Ahead of COP27, wind energy industry warns: actions needed more than words by governments to address energy security and climate crises

More than 100 leading wind energy companies are urging Paris signatories to streamline planning and authorizations, upgrade grid infrastructure and evolve energy markets to accelerate renewable energy deployment.

A global coalition of 108 leading wind energy companies and associations, representing 81% of wind energy installations worldwide, has challenged governments to take drastic measures to scale up this and other renewable energy sources over the current decade.

According to the International Energy Agency, if the world is determined to move towards net-zero emissions by meeting the 1.5°C target, the world’s annual wind power installations must quadruple by 2030 to reach about 390 GW per year and, by 2050, wind power should generate more than a third of the planet’s electricity. compared to 6% today.

However, urgent action must be taken to achieve this goal and unleash the full potential of wind technology to deliver safe, affordable and clean energy to communities around the world.

The Global Wind Energy Manifesto for COP27 warns that even though wind energy is one of the most competitive, mature and rapidly deployable energy technologies we have today, in order for it to thrive, large, stable and visible volumes must be deployed, and a robust global supply chain is required.

This can only be achieved through clear and practical actions such as those set out in the manifesto, including:

• urgently streamline planning and authorisation schemes for grid-scale renewable energy projects;
• rapidly build a grid infrastructure vital for clean energy integration and cross-sectoral decarbonisation;
• Evolve electricity markets to incentivise investment in renewable energy production and enable citizens to benefit from the affordable and secure generation on offer.

Among the signatories of the manifesto are the largest companies in the sector, such as Iberdrola, Ørsted, EDP Renewables, Vestas, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, as well as wind industry associations from China, Brazil, South Africa, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia and others. They have made it clear that the wind industry is ready to work to achieve the rapid scaling of wind installations needed for this decade.

The wind industry is already generating significant growth and benefits for the global energy system in terms of security, cost and climate. In 2021, 94 GW in wind power capacity was added globally with production of around 275 TWh of electricity a year, more than the annual electricity demand at the moment in Australia and enough to displace more than a third of Russian gas imports from the European Union before the invasion.

But decisions at COP27 and in the coming years will determine whether the world can harness wind and renewable energy to move towards net-zero emissions and ensure a livable, fair and equitable energy transition.

Source: Cision PR Newswire