however, the report concludes that most clean energy technologies are not on track to make their required contribution to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and thereby provide a more secure energy system.

“We have a responsibility and a golden opportunity to act,” said IEA Deputy Executive Director Ambassador Richard H Jones. “Energy-related CO2 emissions are at historic highs; under current policies, we estimate that energy use and CO2 emissions would increase by a third by 2020, and almost double by 2050. This would likely send global temperatures at least 6°C higher. Such an outcome would confront future generations with significant economic, environmental and energy security hardships – a legacy that I know none of us wishes to leave behind.”

…

The report offers three over-arching policy recommendations for changing this status quo and moving clean-energy technologies to the mainstream market:

• First, level the playing field for clean energy technologies. This means ensuring that energy prices reflect the “true cost” of energy – accounting for the positive and negative impacts of energy production and consumption;
• Second, unlock the potential of energy efficiency, the “hidden fuel” of the future. Making sure that energy is not wasted and that it is used in the best possible way is the most cost-effective action and must be the first step of any policy aimed at building a sustainable energy mix’
• Finally, accelerate energy innovation and public support for research, development and demonstration. This will help lay the groundwork for private sector innovation, and speed technologies to market.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Related: 

• ‘We can have safe, sustainable energy’

• ‘The truth about renewable energy: Inexpensive, reliable, and inexhaustible’

Infographic source: IEA via The Guardian

Infographic: ‘The Human Cost of Energy’

“The lion’s share of human costs, however, comes not from accidents but from pollution, which makes fossil fuels the most dangerous form of energy generation.”

(Credit: Scientific American)

Infographic: ‘Samso: The Energy Self-Sufficient Island’

It took ten years and $80 million, but the Danish island of Samsoe now produces enough energy to satisfy all its needs and still export 40 percent of its energy to the mainland. Going 100 percent renewable wasn’t easy, but the results have paid off handsomely. Farmers on the island who are powering their facilities with wind turbines are seeing a 6 to 7 year payback on those investments. And of course it’s remarkable that wind, unlike other energy technologies, is entirely compatible with agriculture.

(Source: SmartPlanet)