The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has published an action plan to help policymakers adopt more renewables and address energy and climate change crises.
The five-point plan, “Accelerating renewables to achieve energy security, affordability and climate action”, addresses the need to restore order to energy markets while meeting climate goals and creating a secure, stable energy transition.
Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, said: “The world is facing twin crises of energy security and affordability on the one hand and the threat of accelerating global heating on the other.
“It needs to make a decisive shift away from fossil fuels, rather than prolonging reliance on them.
“The solution must be led by renewables, which can deliver clean and reliable electricity to citizens and businesses using the limitless, indigenous resources of the wind and the sun.
“We are witnessing policy and market misalignments in terms of achieving the energy transition, resolving the energy trilemma and delivering a green recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The five actions for policy makers are:
Urgently streamline permitting to produce a huge increase in wind capacity in the next one-to-three years and build a net zero-compatible project pipeline.
Implement a grid access action plan to get large volumes of renewable energy connected.
Introduce simplified mechanisms for clean power procurement and pricing to rapidly unlock investment.
Avoid locking in large-scale fossil fuel-based generation.
Commit to firm energy transition plans and milestones to allow the renewables industry to plan for healthy supply chain development.
GWEC said policymakers must make “sensible decisions” which prioritise the energy transition and are sensitive to the social, economic, environmental and national security risks of prolonged dependency on fossil fuels.