Renewable energy policy

Renewable energy policy is the principal driver of the growth in renewable energy use. As of 2011, 119 countries have some form of national renewable energy policy target or renewable support policy. National targets now exist in at least 98 countries. There is also a wide range of policies at state/provincial and local levels.

Developing countries, which represent more than half of all countries with policy targets and half of countries with renewable energy support policies, are playing an increasingly important role in renewable energy commercialization. One of the forces for the development of renewable energy policies is job creation and the creation of new industries. Jobs from renewables number in the hundreds of thousands in several countries.

As policies spread to more countries, the geography of renewable energy use is also changing. For example, commercial wind power existed in just a few countries in the 1990s but now exists in at least 83 countries. Solar photovoltaics capacity was added in more than 100 countries during 2010.

Background

The International Energy Agency estimates that nearly 50% of global electricity supplies will need to come from renewable energy sources in order to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and minimise significant, irreversible climate change impacts. The principal driver of today's rapid renewable energy growth is policy. Growth of renewables is strongest where and when the policy-makers have established favourable policy frameworks. In many countries, a rich and diverse policy landscape exists at national and local levels.

Selected renewable energy indicators

Selected global indicators	2008	2009	2010
Countries with policy targets for renewable energy use	79	89	98
States/provinces/countries with feed-in tariffs	71	82	87
States/provinces/countries with Renewable portfolio standard policies	60	61	63
States/provinces/countries with biofuels mandates	55	57	60
Investment in new renewable capacity (annual)	130	160	211 billion USD
Existing renewables power capacity, including large-scale hydro	1,150	1,230	1,320 GWe
Existing renewables power capacity, excluding large hydro	200	250	312 GWe
Wind power capacity (existing)	121	159	198 GWe
Ethanol production (annual)	67	76	86 billion liters

As of 2011, 119 countries have some form of national renewable energy policy target or renewable support policy. National targets now exist in at least 98 countries. These targets represent "commitments to shares of electricity production (typically 10–30%), total primary or final energy, heat supply, installed capacities of specific technologies, and shares of biofuels in road transport fuels".

The government in Germany has delivered many successes for jobs in Renewable energy in Germany. This though establishes a level of performance which others have failed to achieve. For example in spite of great effort the Scottish National Party (SNP) Devolved Government in Scotland has still yet to gain extra Renewable Energy jobs, emulating German government success, in excess of those jobs which already existed when the SNP first took office in 2007.

City and local government policies for renewable energy use are a diverse and growing segment of the renewable energy policy landscape. Several hundred cities and other forms of local government around the world have adopted relevant goals, promotion policies, urban planning, and demonstrations.

Levelling the playing field

The IEA has identified three actions which will allow renewable energy and other clean energy technologies to "more effectively compete for private sector capital":

• "First, energy prices must appropriately reflect the “true cost” of energy (e.g. through carbon pricing) so that the positive and negative impacts of energy production and consumption are fully taken into account".
• "Second, inefficient fossil fuel subsidies must be removed, while ensuring that all citizens have access to affordable energy".
• "Third, governments must develop policy frameworks that encourage private sector investment in lower-carbon energy options".

See also

• Eric Martinot
• Renewable energy commercialization
• Deploying Renewables 2011
• List of books about renewable energy

Bibliography

• HM Treasury (2006). Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, 575 pages.
• International Energy Agency (2006). World Energy Outlook 2006: Summary and Conclusions, OECD, 11 pages.
• International Energy Agency (2007). Renewables in global energy supply: An IEA facts sheet, OECD, 34 pages.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2006). Non-technical Barriers to Solar Energy Use: Review of Recent Literature, Technical Report, NREL/TP-520-40116, September, 30 pages.
• REN21 (2008). Renewables 2007 Global Status Report, Paris: REN21 Secretariat, 51 pages.
• United Nations Environment Program (2006). Changing climates: The Role of Renewable Energy in a Carbon-constrained World, January, 33 pages.
• Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security, 40 pages.

External links

• Global Renewable Energy: Policies and Measures
• Global Best Practice in Renewable Energy Policy Making
• More than 100 countries pledge to promote renewable energy
• Deploying Renewables: Principles for Effective Policies