The need to adapt the energy system to renewables

The report Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016, published on March 24 by the United Nations Environment Programme, revealed that in 2015, for the first time, investment in renewables was higher in developing countries than in developed countries . This is partly explained by the huge investment in China, where one third of the world’s annual investment in renewable energy occurs. And on the opposite side of the scale is the decline in Europe, where investment has fallen by 21% compared to 2014, and 60% compared to 2011.

The impact of the crisis has caused significant cuts in the most affected countries, Spain being particularly noteworthy, but there are also other factors that may be holding back investment in countries that already have significant production and are leaders in renewables. Or so argues report co-author Ulf Moslener, Professor of Sustainable Energy Finance at the Frankfurt School. Moslener points out that the power systems in these countries are not yet ready to adequately capture power for times when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining. As he defends, in order to continue growing in renewables, substantial structural changes are necessary: ​​updating the electrical networks and adding energy storage capacity.