The case for increasing renewable energy production has been strengthened by Covid-19 lockdowns around the world, according to BP chief executive Bernard Looney (pictured).
Looney believes the rapid decrease in carbon emissions due to global lockdowns can be used to make the economic and environmental case for a rapid uptake of new renewable energy projects.
The International Energy Agency estimates that global CO2 emissions may fall by as much as 2.6 gigatonnes this year as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns.
However, Looney warned that “as economies restart and our lives return to normal there is a risk that these gains will be lost”.
“As the world emerges from the COVID-19 crisis it needs to make decisive changes to move to a more sustainable path.
“The disruption to our everyday lives caused by the lockdowns has provided a glimpse of a cleaner, lower carbon world: air quality in many of the world’s most polluted cities has improved; skies have become clearer,” Looney wrote during his opening statement of BP’s 2020 Statistical Review of World Energy.
“But to get to net zero by 2050, the world requires similar-sized reductions in carbon emissions every other year for the next 25 years.
“This can be achieved only by a radical shift in all our behaviours. By using resources and energy more efficiently. And by implementing the full range of zero and low carbon energies and technologies at our disposal – including renewable energies, electrification, hydrogen, CCUS (carbon capture use and storage), bioenergy and many more.”
BP’s annual report revealed that renewable energy production increased by a record amount last year accounting for over 40% of the growth in primary energy in 2019.
Wind provided the largest contribution to renewables growth (1.4 exajoules) followed closely by solar (1.2 exajoules).
Coal remained the single largest source of power generation, accounting for over 36% of global power, compared with 10% provided by renewable energy.
The shift from coal to renewables saw a slowing in the increase in global carbon emissions within the energy sector from 2.1% in 2018 to 0.5% in 2019.
Looney added: “The slowing in the growth of carbon emissions to 0.5% in 2019 may suggest some grounds for optimism.
“But this deceleration needs to be seen in the context of the big increase in carbon emissions in 2018 of 2.1%. The hope was that as the one-off factors boosting carbon emissions in 2018 unwound, carbon emissions would fall significantly. That fall did not happen.”
Countries exhibiting a slower increase in electricity demand coupled with faster renewables uptake are making “rapid progress” in decarbonising generation, the BP study highlighted.
Germany and the UK have the biggest share of renewable power generation, with 37% of Germany’s electricity now from renewables compared to 34% in the UK. The global average is 10.4%.
In comparison, renewables account for less than 10% of power generation in China and India.
China is the world’s largest producer of renewable energy, consuming 6.63 exajoules of green energy in 2019, while also accounting for 51% of the world’s coal consumption, for power production.
North America and Europe saw the biggest decreases in coal consumption, recording annual decreases of 14% and 12% respectively.
In North America wind energy production increased by 10%, compared to a 20% increase in solar.
In South and Central America wind production increased by 20%, while production went up by 38%.
There was a 96% increase in solar in the Middle East and a 25% increase in the Asia Pacific region.
Europe was the only region to see a greater increase in wind production, recording a 14% increase in wind energy compared to an 11% hike in solar.