19 Jul
2006 - According to a new report by the Renewable
Energy Policy Network (REN21), global investments
for renewable energy in 2005 reached a record
high of US$38 billion, up from US$30 billion in
2004.
Other findings in REN21's Global
Status Report — a collaborative effort involving
more than 100 researchers worldwide — show that:
wind power capacity grew by 24 per cent; biomass
power production increased by 50–100 per cent
in several countries; biodiesel production grew
by 85 per cent, with nine new EU countries becoming
producers; grid-tied solar power grew by 55 per
cent, led by Germany which now has more than 200,000
solar rooftops; solar hot water capacity grew
by 23 per cent in China and reached record levels
across Europe; and the US produced record amounts
of ethanol fuel for cars, and three new EU countries
became ethanol producers.
"These developments speak
with a louder voice than the leaders attending
the G8 Summit," said Jennifer Morgan, Director
of WWF's Climate Change Programme and a board
member of REN21.
"While this shows a bright
future for clean energy, it does by no means let
governments off the hook. We need the legislative
basis to grow the clean energy market, and subsidies
of US$150 billion that fuel the fossil market
today should be used to switch the world to clean
energy."
At the recent G8 meeting, held
in St Petersburg, Russia, WWF called on leaders
to increase energy and climate security by promoting,
investing in, and regulating energy-efficiency
measures and renewable energy as a way to limit
damage to the climate and reduce reliance on long,
unsafe links to fossil fuel supplies in a cost-effective
way.
Martin Hiller, Communications Manager
