Global renewable energy capacity jumped 4.7 per cent in 2021, as countries focus on reducing emissions to protect the environment, making it a record-breaker for renewables worldwide.
The total new renewable capacity installed reached 227 gigawatts this year, mainly driven by residential solar, offshore wind projects, battery and other forms of stored energy, according to a report from Norway-based consultancy Rystad Energy. Residential solar outpaced commercial and industrial capacity additions for the first time, while new offshore wind installations doubled compared to 2020.
“The renewable energy industry is facing some of its most significant challenges yet over the short term, but the future has never looked brighter with new and aggressive commitments from governments and companies alike,” Gero Farruggio, head of renewables research at Rystad Energy, said.
“The carbon-neutral pledges set forth at the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow this year will help spur major growth in the coming years.”
A number of countries in the Middle East region have pledged to become carbon neutral in the coming decades, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The UAE, which aims to reach net zero by 2050, plans to invest $160 billion over the next three decades to hasten renewable energy development.
New renewable power capacity is projected to rise to 290 gigawatts this year, setting a “fresh all-time record for new installations”, according to a separate report by the International Energy Agency earlier this month.
"The record-breaking additions of 290 gigawatts of solar, wind and other renewables are yet another sign that a New Global Energy Economy is emerging," Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director, said.
Residential solar capacity grew more than 30 per cent in 2021 to 25.2 gigawatts, while offshore wind capacity doubled during the year, the Rystad report said. Hydrogen electrolyser capacity and utility battery storage also rose during the year.
“Looking ahead, renewable capacity is expected to skyrocket to over 270 gigawatts of installed capacity in 2022, driven primarily by solar and hydrogen expansion,” Rystad Energy said.
Onshore wind projects, however, declined during the period, due to the winding down of Chinese subsidies which are projected to cause a 40-gigawatt drop in capacity for the country, according to the report.
Onshore wind installations globally are expected to fall to around 85 gigawatts in 2021 – a 20-gigawatt drop year-over-year – and a further 15 gigawatts drop in 2022.
The trend, however, is expected to be short-lived, as demand for renewable generation soars in the wake of clean energy targets set by different countries and new projects start, Rystad Energy said.
The report also pointed out that global green hydrogen project announcements have accelerated this year, as countries focus on cutting emissions. A total of 245 gigawatts of hydrogen electrolyser facilities have been announced worldwide in 2021 – six times the levels seen in 2020.
Green hydrogen is manufactured from electrolysis, which involves splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, using renewable energy.
The UAE and other countries around the region have formulated plans to introduce hydrogen into the energy mix and tap into the clean fuel’s potential.
State entities Adnoc, Mubadala and ADQ formed an alliance this year to develop a hydrogen economy in the UAE.
While the hydrogen boom is well under way, the real game-changer for the energy transition globally will come when the cost of green hydrogen production is reduced, according to a separate report from Wood Mackenzie.
Globally, the hydrogen project pipeline has grown seven-fold since December 2020 as the world focuses on energy transition, according to the study. But most projects are at an early development stage, with the bulk of new projects advanced during the second quarter of this year.
Globally, the size of the hydrogen industry is expected to hit $183bn by 2023, up from $129bn in 2017, according to Fitch Solutions. French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300bn by 2030.
Clean energy generation has picked up pace around the world, boosted by the collective will to build back better after the Covid-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need for sustainable and equitable growth.
Many countries, including major oil-dependent nations, have pledged to reach net zero emissions by the middle of the century as they strive to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company%20Profile
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE's final round of matches
- Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
- Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
- Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
- Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
- Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
- Mar 23, 2017 Lost to Japan 2-0 (home)
- Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
- June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
- Aug 29, 2017 v Saudi Arabia (home)
- Sep 5, 2017 v Iraq (away)
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
