The inclusion in the final agreement at COP28 in Dubai of the commitment to triple renewables by 2030 has been welcomed by the industry.
This is the first time in the history of COP the final text has specifically noted the important role of solar and wind as an cost-competitive and innovative technology key to achieving climate targets, as well as recognition of need to transition away from fossil fuels, the Global Solar Council said.
This is a big win for the renewables industry, and a big win for climate action, it added.
However, it cautioned “recognising” and “calling upon” is not the same as “acting”.
The council said: “The final outcomes still lacks commitment and deadlines to urgently empower countries to rapidly phase out fossil fuels and replace with renewables.
“And this should not be with technologies that allow for business as usual like gas and CCSU, which are shockingly included in this text as low carbon or transitional technologies.”
RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said transitioning away from fossil fuels as fast as possible is essential, not only to keep us track for net zero, but also because it enables electricity to be generated at the lowest cost for billpayers, as wind and solar are the cheapest sources of new power.
He added: “It’s good to see the agreement calls for a trebling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and that it specifically states that accelerating action over the course of this decade is critical to reaching our climate change goals.
“Even though today’s agreement represents an important milestone, many countries would have liked the text to go further.
“The UK remains a global leader in a wide range of renewable technologies, but to maintain our lead, we will need to maximise the amount of clean energy capacity we secure in every annual CfD auction to meet the government’s targets and grow new high-tech supply chains throughout the country.”
Ben Backwell, chief executive of the Global Wind Energy Council said the final text went further to make it clear that the rapid scale up of renewables in this decade will largely draw on wind power, along with solar and storage, as the most proven, scalable and cost-effective technologies for mitigating climate change.
He added: “This is a milestone for the wind industry, which has now been recognised as being on the frontlines on the road to net zero.“All eras come to an end, and this must mark the end of the fossil fuel era.
“The start of the renewables era is now upon us, requiring governments, industry and society to collaborate on now implementing a fair and equitable energy transition.“We’re now at the start line of a race against time. We must work to unlock finance, streamline permitting, scale the supply chain and transform grids to ensure this isn’t a missed opportunity.
“The science is clear, and time is limited. The Global Wind Energy Council will be laser focused in this decade on delivering the enormous uptake of wind energy needed in every region of the world.”
The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) cautiously welcomes the news that all countries have been formally called upon to transition away from fossil fuels.
However, it added that these negotiations have come far later than they needed to, and could have gone further.
Dr Nina Skorupska, REA chief executive, said: “For the first time in three decades of climate negotiations, the words fossil fuels have featured in a COP outcome, which is indeed a historic moment and emphasises that the time for renewables is now.
“While grateful that this text has entered the agreement, I am wary of how each nation will pursue what they believe are courses of actions. We must all now be vigilant in holding our world leaders, including the UK, to account.
“The next time we will have a view of this progress with clear data as part of the Global Stock Take will not be until 2025 in Brazil.
“Therefore, moving forward the REA will encourage the UK Government to ensure this call is delivered in domestic policy, with clear pathways that phase out unabated fossil fuels.
“This is absolutely crucial for maintaining any sense of UK leadership on the global stage.”