Global tracking frame sheds light on the State of renewable energy

How many people around the world access to electricity and safe household fuels is missing? What is the share of renewable energies in the global mix? How do we improve energy efficiency?

The sustainable energy for all global tracking framework, published report on the Vienna Energy Forum on May 28 answers these questions. There are detailed country level and global data, the scale of the challenges ahead to outline, as countries try to the three objectives of the sustainable energy for all initiative: universal access to modern energy to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix and doubling the rate of energy efficiency - all up to the year 2030.

Provision of electricity for 1.2 billion people have no access to reliable sources of energy, is an important component to end poverty around the world by 2030, according to a report of the World Bank Group. Vice President Rachel Kyte says that people who live without electricity less possibilities to improve their living conditions.

The report tells us that 1.2 billion do not have access to electricity people - almost as high as the population of India, and the 2.8 billion on wood or other biomass for household fuel left. These households produce solid fuel harmful indoor pollution, which contributes to about 4 million premature deaths per year, most of them women and children. The report also tells us that most people are still without access live in 20 countries in the development of Asia and Africa South of the Sahara, and about 80 percent of them living in rural areas.

How fast to build energy access?

Although 1.7 billion people connections to electricity between 1990 and 2010 retrieved, which was only slightly before the population growth of 1.6 billion euros in the same period. Current expansion growth must double to achieve the goal by the year 2030 100 percent access. Getting access need be invested an additional $45 billion, every year, five times the current annual level. The CO2 cost of this extension is small: to bring without electricity it would increase global CO2 emissions by less than 1 percent.
Sustainable energy for all, civil society and international organisations, aims a global coalition of Governments, the private sector, to achieve this goal, also the quantity of renewable energy in the global energy mix doubles from its current share of 18 per cent to 36 per cent by 2030. The initiative is intended to double the rate of improvement in the area of energy efficiency. SE4ALL launched in 2011 by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, now building with President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim Advisory Board.

The global tracking framework is a milestone in this effort, said World Bank Vice President for sustainable development Rachel Kyte, Member of sustainable energy for all initiative Executive Committee. "It base provides information on, where we meet on the trip are global energy policy objectives," she said. "Everyone is to measure their progress toward the baseline. And we know that this is important because what is measured is what is being done."

Where can we make the biggest difference?

The report shows impressive countries to offer the most potential rapid progress:

Twenty high-impact countries in Asia and Africa accounts for about two-thirds of all people without electricity access and three quarters of those who Haushalte.Ein accounts for another 20 high-impact countries with solid fuels 80 percent of energy consumption and need to double a pioneering role on doubling the share of renewable energies to 36 percent of the global energy mix and improvement in the field of energy efficiency.China is an example of impressive progress: the most populous country in the world is the largest consumer of energy, but it is also the leader in development of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency.
The report states that decisive action is required to achieve these goals. He calls political measures, including the tax, financial and economic incentives, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and price carbon.

Investment in energy improvements have the global community. The report estimates that investments already made in energy in the amount of about $409 billion in the year to more than double need to achieve three objectives. An additional $600 billion needed, the report says, at least 45 billion $ for electricity expansion $4.4 billion for modern cooking fuels, $394 billion for energy efficiency and $174 billion for renewable energy.

This article originally appeared on the World Bank and was published with permission.

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Shedding Light on the Solar Decathlon 2013 Teams

While many students are getting ready for school, teams of university and college students around the globe have been hard at work this summer creating solar-powered houses as part of the Energy Department’s 6th biennial Solar Decathlon.

In January, we announced the 20 teams for the 2013 competition. More than six months later, the teams are in full swing designing and building energy-efficient solar houses that will compete in 10 contests to gauge their energy consumption, affordability, and ease of living. For most contests, we will have to wait for the judging in October 2013 to learn how teams are doing. But the Communications Contest provides an inside look at how teams are progressing. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.

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Trillion Dollar Answer to Bachmann's Light Bulb Question

U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann often asks why government should tell us which kind of light bulb to choose. Turns out it’s a question with a trillion dollar answer. 

We will save $1.1 trillion through 2035 because of existing energy efficiency mandates for light bulbs and appliances, according to a report issued this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. 

“The Efficiency Boom: Cashing In on the Savings from Appliance Standards” says the standards will cut our energy use 200 quads, the equivalent of the US using no energy for two years. The standards already have reduced our energy use 3.5 percent.

This means lighting and appliance standards have saved more energy than almost any other efficiency program, says the report. 

Bringing the numbers close to home, the average household will save about $30,000 over 45 years, or enough to cover two years of typical mortgage payments, under existing and new standards. This assumes the household changes major appliances every 15 years.

It’s important to note that Bachmann’s assertion – that the government is choosing light bulbs – is an oversimplification. The standards do not mandate any particular kind of lights, but call for manufacturers to achieve a certain level of energy efficiency. True, an old technology may not make the cut. Oddly, though, no one seems worried about losing access to inefficient air conditioners, computers or other appliances. Anti-standards folks, like Bachmann, seem attached only to inefficient light bulbs. (This bewilders me.)

U.S. appliance standards go back to 1974 when then-Governor Ronald Reagan signed a bill to bring greater efficiency to major appliances in that state. Other states followed, but the federal government didn’t get on board until 1987.  Again it was Reagan, this time as President, who signed the first bill. Additional standards became law under President George Bush and President George W. Bush.  Since then, the Department of Energy has further updated standards. About 55 products are covered; not only lighting, but also refrigerators, air conditioners, motors and other appliances.

“Standards have been a bipartisan energy policy success story stretching across four decades and five presidencies,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of ASAP, a coalition of consumer, environmental and efficiency groups. 

The report shows that standards for lighting make a big difference, and will likely continue to do so if new standards are enacted. 

“Our research found that a combination of updates for existing standards and first-time standards for products like computers, TV set-top boxes and street lights would add to the track record of big energy, economic and environmental benefits achieved by standards,” said Amanda Lowenberger, lead report author and ACEEE senior research analyst.

Three kinds of lighting make the list of top 10 products that would save the most energy from new standards: incandescent reflector lamps, outdoor light fixtures, and candelabra and intermediate base incandescent lamps.

The bottom line is that because of appliance and lighting standards, we are building fewer power plants. The report estimates that existing standards in 2035 will cut by 18 percent peak demand, the maximum amount of power we use at some point in a year — usually hot August days when air conditioners are running full tilt. Peak demand is important because we must build enough power plants to supply all of that energy, although we may reach peak only a few days a year. The rest of the time the excess power plants sit idle. It’s kind of like buying a fleet of extra cars for the few days each summer your relatives visit for a family reunion. Quite an extravagance for a cash-strapped society.

The full report is available at ACEEE’s website 

Elisa Wood is a long-time energy writer whose work is available at RealEnergyWriters.com.

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The LED light bulb why cross the road?

Roland Risser, Program Manager, building technologies program

Everyone knows that laughter is good for you is. Studies suggest, it can be buffered voltage and your resistance to disease to increase. Also, it feels simply great to laugh. Advertisers have used the fascination of laughter for a long time to sell their products, and many Americans tune in, to the Super Bowl, only to chuckle in the funny commercials. However, when it, it might be difficult, people on smart energy solutions to sell Pointe be found. Mood as a marketing strategy using energy efficiency a bit more digestible could make?

Energy effects of Illinois, a beneficiary of the DOE's better building neighborhood program, tried to find fun in the field of energy efficiency. The goal? The benefits of home energy upgrades to communicate and motivate residents in improving their buildings. The program has two comedians of the second city entered - a Comedy Theatre whose Absolventen include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Murray - "Cost of energy" to play, friends, the Chicago-area houses visit distribution of energy-saving tips.

"Little Bill" knows all the tricks to your home more energy efficient and your invoices, well, something make. "Big Bill's" show actions to understand overuse or abuse of the appliances like anything, can result in wasting energy heating and cooling – costs money. The contrast of the invoices is very amusing, fun but aside, impact Illinois spreads energy an important message. You can choose between two invoices. Instructions to more or to participate in energy impact Illinois are program on their website, Facebook page and Twitter account. The site offers a tool called MyHomeEQ, the Chicago-area residents about how much energy she could save upgrades with energy can be calculated and helps to dispose them with custom plans of their big Bill, while they connect with the local entrepreneurs. Read the full story on DOE's energy blog.

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