The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) pointed out that the development of renewable energy continues to accelerate, but the problem of uneven distribution of geographical and technological deployment has become prominent, and more attention should be paid to the energy transition process in developing countries in the future.
Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency released a report showing that in 2023, the global installed capacity of renewable electricity will set a new record, with an increase of 473 GW, and the cumulative installed capacity will exceed 3,870 GW. However, the agency pointed out that although the development of renewable energy continues to accelerate, the problem of uneven distribution of geographical and technological deployment has been highlighted, and more attention should be paid to the energy transition process of developing countries in the future to promote the joint development of all regions of the world.
The growth of wind and solar installed capacity is leading
According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, in 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of renewable energy in the world will increase by 13.9% year-on-year, and wind power and photovoltaic capacity are the absolute protagonists, accounting for 98% of the total increase. By the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of photovoltaics, hydropower, and wind power ranked the top three, accounting for 37%, 33%, and 26% of the total installed renewable energy capacity, respectively.
In the development of renewable energy, the photovoltaic industry is particularly prominent, with the continuous decline in costs and the frequent emergence of favorable policies, it has increasingly become the main body of incremental growth in the field of renewable energy. Among them, China leads the global development of photovoltaic installed capacity, with 216.9 GW of new photovoltaic installed capacity, accounting for 91.2% of the increase in Asia. At the same time, from a global perspective, in 2023, the new installed photovoltaic capacity will be 346 GW, a year-on-year increase of 32.2%, reaching 73% of the increase in renewable energy installed capacity, not only setting a single-year growth record, but also refreshing the market share growth record.
During the same period, the installed capacity of wind power increased by 116 GW, accounting for about 24%, once again setting a new record high, and China's installed wind power capacity accounted for about two-thirds of the world's total increase, followed by the United States, Brazil, India and other countries. In addition, the installed capacity of biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy has increased to a certain extent.
According to the analysis of the International Renewable Energy Agency, the reason why renewable energy represented by wind and solar energy has gained such momentum is due to the continuous improvement of the cost competitiveness of renewable energy on the one hand, and the policy attention of various countries on the other hand. Taking the EU as an example, not only has the cost competitiveness of renewable energy increased, but the EU policy has also become more and more focused on green energy, and the emphasis on energy security is a "catalyst" for the rapid development of renewable energy.
The transition process is "hot and cold"
Despite the "limitless" development of renewable energy, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has also pointed out that the pace of the global energy transition is not consistent, and the growth rate of renewable energy installations is also significantly uneven. Regionally, driven by the strong Chinese market, Asia is the leader in renewable energy development, accounting for about 69% of the world's new installed capacity. During the same period, installed renewable energy capacity increased by 71.2 GW in Europe, 34.9 GW in North America and 22.4 GW in South America, which is also the highest increase in renewable energy capacity in the world.
By comparison, in 2023, Africa's installed renewable energy capacity will increase by only 2.7 GW, with a cumulative installed capacity of 62 GW, accounting for only 1.6% of the global total. Last year, the Middle East added 5.1 GW of renewable energy capacity, a record high in the region, but the region has 36 GW of cumulative renewable energy capacity, accounting for less than 1% of the world's total.
The uneven development of renewable energy is also evident in island countries. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, island developing countries, including Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, may account for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year, but they are facing a more severe climate crisis. Accelerating the development of renewable energy in these regions will not only help these countries maintain energy security and improve climate resilience, but also bring positive economic development prospects and better quality of life and services for their residents.
IRENA Director-General LaCarmela pointed out that the global trend towards the relative concentration of renewable energy technologies and deployments could widen the gap in the pace of decarbonization across countries, posing a significant risk to global climate goals, and that countries with slower transitions should be helped in the energy transition.
La Carmella further stressed that governments should ensure a more equitable flow of finance, and in the future should direct public funds to countries and regions with large untapped renewable energy potential that are difficult to attract investment.
More needs to be done to facilitate the transformation
La Carmela further said that the significant increase in installed renewable energy generation capacity shows that renewables are the only energy transition technology that can be rapidly and massively scaled up to meet the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. However, the growth rate of global renewable energy capacity is still not fast enough to meet the development target of increasing the installed capacity of 7.2 terawatts in the next seven years.
According to estimates, the growth rate of global renewable energy installed capacity still needs to double, and the annual new installed capacity will reach about 1,100 GW before it is expected to reach the set target.
In the previous release of the World Energy Transition Outlook, the International Renewable Energy Agency emphasized that countries are establishing technology deployment pathways based on climate action goals, economics and energy security, but in fact, while the global renewable energy installed capacity has repeatedly reached new highs, many countries are also supporting the development of fossil fuels, and new investment in fossil fuels has entered an upward channel after a brief decline in 2020.
In the view of the International Renewable Energy Agency, it is urgent to introduce relevant policies. In the face of the existing challenges of global renewable energy development, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recommends that developing countries should now be prioritized to accelerate the energy transition through massive scaling up of financing and strong international cooperation. More investment is needed in the grid, power, flexibility and energy storage, and the goal of tripling renewables by 2030 requires a comprehensive strengthening of institutional roles, policy implementation and skills development.
Text丨Reporter Li Limin