IEA calls for major boost in renewable energy use

50% of global electricity supplies will need to come from renewable energy sources by the middle of the century if mankind is to avert the most serious effects of climate change, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“Moving a strong portfolio of renewable energy technologies towards full market integration is one of the main elements needed to make the energy technology revolution happen,” IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said in Berlin on 29 September while presenting the report, which provides an overview of policies to promote renewable energies in 35 countries, including the US, Germany, the UK and China.

“Only a limited set of countries have implemented effective support policies for renewables and there is a large potential for improvement,” Tanaka said.

In many countries, renewable electricity generators are still having difficulty accessing power grids, while administrative hurdles persist and many markets are poorly designed, according to the IEA. A lack of information and training as well as low levels of public acceptance are also cited as barriers.

“Governments need to take urgent action,” Tanaka said, pointing to the need for mass market integration based on “predictable, transparent and stable policy frameworks”.

According to the IEA study, the most effective renewable energy policies are to found in Germany, Spain, Denmark and Portugal for onshore windpower, and China for its development of solar heating at a competitive cost. 

The UK, which press reports have accused of attempting to dilute ambitious EU renewable energy promotion plans, trailed far behind in the ranking, coming just 31st, with high green power costs and low effectiveness.

The EU is expected to finalise its renewables policy framework before the end of the year. Presented on 23 January along with a wider climate and energy package, the renewables proposal is geared towards achieving a 20% renewable energy share in 2020 with individual renewable energy targets for EU member states (EURACTIV LinksDossier).

A separate project to further liberalise the EU’s energy market, proposed in September 2007, is also in part designed to facilitate better grid access and market development of renewable energies (EURACTIV LinksDossier). But Parliament and Council are set to clash over the detail of the plans, in particular on the treatment of formerly state-owned French and German energy giants accused of dominating the energy market at the expense of smaller producers.

The IEA recently appealed to the EU to push ahead with an ambitious energy market liberalisation agenda as a means of promoting renewable energies. The Paris-based agency is also calling on the EU to “significantly” increase funding for non-nuclear clean technology research (EURACTIV 05/09/08). 

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