World

Last week’s IEA World Energy Outlook forecast modest renewable uptake globally in a number of scenarios. In its most optimistic outlook for solar and wind, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects total deployment growth essentially of 0% through 2040, and 20 to 40% decreases in pessimistic scenarios. Future Smart Strategies’ Ray Wills has long been critical of the agency’s renewable modeling. Here, he sets out why he believes the group has got it wrong again.

Texas at scale: Texas has been only a modest solar market to date, but that is changing fast. A boom started by municipal utilities and enabled by free transmission is expected to lead to a massive amount of utility-scale solar coming online over the
next five years, and even more over the next decade.

If Deutsche Bank is correct in estimating that the solar energy market will be worth $5 trillion by 2030, then the first company to produce a viable solar battery will have an incredibly valuable piece of IP on their hands. We have Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, and a number of startups all throwing their hats into the ring. But who will be victorious, and why? Clive Rolison, founder of Complete Renewables analyzes the market.

Thomas Hillig from THEnergy, discusses the growing trend for the deployment of renewables, specifically solar PV, next to mines. In response to issues, like lifetime differences between a solar plant and a mine, bespoke solutions are being created. However, while there is a positive business case for combining the two industries, barriers in the mining industry exist, which must be overcome if the positive trend is to continue.