Over 50 Percent of New Power Came From Renewable Sources in 2009
wind energy is becoming more efficient. With wind energy, bigger is better for energy return. Energy return increases with the square of rotor diameter. If the rotor is twice as big, it produces four times the power. Turbine size has been increasing for many years, which is the key reason for the steep rise in EROEI.
Global investments in renewables top non-renewable investments for 2nd year in a row.
July 15th 2010
More than 50 percent of the newly installed power capacity in the U.S. and globally, came from renewable energy sources, according to a new report, released July 15th 2010, by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, a United Nations-backed organization. The Renewables 2010 Status Report provides a comprehensive breakdown of the the movements, trends and innovations globally in renewable energy.
The year 2009 was unprecedented in the history of renewable energy, despite the headwinds posed by the global financial crisis, lower oil prices, and slow progress with climate policy. Indeed, as other economic sectors declined around the world, existing renewable capacity continued to grow at rates close to those in previous years, including grid-connected solar PV (53 %), wind power (32 %), solar hot water/heating (21 %), geothermal power (4 %), and hydropower (3 %).
For the second year in a row, in both the United States and Europe, more renewable power capacity was added than conventional power capacity (coal, gas, nuclear). Renewables accounted for 60 % of newly installed power capacity in Europe in 2009, and nearly 20 % of annual power production.
China added 37 GW of renewable power capacity, more than any other country in the world, to reach 226 GW of total renewables capacity. Globally, nearly 80 GW of renewable capacity was added, including 31 GW of hydro and 48 GW of non-hydro capacity.
Wind power additions reached a record high of 38 GW. China was the top market, with 13.8 GW added, representing more than one-third of the world market - up from just a 2 % market share in 2004. The United States was second, with 10 GW added. The share of wind power generation in several countries reached record highs, including 6.5 % in Germany and 14 % in Spain.
Almost all renewable energy industries experienced manufacturing growth in 2009, despite the continuing global economic crisis, although many capital expansion plans were scaled back or postponed. Impaired access to equity markets, difficulty in obtaining finance, and industry consolidations negatively affected almost all companies.
Nearly 11 GW of solar PV was produced, a 50 % increase over 2008. First Solar (USA) became the first firm ever to produce over 1 GW in a single year. Major crystalline module price declines took place, by 50–60 % by some estimates, from highs of $3.50 per watt in 2008 to lows approaching $2 per watt.
Wind power received more than 60 % of utility-scale renewables investment in 2009 (excluding small projects), due mostly to rapid expansion in China.
Investment totals in utility-scale solar PV declined relative to 2008, partly an artifact of large drops in the costs of solar PV. However, this decline was offset by record investment in small-scale (rooftop) solar PV projects.
The report said that solar photovoltaic installations now generate power in more than 100 countries and continue to be the fastest-growing type of electricity generation in the world. Over 7 gigawatts of grid-tied solar photovoltaic power were added globally in 2009, with the U.S. accounting for around 470 megawatts of that new capacity.
Europe remains far ahead of the U.S., which currently owns just 1 gigawatt of the total 21 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity worldwide.
California remained the leading state in the U.S. adding around 225 megawatts of solar capacity in 2009. However, California is leading in one crucial area - concentrating solar thermal power, which has lagged behind photovoltaics for decades.
In the next four years, new U.S. facilities are expected to bring over 8 gigawatts of solar thermal capacity online by 2014, a staggering jump given that the current global solar thermal capacity is just 662 megawatts.
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