On 15 July 2010, the ’Renewable EnergyRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil. Policy Network for the 21st Century’ (REN21) released the ‘RenewablesRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil. Global Status Report 2010’, the 5th edition of its annual flagship publication. REN21 was founded as a global policy network in response to a commitment of the International Conference for Renewables Energies 2004 in Bonn, Germany. Its main goal is to facilitate policy development for the rapid expansion of renewable energiesRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil. in developing and industrialised economies.

What is the purpose of the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report: Changes in renewable energyThe ability to perform work, mainly kinetic, potential, thermal energy, but also in forms of gravitational, sound, elastic and electromagnetic energy. markets, investments, industries, and policies have been so rapid in recent years that perceptions of the status of renewable energy can lag years behind the reality. This report captures that reality and provides a unique overview of renewable energy worldwide as of early 2010.

As the report clearly indicates, almost all renewable energy industries experienced growth in 2009 despite the continuing global economic crisis. By 2010, renewable energy had reached a clear tipping point in the context of global energy supply. Renewables comprised fully one quarter of global powerUseful energy can be mechanical energy, for example powering a fan. capacity from all sources and delivered 18 percent of global electricityA form of energy having magnetic, radiant and chemical effects. Electric current is created by a flow of electrons. supply in 2009Overall, total investment in renewable energy capacity (excluding large hydroLarge-scale hydropower plants with a capacity greater than 10 MW.) was about $150 billion in 2009 – an up from the revised $130 billion in 2008 – with Germany and China being the investment leaders, each spending roughly $25-30 billion on new renewables capacity, including small hydroHydros generating a capacity of up to 10MW are classified as small hydro.
Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant. The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts (MW) is .... The United States was third, with more than $15 billion in investment. Italy and Spain followed with roughly $4-5 billion each.
Declining costs combined with greater government support through stimulus packages and other policies increased utility interest in renewable energy and many of the above mentioned trends reflect the increasing significance of renewable energy relative to conventional energy sources (including coal, gas, oil, and nuclear). For example, in 2009 and for the second year in a row, in both the United States and Europe, more renewable power capacity was added than conventional power capacity (coal, gas and nuclear) – leading to a share of 60 percent of newly installed power capacity and nearly 20 percent of annual power generation in Europe.

The following paragraphs give an overview on the latest developments in three distinct market sectors in which renewable energies continue to play an increasing role: power generation, hot water and space heatingDomestic heating describes the heating of people' s private homes. and transportTransport includes all kinds of mobility, like cars, buses and airplanes. fuels. For details on the rural (off-gridA grid is a network of transmission lines, usually to distribute electric power .) energy market, being also a key sector for renewables, as well as on other facts on the global deployment of renewables interested readers can download the full report at www.ren21.org.
.
Power Generation Markets -

With growth rates of 10-60 percent annually for many technologies during the five-year period from the end of 2004 through 2009, existing renewable power capacity worldwide reached an estimated 1,230 GW in 2009, up 7 percent from 2008. Renewable energy now comprises about a quarter of global power-generating capacity (estimated at 4,800 GW in 2009) and supplies some 18 percent of global electricity production.
Increasing the most among all renewables in 2009, new wind powerWind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. By 2010, a single wind turbine can produce several MW of electric power. capacity reached a high of 38 GW. This represented a 41-percent increase over 2008 and brought the global total to 159 GW. In addition to significant growth in China, the United States, Germany and Canada where for the first time all provinces were generating electricity from windWind occurs due to different temperature levels in the atmosphere (troposphere) which are heated up by the sun. A typical example are the trade winds at the equator where the sun is most powerful.., some of the most vibrant wind power markets were in Latin America and Africa. For example, both Kenya (5 MW added) and Nicaragua (40 MW added) joined the list of countries with commercial-scale wind power development. In all, at least 49 countries added capacity during 2009 and at least 82 countries now use wind energy on a commercial basis.

For biomassEnergy resources derived from organic matter. These include wood, agricultural waste and other living-cell material that can be burned to produce heat energy. They also include algae, sewage and other organic substances that may be used to make energy through chemical processes.
Biomass, a ..., including all available biomass forms (solid – e.g. straw or wood chipsWood chips are a solid fuel made from woody biomass.; liquid – e.g. vegetable oilsVegetable oil can be used as a fuel for diesel engines in mobile and stationary uses. It is extracted from oily plants and seeds. and animal slurries; gaseous – biogasBiogas is a flammable gas that accrues from the fermentation of biomass in biogas plants.) that are derived from forestryForestry is the management and care of woods, including fellings and plantation of new trees., agricultural, and municipal residues as well as from crops grown as fuel (small share), is , an estimated 54 GW of biomass power capacity was in place by the end of 2009 globally. Although the U.S. market for solid biomassEnergy resources derived from organic matter. These include wood, agricultural waste and other living-cell material that can be burned to produce heat energy. They also include algae, sewage and other organic substances that may be used to make energy through chemical processes.
Biomass, a ... is less developed than Europe’s, by late 2009 some 80 operating biomass projects in 20 states provided approximately 8.5 GW of power capacity, making the United States the leading country for total capacity. Many U.S. coal- and gas-fired power plants are undergoing partial or even full conversion to biomass by “co-firing” fuels in conventional power plants. Germany and the United Kingdom also generate increasing amounts of electricity with solid biomass through co-firing, and the capacity of biomas-only plants is rising rapidly across Europe. By early 2010, some 800 solid biomass plants were operating in Europe, representing 7 GW of capacity. Biomass power has also grown significantly in several developing countries and emerging nations, including Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Tanzania, Thailand and Uruguay. China’s capacity rose 14 percent in 2009 to 3.2 GW and India generated 1.9 TWh of electricity with solid biomass in 2008.
The use of biogas to generate electricity is on the rise as well, with production increasing an estimated 7 percent during 2008. Biogas is used for electricity generation mainly in OECD countries, with some 30 TWh produced in 2008. But a number of developing countries also produce electricity with biogas, including Thailand which nearly doubled its capacity in 2009 to 51 MW.

Solar PV generates electricity in well over 100 countries and continues to be the fastest growing power-generation technology in the world. With an annual average growth rate of 60 percent between 2004 and 2009, an estimated 7 GW of grid-tied capacity was added in 2009, increasing the existing total by 53 percent to some 21 GW. Germany again became the primary driver of PV installations, more than making up for the Spanish gap with 3.8 GW added-about 54 percent of the global market. The United Stated added an estimated 470 MW of solar PV in 2009, including 40 MW of off-grid PV, bringing cumulative capacity above the 1 GW mark. Other strong markets included the Czech Republic, which saw a ninefold increase in total capacity relative to 2008-to411 MW-thanks to generous feed-in tariffs for solar PV, although they are not likely to remain that high.

By the end of 2009, geothermal power plantsA geothermal power plant uses it's geothermal activity to generate power. To harness the energy, deep holes are drilled into the earth (much like when drilling for oil) until a significant geothermal hot spot is found. When the heat source has been discovered, a pipe is attached deep down inside ... operated in 24 countries and totalled approximately 10.7 GW of capacity, generating more than 67 TWh of electricity annually. Nearly 88 percent of that capacity is located in seven countries: the United States (3,150 MW), the Philippines (2,030 MW), Indonesia (1,200 MW), Mexico (960 MW), Italy (840 MW), New Zealand (630 MW), and Iceland (at 580 MW, the leader on a per capita basis). As the geothermalAlso known as geothermal power. Heat that is stored inside the earth is transformed into electrical energy by geothermal power plants. This form of energy is considered to be cost-effective, reliable and friendly to the environement. market continues to broaden, a significant acceleration in installations is expected, with advanced technologies allowing for the development of geothermal powerAlso known as geothermal power. Heat that is stored inside the earth is transformed into electrical energy by geothermal power plants. This form of energy is considered to be cost-effective, reliable and friendly to the environement. projects in new countries. As of early 2010, nearly 200 projects were under way in 15 U.S. states—which could result in at least 7.8 GW of new capacity—,nd much more capacity is in project pipelines around the globe.

After experiencing a stagnant market beyond the early 1990s, investments in new, commercial-scale concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) plants resumed in 2005. Global Capacity – all in the United States and Spain – increased more than 70 percent between 2005 and the end of 2009, from 354 MW (all in the U.S. state of California) to about 610 MW, and had nearly doubled by March 2010 to 662 MW. Although the United States still accounted for 65 percent of total installations by early 2010, the Spanish market has driven most of the growth over the past few years. CSP is entering new markets as well. Small plants and research projects are currently under way in France, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, and Italy could have 200 MW online by 2012.102 A 100 MW commercial plant is planned in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and plants are under construction in Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco (20 MW each, all parabolic trough hybrid plants with natural gas) in connection with the Mediterranean Solar Plan.

Ocean energyThe use of the vast potential energy within the oceans. Several kinds are possible, including OTEC and wave power. for generating electricity (including wave, tidal (barrages and turbinesA turbine transforms kinetic energy into mechanical energy and provides the generator with rotation.), and ocean thermal energyHeat engines produce electrical power from the differential in temperature between the ocean's warm surface and cold deep water. conversion (OTECHeat engines produce electrical power from the differential in temperature between the ocean's warm surface and cold deep water.) systems) is the least mature of the renewable energy technologies considered in this report, but interest is growing in a wide range of possible technologies. The 240 MW La Rance tidal barrageTidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. began generating power off the French coast in 1966, but ocean energy saw little further development for decades. Today, a handful of modern commercial projects are generating power, and numerous other projects are in development or under contract, from the coast of Ireland to Australia. An estimated 6 MW is operational or being tested in European waters (off the coasts of Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom), with additional projects off the shores of Canada, India, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and elsewhere. At least 25 countries are involved in ocean energy development activities.

HydropowerHydro power is electrical energy produced through the power of moving water.
Power obtained from the (typically gravitational) movement of water. supplied 15 percent of global electricity production in 2008. An estimated 31 GW was added in 2008, and a further 31 GW was added during 2009—an increase in capacity that was second only to wind power. Global hydropower capacity reached an estimated 980 GW by the end of 2009, including 60 GW of small hydroHydro power is electrical energy produced through the power of moving water.
Power obtained from the (typically gravitational) movement of water.. China has seen the greatest growth, nearly doubling its hydropower capacity during the five-year period of 2004–2009. The country added 23 GW in 2009 to end the year with 197 GW.117 By late 2009, the United States had some 81 GW of hydro capacity, including 10 GW of small-scale plants, plus 19 GW of pumped storage. Brazil had approximately 76 GW of capacity by early 2010. Canada had more than 74 GW of hydropower capacity at the end of 2008 and about 4 GW of additional capacity under construction by early 2010. In Europe during 2009, conventional projects entered commercial operation in Norway (270 MW), the United Kingdom (100 MW), and Slovenia (43 MW), and Austria added 525 MW of pumped storage.Many other developing countries continue to actively develop hydropower on large and small scales.123 In un-electrified rural areas, small hydro is often used in autonomous or semiautonomous applications to replace diesel generatorsA generator to produce electric power from diesel. or other small-scale power plants.

Heating and Cooling Markets

Biomass, solar, and geothermal energyAlso known as geothermal power. Heat that is stored inside the earth is transformed into electrical energy by geothermal power plants. This form of energy is considered to be cost-effective, reliable and friendly to the environement. currently supply hot water and space heating for tens of millions of buildings (mainly households, public buildings such as schools, hospitals and government buildings) worldwide. There is also a growing trend to use renewable heating for process heat in industry. Globally, biomass continues to provide the majority of heating produced with renewable sources. This includes heatHeat is a form of energy. Ways to convert it into useful energy are described in the field of thermo-dynamics. derived from the burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous biomass for purposes ranging from cooking to heating water and space. Applications range from individual residential- scale units to large district-heating systems, including combined heat-and-power (CHP) plants.
Biomass heating markets are expanding steadily in Europe, particularly in Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, where biomass is now the primary energyPrimary energy describes the primary energy content of raw wood, crude oil or coal. Units usually are Joule and toe (tonnes of oil equivalent). source for the district heat sector, in addition to being used for power generation and transportation; in 2009, for the first time, biomass’s share of energy production in Sweden exceeded that of oil, 32 to 31 percent.
Domestic heatingDomestic heating describes the heating of people' s private homes., whether through small appliances or district heat systems, now accounts for the majority of solid biomass sold in Europe. And the use of biomass for district heatingThe district heating net is a pipe network that supplies heating and hot water for connected consumers from a central power plant. It's an efficient way to provide heat and power. and CHP provides about 67 percent of all biomass heat sold in Europe.
Biomass pelletsPellets are rod-shaped wood from pressed sawdust. They are a convenientt fuel. are becoming an increasingly common fuel, with about 7.5 million tons consumed in Europe in 2008—up 25 percent since 2005. Italy, Germany, and France are experiencing some of the fastest annual growth rates in pellet use for heating (20–27 percent), with a rapid rise in sales of pellet-burning heating appliances.

Solar hot waterHot water for domestic use and swimming pools. technologies are becoming widespread and contribute significantly to hot water production in several countries. China, Germany, Turkey, Brazil and India led the market for newly installed capacity during 2008, and China, Turkey, Germany, Japan, and Greece led total installations by the end of that year. In 2009, existing solar water and space heating capacity increased by an estimated 21 percent to reach about 180 gigawatts-thermal (GWth) globally, excluding unglazed swimming pool heating. China alone added more than 29 GWth, or about 42 million square meters—an increase of 34 percent over its 2008 additions and representing more than 80 percent of the global market. The European Union accounted for most of the remaining global added capacity, installing an estimated 2.9 GWth (about 4 million square meters) in 2009. And while Germany remains Europe’s largest installer, its importance is declining as others step up installations and as new markets emerge due in large part to supportive policies in an increasing number of countries.
Solar space heating is gaining ground as well. In Europe, about 50 percent of the solar collector area added annually now serves space heating applications as well as water heating. The focus is on larger systems for multi-family dwellings, hotels, and district heating, with the largest system in Denmark at 12.5 megawatts-thermal (MWth), or 18,000 square meters. In contrast, fewer than 5 percent of systems in China provide space heating in addition to hot water.

Direct use of geothermal energy continued to grow faster than geothermal power, with average annual growth rates exceeding 12 percent since 2005. Global capacity reached an estimated 51 GWth at the end of 2009. Groundsource heat pumps, at 35 GWth, accounted for some 70 percent of global capacity and nearly 50 percent of direct heat use in 2009. At least 78 countries used direct geothermal energy by early 2010, up from 72 in 2005 and 58 in 2000. The United States leads the world for installed capacity, with just under 13 GWth, followed by China (9 GWth), Sweden (4.5 GWth), Germany (4.2 GWth, including 4.1 GWth from heat pumps and 0.1 GWth deep geothermal for district and building heat), and Norway (3.3 GWth). These five countries account for 60 percent of global capacity.

Transport Fuel Markets

Biofuels for transport include ethanolEthanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. Ethanol is abbreviated as EtOH, using the common organic chemistry notation of representing the ethyl group (C2H5) with Et.
Bioethanol is a readily available, ..., made primarily from corn and sugar cane, and biodieselA biodegradable transportation fuel for use in diesel engines that is produced through the transesterification of organically- derived oils or fats. It may be used either as a replacement for or as a component of diesel fuel.
Biodiesel is a biosynthetic fuel with similar properties as ..., produced from vegetable oils. Corn accounts for more than half of global ethanol production, and sugar cane for more than one third. Almost all global production to date has been first-generation biofuelsLiquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass (plant) feedstocks, used primarily for transportation.
Bio fuels are liquid fuels that are produced of plant material or herbal remains.. Biogas is also being used in very limited quantities for transportation in Sweden and elsewhere to fuel trains, buses, and other vehicles.

In 2009, production of fuel ethanol reached an estimated 76 billion liters, an increase of 10 percent over 2008. The United States and Brazil accounted for 88 percent of global ethanol production in 2009. Most of the increased production occurred in the United States, with significant increases also in Canada, Germany, and France. The production in Brazil declined from 27.1 billion liters in 2008 to 26.3 billion liters in 2009 – due to the highest sugar prices in years, combined with adverse weatherWeather refers to the state of the atmosphere with regard to temperature, cloudiness, rainfall, wind, and other meteorological conditions. (UKCIP) conditions in a major producing region.

Biodiesel production increased 9 percent in 2009, to 16.6 billion liters globally; this compares to a five-year average (end-2004 through 2009) of 51 percent. Biodiesel production is far less concentrated than ethanol, with the top 10 countries accounting for just under 77 percent of total production in 2009. The European Union remained the center of biodiesel production worldwide, representing nearly 50 percent of total output in 2009, and biodiesel still accounted for the vast majority of biofuels consumed in Europe. Other biodiesel producers in the top 15 include Brazil, China, Malaysia, and Thailand.