The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Image credit: Natural Resources Defence Counil, NRDC
Leaders from the group of 20 developed and developing nations will meet in Los Cabos, Mexico on June 18-19, 2012. While they are preparing for it, Renewable Energy World (REW) gives some interesting statistics of ho these countries are faring on renewable generation and clean energy investment.
The United States, China and Germany are the top three producers of clean energy in G20
Understandably oil wells such as Saudi Arabia would pretty much be uninterested in renewables.
REW noted that although investment is growing, the clean energy sector is still struggling to carve out a larger slice of the overall energy mix. Since 2002, the amount of wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power integrated into the grids of the G20 nations has grown three-fold.
However, this represents just 2.6% of the those nations’ total energy consumption. With the current rate of growth, that would equal less than 4% of total consumption by 2015 and about 6% by 2020. With consumption itself is also expected to grow, any reductions in carbon emissions would be quickly negated.
Set targets and guidelines
NRDC thinks that each member country should:
a) put in place plans to pass laws that would require at least 15% of their energy is produced from renewable sources by 2015
b) have strong commitments to create a framework for cooperation between countries that would help achieve the 15% goal
c) devise monitoring method that will ensure the guidelines are clear and the targets are met.
Image credit: Natural Resources Defence Counil, NRDC
Leaders from the group of 20 developed and developing nations will meet in Los Cabos, Mexico on June 18-19, 2012. While they are preparing for it, Renewable Energy World (REW) gives some interesting statistics of ho these countries are faring on renewable generation and clean energy investment.
The United States, China and Germany are the top three producers of clean energy in G20
Understandably oil wells such as Saudi Arabia would pretty much be uninterested in renewables.
REW noted that although investment is growing, the clean energy sector is still struggling to carve out a larger slice of the overall energy mix. Since 2002, the amount of wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power integrated into the grids of the G20 nations has grown three-fold.
However, this represents just 2.6% of the those nations’ total energy consumption. With the current rate of growth, that would equal less than 4% of total consumption by 2015 and about 6% by 2020. With consumption itself is also expected to grow, any reductions in carbon emissions would be quickly negated.
Set targets and guidelines
NRDC thinks that each member country should:
a) put in place plans to pass laws that would require at least 15% of their energy is produced from renewable sources by 2015
b) have strong commitments to create a framework for cooperation between countries that would help achieve the 15% goal
c) devise monitoring method that will ensure the guidelines are clear and the targets are met.
