Auditel Consultant:
David Milnes

Renewables can power up to 40 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050

13 Mar 2009 | Filed under: Energy

Renewable energy has the capability to supply up to forty percent of the world’s energy needs by 2050, according to a recent study presented ahead at the International Scientific Congress on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

However lead researcher, Peter Lund of the Helsinki University of Technology’s Advanced Energy Systems in Espoo, Finland, warned that the level could fall as low as fifteen percent without government support.

He presented the study’s findings at a press conference ahead of a planned congress session entitled: “Renewable Energies: How Far Can They Take Us?” said a University of Copenhagen press release.

“Our findings demonstrate that with global political support and financial investment, previous notions that the potential for renewables was in some way limited to a negligible fraction of world demand were wrong,” said Lund. “If we prioritize and recognize the value of renewable energy technologies, their potential to supply us with the energy we need is tremendous.”

Erik Lundtang Petersen of Risoe DTU’s Wind’s Energy Department in Roskilde, Denmark, was reported in a Congress statement as saying wind technology, long the golden child of renewable energy, needed to focus on developing and improving its technology to increase efficiencies.

“We have identified specific areas of priority for the wind sector to effectively deliver the overall objective of cost reductions,” said Petersen. “Research areas including turbine technology, wind energy integration and offshore deployment will be crucial to maximizing future growth.”

Thousands of climate experts from more than seventy countries around the world have gathered in Copenhagen to hear presentations at the “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions” conference.

Results of the conference will be presented to world leaders at the post-Kyoto negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

by Rich Bowden – March 2009