Growth in the global economy has typically meant an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, the world economy grew by 3.1% but there was no corresponding growth in emissions. What’s changed? The International Energy Agency monitors figures for energy production. They cite the increasing use of renewable sources of energy as the reason for the flattening out of the emissions line graph. At the same time as production is increasing, the cost of producing all that renewable energy is dropping.

Production is Up

A United Nations report into the energy generation capacity of the global renewables sector revealed that wind, solar, tidal and geothermal sources of energy added 138.5 gigawatts to the global power capacity in 2016. This was an increase of 8% on the previous year.

Costs are Down

8% is an improvement, but it is not a gamechanger. The more incredible finding from the report is that this increase happened despite a 23% decrease in investment in renewables. With global investment down by nearly a quarter – production still went up. The increasing efficiency of renewable sources of energy means that they are now responsible for 11.3% of global electricity.

Resource Efficiency and Climate Action

If governments are to meet the targets outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement and keep global temperature rises below 1.5%, significant investment in efficient renewables is essential. The UN report shows that renewable sources of energy are getting more efficient, but at the same time global investment is dropping. Some governments are clearly thinking ‘we can get the same amount for cheaper’. This kind of short-term thinking has to change.

Jobs in the Renewables Sector

At People with energy, we specialise in partnering people with the right skills with companies that are recruiting. The renewables sector is an exciting environment for people pursuing careers in engineering or logistics. There are jobs available all over the world. 

If you have the relevant skills for a job in the renewables sector, please get in touch. Send your CV to cvs@peoplewithenergy.co.uk and one of our consultants will be in touch.

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