Despite or perhaps because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, IRENA head Francesco La Camera is optimistic about the global energy turnaround. Corona now offers the opportunity to step up the pace of the accelerated expansion of renewables, he emphasized on Monday at the presentation of the Global Renewables Outlook at an international web press conference under the auspices of the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).
In addition to the contribution of sun, wind & co. to more climate protection, they scored points above all due to their sharply reduced costs, their contribution to value creation, job creation and security of supply, as well as balanced living conditions, their resistance to crises and rapid feasibility, said the IRENA Director.
"Every dollar invested pays off up to eight times"
"Every dollar invested in renewables pays off up to eight times", La Camera stressed. Moreover, a global energy turnaround could almost quadruple the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector to 42 million by 2050. Since GDP growth by the middle of the century would be 2.4 per cent higher than currently planned if an ambitious energy turnaround were to take place.
La Camera was therefore also confident that it would be possible to invest 130 trillion US dollars within the next three decades in an ambitious global energy turnaround and an almost complete decarbonization of the economy as the report recommends.. However, the states would also have to create the right framework conditions and incentives for this, not only for the expansion of renewables, but also for energy efficiency, intelligent networks and a green hydrogen infrastructure, for example electrolysers. "It is overdue that now, especially in view of the sharp drop in oil prices, the subsidies for fossil energies should finally be abolished," La Camera emphasized, also in the direction of the German Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi).
"There is a far more dangerous virus"
Thorsten Herdan, Head of the Energy Policy Department at the BMWi, had previously emphasised at the web conference that, in addition to the corona virus, "there is a far more dangerous virus, namely the climate virus". This virus, he said, affects societies, especially those in emerging and developing countries, even more negatively. It is therefore all the more important to continue ambitiously on the path of energy system transformation. The accelerated expansion of renewable energies after Corona is the decisive lever here.
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It will be interesting to see to what extent the Federal Government will remove the obstacles to the expansion of renewables: be it the 52 gigawatt cap on the expansion of photovoltaics, the distance regulations for wind power or regulatory hurdles for sector coupling. "Our country's future technologies need freedom of action instead of brakes," emphasized Simone Peter, President of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) in response to the presentation of the IRENA report. In addition, the Federal Government must also use its forthcoming EU Council Presidency to actively promote the New Green Deal in Europe, demanded Peter. (HCN)
