Progress towards sustainable energy slowing down

ISLAMABAD: The current pace of progress on three global energy goals — access to electricity, renewable energy and efficiency — is not fast enough to meet 2030 targets, according to the latest ‘Global Tracking Framework’ (GTF) report.

The report, released by the World Bank and the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday as part of the ‘Sustainable Energy for All Knowledge Hub’, shows that the increase of people getting access to electricity is slowing down, and if this trend is not reversed, projections are that the world will only reach 92 per cent electrification by 2030, still short of universal access.

Energy efficiency is the only area that made progress towards meeting these objectives; with energy savings during the 2012-2014 GTF reporting period enough to supply Brazil and Pakistan combined.

To meet Sustainable Energy for All objectives, it is estimated that renewable energy investment would need to increase by a factor of 2-3, while energy efficiency investment would need to increase by a factor of 3-6. Estimates suggest that a five-fold increase would be needed to reach universal access by 2030.

The report says that on access to electricity, as of 2014, 1.06 billion people still do not have electricity – only a slight improvement since 2012. Countries that are closing the access gap quickly will see improvements in education, health, jobs and economic growth. Some low-access countries made rapid progress, increasing electrification by two to three percentage points annually.

On access to clean cooking, the number of people who use traditional, solid fuels to cook rose slightly to 3.04 bn (57.4 pc – barely up from 2012), indicating that efforts are lagging population growth.

On renewable energy, overall progress is modest. While new power generation technologies such as wind and solar are growing rapidly, representing a third of the expansion in renewable energy consumption in 2013–2014, they are growing from a very small base, only 4pc of renewable energy consumption in 2012. The challenge is to increase reliance on renewable energy in the heat and transport sectors, which account for the bulk of global energy consumption.

Energy efficiency Of the 20 largest energy consuming countries, Australia, China, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom cut energy intensity by more than 2pc annually – with the industrial sector making the greatest reductions. Going forward, the residential sector, which is becoming more energy intensive rather than less so, must be the focus of efficiency efforts.

“This year’s Global Tracking Framework is a wake-up call for greater effort on a number of fronts. There needs to be increased financing, bolder policy commitments, and a willingness to embrace new technologies on a wider scale. The World Bank is committed, alongside our international development partners, to support countries to reach these goals,” said Riccardo Puliti, Senior Director and Head of Energy and Extractives at the World Bank.

“The Global Tracking Framework demonstrates the urgency to speed up action on achieving Sustainable Energy for All. We at the IEA are proud to contribute once again to this key publication, which highlights the necessity of a global transition to clean, modern energy and ensure a prosperous and productive future for everyone,” said Dr Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director.

Source: Dawn