ADVANCING THE GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITION2017Highlights of the REN21 Renewables 2017 Global Status Report in perspective RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY NETWORK FOR THE 21stCENTURYREN21 is the global renewable energy policy multi-stakeholder network that connects a wide range of key actors. REN21’s goal is to facilitate knowledge exchange, policy development and joint action towards a rapid global transition to renewable energy.REN21 brings together governments, non-governmental organisations, research and academic institutions, international organisations and industry to learn from one another and build on successes that advance renewable energy. To assist policy decision making, REN21 provides high-quality ination, catalyses discussion and debate, and supports the development of thematic networks.REN21 facilitates the collection of comprehensive and timely ination on renewable energy. This ination reflects diverse viewpoints from both private and public sector actors, serving to dispel myths about renewable energy and to catalyse policy change. It does this through six product linesRenewables 2004, BonnREN21 events REN21 publications BIREC, Beijing International Renewable Energy ConferenceFirst GSR publishedChinese Renewable Energy Status ReportIndian Renewable Energy Status ReportRenewables Interactive MapWIREC, Washington International Renewable Energy ConferenceDIREC, Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Global Status Report yearly publication since 20052RENEWABLES GLOBAL STATUS REPORT GSRFirst released in 2005, REN21s Renewables Global Status Report GSR has grown to become a truly collaborative effort, drawing on an international network of over 800 authors, contributors and reviewers. Today it is the most frequently referenced report on renewable energy market, industry and policy trends.REGIONAL REPORTSThese reports detail the renewable energy developments of a particular region; their production also supports regional data collection processes and ined decision making.RENEWABLES INTERACTIVE MAPThe Renewables Interactive Map is a research tool for tracking the development of renewable energy worldwide. It complements the perspectives and findings of REN21’s Global and Regional Status Reports by providing infographics from the reports as well as offering detailed, exportable data packs. GLOBAL FUTURES REPORTS GFRREN21 produces reports that illustrate the credible possibilities for the future of renewables within particular thematic areas. RENEWABLES ACADEMYThe REN21 Renewables Academy provides an opportunity for lively exchange among the growing community of REN21 contributors. It offers a venue to brainstorm on future-orientated policy solutions and allows participants to actively contribute on issues central to a renewable energy transition. INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCES IRECThe International Renewable Energy Conference IREC is a high-level political conference series. Dedicated exclusively to the renewable energy sector, the biennial IREC is hosted by a national government and convened by REN21.Renewables Interactive Map revampGlobal Status Report on Local Renewable Energy Policies2011Global Futures ReportMENA Renewable Energy Status ReportADIREC, Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy ConferenceFirst REN21 Renewables Academy, BonnSAIREC, South AfricaInternational Renewable Energy ConferenceFirst GSR MicrositeMEXIREC, Mexico International Renewable Energy Conference, 11-13 September 20172012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status ReportSADC and UNECE Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status ReportsEAC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status ReportREN21 PRODUCTSRenewables 100 Global Futures Report UNECE Renewable Energy Status ReportRenewable Energy Tenders and Community [em]Power[ment] Reports Global Futures ReportsREN21 Renewables AcademyInternational Renewable Energy Conferences3CUTIVE SECRETARYChristine Lins REN21CHAIRArthouros Zervos National Technical University of Athens NTUAINDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONSAlliance for Rural Electrification AREAmerican Council on Renewable Energy ACOREAssociation for Renewable Energy of Lusophone Countries ALERChinese Renewable Energy Industries Association CREIAClean Energy Council CECEuropean Renewable Energies Federation EREFGlobal Off-Grid Lighting Association GOGLAGlobal Solar Council GSCGlobal Wind Energy Council GWECIndian Renewable Energy Federation IREFInternational Geothermal Association IGAInternational Hydropower Association IHAPortuguese Renewable Energy Association APRENRenewable Energy Solutions for the Mediterranean RES4MEDWorld Bioenergy Association WBAWorld Wind Energy Association WWEAINTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONSAsian Development Bank ADBAsia Pacific Energy Research Centre APERC ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency ECREEEEuropean Commission ECGlobal Environment Facility GEFInternational Energy Agency IEAInternational Renewable Energy Agency IRENARegional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency RCREEEUnited Nations Development Programme UNDPUN Environment UNEPUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIDOWorld Bank WBNGOSClimate Action Network CAN Council on Energy, Environment and Water CEEWFundacin Energas Renovables FER Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves GACCGlobal Forum on Sustainable Energy GFSEGreenpeace International ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South AsiaInstitute for Sustainable Energy Policies ISEP Mali Folkecenter MFCPartnership for Sustainable Low Carbon Transport SLoCaT Renewable Energy Institute REIWorld Council for Renewable Energy WCREWorld Future Council WFCWorld Resources Institute WRIWorld Wildlife Fund WWFMEMBERS AT LARGEMichael EckhartMohamed El-AshryDavid HalesKirsty HamiltonPeter RaeNATIONAL GOVERNMENTSAfghanistan BrazilDenmarkGermanyIndiaNorwaySouth AfricaSpain United Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaSCIENCE AND ACADEMIAFundacin Bariloche FBInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis IIASAInternational Solar Energy Society ISESNational Renewable Energy Laboratory NRELSouth African National Energy Development Institute SANEDI The Energy and Resources Institute TERIREN21 MEMBERS4REN21 is a multi-stakeholder network that spans the private and public sectors. Collectively this network of renewable energy, energy access and energy efficiency experts shares its insight and knowledge, helping the REN21 Secretariat produce its annual Renewables Global Status Report as well as regional reports. Today the network has over 800 active contributors and reviewers. These experts engage in the GSR process, giving their time, contributing data and providing comment in the peer review process. The result of this collaboration is an annual publication that has established itself as the world’s most frequently referenced report on the global renewable energy market, industry and policy landscapeRTracking 155 countriesRCovering 96 of global GDPRRepresenting 96 of global population REN21 COMMUNITYAdvancing the Global Renewable Energy Transition Highlights of the REN21 Renewables 2017 Global Status Report in Perspective T he 2017 edition of the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report GSR reveals a global energy transition well under way, with record new additions of installed renewable energy capacity, rapidly falling costs, particularly for solar PV and wind power, and the decoupling of economic growth and energy-related carbon dioxide CO2 emissions for the third year running. Innovative and more sustainable ways of meeting our energy needs – through better-integrated sectoral planning, the adoption of exciting new business models and the more creative use of enabling technologies – are accelerating the paradigm shift away from a world run on fossil fuels.A GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION IS WELL UNDER WAY6HIGHLIGHTS 2017n Newly installed renewable power capacity set new records in 2016, with 161 gigawatts GW added, increasing the global total by almost 9 relative to 2015. Solar PV was the star perer in 2016, accounting for around 47 of the total additions, followed by wind power at 34 and hydropower at 15.5. For the fifth consecutive year, investment in new renewable power capacity including all hydropower was roughly double the investment in fossil fuel generating capacity, reaching USD 249.8 billion. The world now adds more renewable power capacity annually than it adds in net new capacity from all fossil fuels combined.n Cost for electricity from solar PV and wind is rapidly falling. Record-breaking tenders for solar PV occurred in Argentina, Chile, India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with bids in some markets below USD 0.03 per kilowatt-hour kWh. Parallel developments in the wind power sector saw record low bids in several countries, including Chile, India, Mexico and Morocco. Record lows in offshore wind power tenders in Denmark and the Netherlands brought Europe’s industry closer to its goal to produce offshore wind power more cheaply than coal by 2025.n 2016 was the third year in a row where global energy-related CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry remained stable despite a 3 growth in the global economy and an increased demand for energy. This can be attributed primarily to the decline in coal consumption, but also to the growth in renewable energy capacity and to improvements in energy efficiency. The decoupling of economic growth and CO2 emissions is an important first step towards achieving the steep decline in emissions necessary for holding global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius C.n The myth that fossil and nuclear power are needed to provide “baseload” electricity supply when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing has been shown to be false. In 2016, Denmark and Germany successfully managed peaks of 140 and 86.3, respectively, of electricity generation from renewable sources, and in several countries Portugal, Ireland and Cyprus, for example, achieving annual shares of 20-30 electricity from variable renewables without additional storage is becoming feasible. The key lesson for integrating large shares of variable renewable generation is to ensure maximum flexibility in the power system.n There has been an upsurge in cities, states, countries and major corporations committing to 100 renewable energy targets because it makes economic and business sense, quite apart from climate, environment and public health benefits. In 2016, 34 additional businesses joined RE100, a global initiative of businesses committed to sourcing their operations with 100 renewable electricity. Throughout 2016, the number of cities across the globe committed to transitioning to 100 renewable energy – in total energy use or in the electricity sector – continued to grow, and some cities and communities already have succeeded in this goal for example, in more than 100 communities in Japan. Under the Covenant of Mayors for Climate Energy, more than 7,200 communities with a combined population of 225 million people are committed to reducing emissions 40 by 2030, by increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment. And it is not only corporations and sub-national actors that are looking to go 100 renewable. At the climate conference in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016, the leaders of 48 developing nations committed to work towards achieving 100 renewable energy supply in their respective nations. 7HIGHLIGHTS 2017 n A paradigm shift is under way in the developing world, where billions of people still live without access to electricity around 1.2 billion and/or clean cooking facilities around 2.7 billion. The cumbersome process of providing electricity access through grid extension alone is becoming obsolete as new business models and technologies enable the development of off-grid markets. Markets for both mini-grids and stand-alone systems are evolving rapidly. Bangladesh, with 4 million units installed, has the largest solar home system market using mainly microcredit schemes. Pay-As-You-Go PAYG business models, supported by mobile technology for example, the use of mobile phones for bill paying, are exploding. In 2012, investments in PAYG solar companies amounted to only USD 3 million; by 2016 that figure had risen to USD 223 million up from USD 158 million just one year before. This trend started in East Africa and is quickly spreading to West Africa, as well as to South Asia. The mini-grid market now exceeds USD 200 billion annually. In 2016, more than 23 MW of solar PV and wind power based mini-grid projects were announced. n The notion that renewable energy is something that only rich countries can afford is not valid. Most new renewable energy capacity is being installed in developing countries, mainly in China, which has been the single largest developer of new renewable power and heat for the past eight years. With a solar revolution taking off in India, and with 48 developing countries now committed to 100 renewable energy goals, the developing country share of total global renewable energy capacity is likely to increase further. Moreover, in 2015 developing and emerging economies overtook industrialised countries in renewable energy investment for the first time although industrialised countries retook the lead in 2016, despite the fact that China remained the single largest investor. The myth that renewable energy is too expensive, or that only a handful of rich countries continue to lead the way, has been discredited. In many cases, renewable power is now the least-cost option.n Even in the transport sector, which arguably faces the greatest challenges in transitioning to a renewable energy future, major changes are under way. Although policy support for renewable energy use in the transport sector continues to focus primarily on biofuel blends, policies to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles EVs are emerging. This is starting to pay off global deployment of EVs for road transport, and particularly passenger vehicles, has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2016, global passenger EV sales reached an estimated 775,000 vehicles, and more than 2 million of the vehicles were on the world’s roads by year’s end. Direct links between renewable energy and EVs, however, remain limited; many, if not most, EVs are still powered by nuclear and fossil fuel-generated electricity, with the exception of Norway where EVs run on hydropower. There are promising signs nonetheless. Car sharing companies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, for example, have begun offering provisions to charge vehicles with renewable ele