Bioenergy Power Generation (IEA report)
In 2019, bioenergy electricity generation increased by over 5%, just below the 6% annual rate needed through 2030 to reach the SDS level. Recent positive policy and market developments in emerging economies indicate an optimistic outlook for bioenergy, supporting its “on track” status.
For instance, China introduced a new clean-heat initiative that is expected to raise the deployment of biomass- and waste-fuelled co‑generation plants. The greatest deployment is anticipated in areas with access to biomass resources and policies to phase out coal-fired boilers to improve air quality.
Energy-from-waste (EfW) deployment is also growing strongly as increasing urbanisation and economic development lead to more municipal solid waste production. EfW technology offers a solution superior to landfills for cities to manage municipal solid waste, and China has the highest installed EfW capacity globally.
FLEXIBILITY AS A KEY TO INTEGRATE VERY HIGH SHARES OF RES
As renewable technologies mature, policy makers, regulators and utilities are confronted with new challenges related to planning, managing and operating the power system. The rapid expansion of renewable resources prompts the need for a more flexible energy system to ensure that variable resources can be integrated into the power system reliably and effectively.
Traditionally flexibility has been provided by conventional thermal generation with high ramping capabilities, low minimum loads or short start-up times, such as opencycle gas turbines.
However, to integrate very high shares of RES, flexibility should be harnessed in all parts of the power system to minimise the total cost of providing flexibility. Electricity storage together with other mitigation measures (for example demand response, flexible generation, and smart transmission and distribution networks) could enable the integration of solar and wind power at very large scales (IRENA, 2018a, 2019b).
However, the pace at which electricity storage needs to be deployed in each of these cases varies depending on progress in the energy sector’s transformation, the economics of alternative technologies that can provide similar or alternative solutions and progress in electricity storage costs and performance.
For comparison, we offer you a comparative infographic.
THE INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY (IRENA) HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL OVERVIEW ON EMPLOYMENT IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SPACE
With the development of RES, the number of jobs increases every year. Several factors shape how and where employment is generated along the renewable energy supply chain. These include governmental policies; the diversification of supply chains; trade patterns; and industry reorganization and consolidation trends. Aside from these factors, which are discussed below, labour productivity grows in importance over time.
IRENA estimates that global solar PV employment stood at 3.6 million jobs in 2018. China accounted for about two-thirds of PV employment worldwide, or 2.2 million jobs.
