World

The Rocky Mountain Institute’s new report Positive Disruption describes pathways for the global economy to mitigate serious global warming through accelerated adoption of renewable energy, the transformation of our energy and transportation system, and improved management of agriculture, forestry, and other land-uses. Staying below two degrees Celsius of warming is not just possible the report argues but practical given the accelerating declines in the cost of renewable energy.

A total of $4.6 billion was raised in 97 deals in the first half of 2017, up from $4.5 billion in 79 deals in the respective period last year, shows information published by industry analysts Mercom Capital Group.

Amount of money spent propping up global fossil fuel industry reaches $5 trillion a year, finds study conducted by the IMF and published in the journal World Development.

The analysts expect cumulative installed base of energy storage to reach 52 GW globally by 2025, up from 4 GW today. Annual revenues for grid-connected storage to reach more than $7bn by that date despite sharp price declines.

More than half of all Chinese solar shipments in March this year went to India, while emerging countries alone now account for 60% of China’s PV exports, according to the latest Bloomberg New Energy Finance 3Q Frontier Power Market Outlook.

More than $1 billion raised in the first half of 2017 by battery storage, smart grid and energy efficiency companies – up from $807m in H1 2016, finds latest Mercom Capital Group report.

While it has been slow to gain major traction in manufacturing, Meyer Burger’s SmartWire cell interconnection technology now has a significant reference application, in the form Polish manufacturer Hanplast.

Seeking to answer what is happening with final costs once recycling becomes and issue at PV module end-of-life, backsheet manufacturer Coveme points to the importance of fluorine-free backsheets for the PV industry, as they keep the costs down while being environmentally friendly.

As demand is becoming geographically diversified, with strong growth of emerging markets set to make up for slowing demand in East Asia, GTM Research is now tracking 17.4 GW of confirmed solar tenders between Q2 and the end of 2019 across the globe, 9.6 GW of which is expected to be awarded in Q3 2017.

The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Investment report sees global spending on energy fall by 12% overall in 2016, marking the second-consecutive year that investment has dropped as less money is poured into costly gas and oil infrastructure. Clean energy spending, meanwhile, is on the up.