Global Patterns in Renewable Power

Renewable energy is consumed mainly in the production of electricity, but can also be used to produce thermal output and, in the case of ethanol, in the transportation sector.

World-wide, only hydropower plays a significant role in electricity generation: coal supplies 36% of the world's energy needs, hydropower 19%, nuclear energy 18%, gas 13%, oil 10%, and all the other technologies combined 4%.

Growth in demand for renewable energy in industrialised countries is leading to economies of scale; such growth enables increased access by the developing world. For many developing countries, where the electricity grid is largely confined to the main urban areas, and where a substantial proportion of the rural population does not have access to most basic energy services, small and independent renewable energy systems are widely regarded today as the best - and least expensive - means of providing many of the services that are lacking. Based on minimum energy requirements to provide basic energy services to every individual in the developing world (15 W per capita), the corresponding potential for off-grid electricity generation is estimated to be 16 GW.

The cost of renewable energy technologies, however, remains high. Although costs continue to fall, the deployment of renewable energy requires appropriate economic, market and regulatory instruments, both in developed and developing countries.