There's More Renewable Energy Than Ever

But it's still not enough to produce a net reduction in emissions from energy production.

1 minute read

June 8, 2018, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Solar Power

Marco Prati / Shutterstock

"In 2017, the world deployed an ever-expanding amount of solar and wind power, setting a new record for renewable-power capacity added to the grid," according to an article by Akshat Rathi. The money invested in renewable installations was more than twice the sum spent on nuclear and fossil-fuel power, as well.

Those claims are found in the annual Global Status Report published by renewables policy group REN21, which Rathi covers in detail. There's a catch, however. The expanded renewable energy market hasn't been enough to reduce emissions. "World demand for energy increased by 2.1% last year, and low-carbon sources could not keep pace. As a result, the word’s energy-related carbon emissions rose by 1.7%, the first rise in four years."

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