REN Alliance: Technology Solutions for 100% Renewable Energy Future Already Exist

The side event, organised by the REN Alliance – a partnership of organisations representing the solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and bioenergy sectors – demonstrated the realities of 100% renewables at all scales.

The event provided case studies of communities, cities, countries and regions where various high-penetration combinations of renewable energy technologies are working together. These examples showed that technology solutions for a 100% renewable energy are in place, finance options are available and scalable, and resource availability is plentiful, REN Alliance said.

Stefan Gsänger, secretary general of the World Wind Energy Association, said: “It is a great achievement of our work in the past that this COP21 for the very first time has a focus on renewable energy, and that many governments are supporting the call for a 100% renewable energy future. Of course such statements need to be followed by real action. Wind power can and will contribute a substantial share of the future energy supply. WWEA has identified a global wind potential of more than 100 TW, and we have analysed that by 2050, wind could provide 40% of the global power demand.”

Renewable energy sources accounted for 22,8% of the world’s total electricity production at the end of 2014, according to REN21’s 2015 Global Status Report.