One-Fourth of the World's Energy Comes From Renewable Sources

Hydroelectric, solar, and wind energy are on the rise. Other types of green energy, not so much.

Three Gorges Dam
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Almost a quarter of the world's energy currently comes from renewables, according to a new report. More than half of that energy is hydroelectric.

The  Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, better known as REN21, is an international collective dedicated to promoting renewables. It consists of governments, the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, research and academic institutions, and other large institutions. REN21 wants to bring all these forces together to "advance renewable energy."REN21's Global Status Report is its chief yearly publication, a widespread look at where renewables currently stand. 

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On the whole, they're growing. Although hydroelectricity is the world's common renewable energy thanks to China, home to half of the world's dams, there have been massive investments made in both solar and wind power. $289 billion dollars were invested in renewable energy in 2015, more than double the amount given to coal and fossil fuel. $161 billion of that went to solar, $109 billion to wind power. Other energy sources, like biomass (converting waste matter to energy) actually saw investment drop off by over forty percent. 

The boom in solar investment is leading to a global hiring spree. Despite lagging behind hydro in terms of actual gigawatts produced solar is the leading source of direct and indirect jobs in terms of renewable energy, producing over two and a half million jobs worldwide. Hydroelectric, on the other hand, appears to have some level of self-sufficiency with only 107,000 jobs being produced across the globe. 

REN21 sees this year's Global Status Report as a sign that structural change is needed to match up with localized choices. China's dominance among the various "top performing countries" lists within the Report showcase the country's newfound commitment to green energy. It leads the world in energy created by wind, photovoltaic solar cells, hydro, as well as overall investment. 

"The renewables train is barreling down the tracks," says Arthouros Zervos, Chair of REN21, "but it's running on 20th century infrastructure - a system based on outdated thinking where conventional baseload is generated by fossil fuels and nuclear power. To accelerate the transition to a healthier, more-secure and climate-safe future, we need to build the equivalent of a high-speed rail network – a smarter, more flexible system that maximizes the use of variable sources of renewable energy, and accommodates decentralized and community-based generation."

Source: Futurism

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