ATA Insights Newsletter 12 Feb 2021

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been looking at statistics that may show progress toward curbing carbon emissions and the truth is, it doesn’t look great. In absolute terms, CO2 has been rising without a blip since 1990, and in 2018 coal still accounted for 27% of total energy supply, whereas wind, solar and hydro accounted for just 5%, according to IEA figures.

The low cost of solar and wind energy and recent flurry of investments in renewable hydrogen give us reasons to be optimistic. Still, GHG emissions data provides a stark reminder of the need to dramatically quicken the pace of renewable energy deployment (and of coal retirement) for carbon emissions to actually decline.

‘Waiting 10 years to start eliminating emissions will cost the US more than $3.5 trillion’. Globally, we should be investing USD 1.6 trillion per year through 2050 on the energy sector alone, but we’re investing 20% of that. Find out more

 Macquarie has raised € 1.6 billion for global renewables fund, driven by strong demand by institutional investors in Britain and Germany. Learn more

 ‘Floating solar panels on 1% of reservoirs ‘could double’ Africa’s hydropower capacity’. Boosting hydro would be timely, as climate change is likely to reduce hydro’s contribution to power generation. Read on

 ‘State-owned fossil fuel firms' plan to invest $1.9tn could destroy climate hopes’. There is no chance the targets set in the Paris agreement will be met if these projects go through, according a new report. Learn more

 ‘Cheap renewable energy a divisive issue in South Africa’. Eskom’s failure to supply electricity reliably has prompted some major cities to look for ways to secure their own electricity supply with renewables, creating this is creating tensions with the central government and stoked fears of secession, according to this article

There are two recent renewable energy reports I’d recommend you check out:

• Opportunities for Solar Industrial Process Heat in the United States, available here
• Concentrating Solar Power - Clean Power on Demand 24/7, available here

 As always, many thanks to our sponsors GoodWe, PV Hardware and SQM for making this newsletter possible.