Renewable energies could supply 80 percent of world’s demand by 2050: UN report

[Playinghardball]

Source: Reuters via Raw Story

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Governments approved on Monday a U.N. report projecting that renewable energies such as solar, wind or hydropower could leap to supply almost 80 percent of the world's demand by 2050, with the right policies.

The study broadly matched a draft written by scientists before the meeting, but environmental group Greenpeace said some findings were watered down due to opposition by OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia and also by Brazil.

The report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also said that a shift to cleaner energies would help cut greenhouse gas emissions, which it blamed for climate change including floods, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels.

"Close to 80 percent of the world energy supply could be met by renewables by mid-century if backed by the right enabling public policies," it said in a statement after government delegates approved a special report at talks in Abu Dhabi.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/09/renewable-energies-could-supply-80-percent-of-worlds-demand-by-2050-un-report/

[leveymg]

1. And, at this rate of investment in green energy the US will still be providing only 4% of the total.

[XemaSab]

2. The right policies and the right technological advances

:P

[flamingdem]

3. good news nt

[buddysmellgood]

4. If solar continues to improve at the rate it has been, we'll get there much sooner than 2050

[FBaggins]

5. Not really. Wind/hydro/geothermal are the key.

Solar can improve dramatically and it still only helps you when the sun is shining. That means it can provide a BIG amount of help in hot sunny areas where the peak demand frequently occurs at the same time as they are most effective (assuming it continues to improve in price and performance). But it doesn't do much of anything for you during a New England winter (no matter how efficient the cells or how cheap the production process).

[diane in sf]

6. Solar can do something for you in a New England winter if there are some better storage

solutions.

[FBaggins]

7. That would have to be one heck of a large amount of storage.

Solar makes sense (and will make MORE sense as it gets cheaper and more efficient) as a peaking supply IF it's in an area where demand peaks at roughly the same time. You can store a bit of it to shift the supply back an hour or so where you still need extra A/C as the sun is dropping... but you aren't going to do much over the days/weeks of cold/cloudy/rainy periods.

[buddysmellgood]

8. It's true, we'll need other forms of production, but solar will work

in New England as well as it works in Germany.