The Renewables
2014 Global Status Report released earlier this month has good news
for the environment, namely that an estimated 22.1% of the world’s electricity
was generated from renewable sources in 2013. That percentage is expected to
rise as countries across the globe pour money and resources into alternative,
clean energy.
The U.S. ranks second, after China, for annual investment in
renewable energy and for generating electricity from renewable sources, yet the
U.S. has a lower share of energy (13%) generated from renewable sources than
the world average of 22.1%, according to the data compiled by Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century,
an international, government-supported institute that supports renewable-energy
development. That’s because the U.S. uses a lot of
electricity and resources
in general.
The average is brought up by a number of countries like
Austria and Costa Rica, which get a majority of their electricity from
renewable sources. According to the report, hydropower accounts for 16.4%
of the renewable energy, whereas the alternative energies including solar and
wind make up 5.7%.
“The shares of renewable energy in a country’s power mix are
varying greatly from country to country,” according to an email from REN21.
“They depend on resource availability but above all on political choices.”
REN21 also ranks countries by top investments and use of
individual types of renewable energy.
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