Official statistics show that China is the country that
invests by far the most money in renewable energy. But the picture is
completely different when measured by GNP. Then the leader is Uruguay followed
by Mauritius, Costa Rica, South Africa and Nicaragua.
That’s the conclusion of fresh statistics presented to the
2014 World Bioenergy conference at Elmia in Jönköping, Sweden in June.
Attendees received the information before it was officially presented at a
press conference in New York. The annual study is produced by the network Ren 21, Renewable Energy
Policy Network for the 21st Century.
Fossil fuels are still the dominant energy source at 77.6
percent of the total. But renewables are gaining ground strongly. By far the
biggest investment focus is solar- and wind-powered electricity, which in 2013
supplied 319 and 318 GWh respectively.
“For the first time solar surpassed wind,” said Martin
Hullin, who presented the statistics.
Bioenergy is increasing strongly, although from a lower
level, and in 2013 supplied 88 GWh of energy to an ever-more energy-hungry
world.
“But the biofuel statistics are not reliable,” said
Bharadway Kummamuru of the World Bioenergy Association. “It is a complex energy
system with a large proportion of local production.”
The statistics also show that investments in renewable
energy fell during 2013. This is a reminder that the industry does not like
uncertainty and reacts to changed conditions. But there is also another
explanation, which in fact shows that growth remains unabated.
“For example, the cost of solar panels has gone down, which
could be the reason for the decrease in investment,” Martin Hullin.
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