19 July 2011
Renewables: Big potential, lots of question marks
Clean renewable energy could meet a significant part of global energy demand, but it is still a long way from doing so
Many types of renewables remain much more expensive than fossil fuels, the infrastructure needed to scale them up is not in place in many countries – and the political will to take radical measures to cut global carbon emissions rapidly is largely missing. Wind turbines and solar panel farms are becoming increasingly common sights in many countries, but renewable energy still provided less than 20% of global power in 2008 – and that includes a sizeable contribution (15% of overall generation) from hydropower, a mature resource that has limited growth potential (see Figure 1). Where the renewables sector goes from here depends on a number of variables. Still key to achieving take-off will be
Also in this section
9 January 2026
A shift in perspective is needed on the carbon challenge, the success of which will determine the speed and extent of emissions cuts and how industries adapt to the new environment
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
