BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 30
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Solar PV is set to increase the fastest of all renewable energy sources in 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Global Energy Review of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
However, uncertainty remains over capacity growth in 2020, especially for distributed solar PV applications, according to the report.
“Last year, one-fifth of all renewable capacity deployed globally consisted of individuals and small-to-medium-sized enterprises installing solar PV panels on their roofs or business sites. Currently, the installation of distributed solar PV has stopped or dramatically slowed in many countries as lockdown measures prevent access to the buildings,” said the agency.
IEA believes that wind power is expected to increase the most in absolute generation terms among all renewables.
“A windy start of the year from January to March in many regions and strong capacity additions last year are expected to give a boost to wind generation in 2020. Some important policy deadlines require developers to commission projects by the end of 2020,” reads the report.
“In China, all wind projects need to be commissioned by the end of 2020 to qualify for feed-in tariff subsidies. In the United States, wind developers are in a similar situation, as they are required to ensure projects are operational by the end of 2020 to receive production tax credits. Despite such policy deadlines, however, uncertainty remains over capacity growth this year because of possible delays.”
In IEA’s estimate for 2020, renewable energy demand increases by about 1 percent from 2019 levels, in contrast to all other energy sources.
“Renewable electricity generation grows by nearly 5 percent despite the supply chain and construction delays caused by the Covid‑19 crisis. In doing so, renewables almost reach 30 percent of electricity supply globally, halving the gap with coal (from 10 percentage points in 2019). Overall, renewables growth is more sluggish than last year but in line with the general slowing trend since 2016. The output of hydropower remains the largest uncertainty in 2020, as it accounts for almost 60 percent of all renewable generation globally and is dependent on rainfall and temperature patterns,” reads the analysis.
The pace of renewable power capacity additions could decline in 2020 as supply chain disruptions and labour restrictions delay construction, according to IEA.
“The duration and extent of lockdowns and social distancing measures in different countries will influence the total for the year, along with the scope and timing of economic stimulus packages in response to the economic downturn.”
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