More than 150 heads of state and government gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the Sustainable Development Summit where they adopted the historic 2030 Agenda. The Summit put climate change at the top of the global agenda and the 2030 Agenda outlines 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be implemented by 2030. Renewable energy is one of the SDGs. SDG 7.2 specifically calls for a substantial increase in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030.
The global community’s commitment to the SDGs was a milestone in itself. But corporations have already been responding to the scope, severity and speed at which climate change is affecting our planet and business. Power from renewable energy sources is an important piece in the puzzle, and consumer demand for this illustrates the point.
As the world leaders gathered in New York, the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) published its second quarter figures, which confirmed that demand for renewable power continues to grow in 2015. This demand has been driven by thousands of businesses and millions of households in several European countries that are voluntarily purchasing renewable electricity with Guarantees of Origin.
In the European market, Germany has played and continues to play a leading role. Germany is driving demand for renewable electricity. Germany, with a total power consumption of 580 TWh, is now responsible for almost 20% of all consumption documented as renewable. Note that the German figures are somewhat understated for the years 2007 to 2013, due to the existence of a national system of renewable certificates that were not included in the figures of the AIB.
On a European basis, the total demand after Q2 2015 show an increase of 25 TWh –
reaching a record volume of 255 TWh. Compared to the same period last year this equals an increase of 11%. The 2015 development follows a record-breaking 2014, during which the market experienced a 27.6% growth and with an all-time high of 314 TWh in demand for renewable electricity. Moreover, for the first time since 2011, there was a real balance between supply and demand.
The European demand for renewable electricity documented by Guarantees of Origin now constitutes more than 10% of all electricity consumption in Europe (ca. 3300 TWh) and more than one third of all electricity from renewable sources in Europe (ca. 900 TWh).
So while the leaders and global community are shaping the agenda, the figures tell the real story. As we move from SDGs in New York to COP21 in Paris, I firmly believe that there are genuine reasons for hope.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Lindberg is the Managing Director of ECOHZ, a leading supplier of a wide range of renewable energy solutions to electricity providers, businesses and organisations across Europe, North America and Asia. The company also provides an innovative solution - GO² - combining renewable energy purchases with the financing and building of new renewable power generation.
FURTHER INFORMATION
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