AMMAN: Capacity to generate power from renewable sources, including solar, wind and hydro, hit a new high in 2014, driven by a rise in the number of countries with green energy goals, according to an international group of experts.
An 8.5 per cent increase in renewable energy capacity allowed the global economy and energy consumption to grow without a parallel increase in carbon emissions for the first time, according to a report from green energy policy network REN21.
The growth in renewables was powered by green energy targets and other support policies now in place in 164 countries, up from 144 in 2014, indicated Paris-based REN21.“Renewable energy and improved energy efficiency are key to limiting global warming to 2OC and avoiding dangerous climate change,” REN21 chair Arthouros Zervos said in a statement.
China’s push for renewables and efforts to promote them in wealthy countries helped keep carbon emissions at the same level as in 2013, despite an annual 1.5 per cent increase in world energy consumption in recent years and 3 per cent growth in global gross domestic product last year, said the report.
