ISSUE 1 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015
MAGAZINE
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Wind and solar take the lead in cheaper energy
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controversial new analysis from the European Union shows that onshore wind and solar are both cheaper than coal, gas or nuclear energy when the costs of outside factors like air quality, toxicity and climate change are taken into account. The report, produced for the European Commission by consultants Ecofys, says that every megawatt hour of electricity generated by onshore wind costs around €105 compared with gas which can cost up to around €164 and coal which can cost as much as €233 per megawatt hour. Remarkably, too, nuclear power, offshore wind and solar energy are all comparably inexpensive sources, at roughly €125 per megawatt hour. Justin Wilkes, the deputy CEO of the European Wind Energy Association says that “This report highlights the true cost of Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels. Renewables are regularly denigrated for being too expensive and a drain on the taxpayer. Not only does the commission’s report show the alarming cost of coal but it also presents onshore wind as both cheaper and more environmentally-friendly.”
Richard Milton Editor
The study comes at the same time that the EU has announced that its grid connected cumulative renewable capacity in 2014 reached 129 gigawatts, meeting 8 per cent of European electricity demand, equivalent to the combined annual consumption of Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland. This impressive growth of the industry, says the EU, will allow it to meet its target of a contribution of at least 12 per cent of total electricity from renewables by 2020. Interestingly, wind power is the renewable source that has seen the widest and most successful deployment over the last two decades, increasing the global cumulative capacity from 3 gigawatts to 370 gigawatts. Last year represented an annual record with 52 gigawatts of wind turbines capacity installed worldwide, a 48 per cent increase compared to 2013 and 17 per cent over the 2012 record of 45 gigawatts. With 23 gigawatts of new installations and a market share of 44 per cent, China is well ahead of EU’s member states, which together installed 13 gigawatts. The EU however still leads in
Not only are all renewable technologies fast coming of age and falling in price, they are also moving inexorably to the top of national agendas for the world’s developed and developing nations. In an intensely competitive and fast changing international market, users are confronted with increasing complexity of technology and products and the need for information increases
This successful change in policy by three major economies makes it all the more difficult to understand the United Kingdom’s policy of ending support for onshore wind a year earlier than originally anticipated.
NEW! IREM ISSUE 1 Maintaining Brands
A Message from the Publisher of International Renewable Energy Magazine (IREM)
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After a poor showing in 2013, when worldwide wind power installations fell by 20 per cent, the wind energy industry rebounded strongly in 2014. Installations grew by 42 per cent yearover-year in 2014 to 51 gigawatts of wind power and cumulative installed capacity climbed to 372 gigawatts. This growth was mainly driven by policy decisions to support wind by three of the largest users, China, Germany, and the United States.
Building Brands
PUBLISHER’S COMMENT
OLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF OUR PILOT edition this, the first issue of International Renewable Energy Magazine, is launching at a crucial moment in the development of future energy resources.
cumulative capacity and its 129 gigawatts onshore and offshore wind installations, allowed six countries – Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Romania and Germany – to generate between 10 and 40 per cent of their electricity from wind.
daily. International Renewable Energy Magazine has been created to meet these urgent needs. IREM comes from the same stable as International Mining and International Forest Industries, two highly respected and successful Business to Business magazines. The rapid adoption of wind, solar and other renewable technologies is transforming markets and business models around the world, while creating both opportunities and challenges in the supply chain. We believe the buyers’ market is one that requires both an overview of Renewable Energy in general, combined with specialist in-depth reporting on each subject.
Governments, Institutional Investors, and policy makers all require a balanced portfolio of up to date information to inform their decisions, while energy businesses of every kind need to target relevant audiences to build and promote their brands. Now there is International Renewable Energy Magazine to fulfil this need. Please join us in this new venture. Feel free to contact myself, and our editorial and advertising teams, to help spread the word about renewables globally. Robin Peach Publisher
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 | International Renewable Energy 1