The global commitment to triple electricity production from clean energy – set by the United Nations last December – is “ambitious but achievable”, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a recent report.
However, the same report finds that current renewable energy development policies are not enough: even if all countries fully implemented their existing plans, the planet would still fall 30% short of the target of tripling installed renewable capacity by 2030.
In an Al Jazeera report, Nikos Mantzaris commented that on the one hand the IEA’s estimate can indeed be achieved, but on the other hand the European Union’s gas policy clashes both with international targets and the goals it has set itself.
Many Member States, including Greece, are planning to increase their fossil gas-fired power generation capacity. On the basis of existing plans, only 7 gas-fired plants will close while 71 new ones are planned, bringing the total number of gas-fired power plants for electricity production to 846 across Europe.
“All available funds, private or public, should be directed towards faster penetration of renewables through investments in grids, electricity storage infrastructure and demand management technologies,” concluded the Green Tank policy analyst.
The article “Tripling clean electricity by 2030 achievable: international energy agency” by John T. Psaropoulos was published on Tuesday 4 June 2024. You can read it here.
