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We can be 100% renewable by 2050

Posted on 2 February 2018

In 30 years, renewable sources could cover the global energy demand. Despite enormous potential, in Peru renewable energies do not provide even 3% of the energy matrix

In 30 years, renewable sources could cover the global energy demand
Despite enormous potential, in Peru renewable energies do not provide even 3% of the energy matrix

Lima, February 2, 2018. In Peru, at least 6% of the population still has no access to electricity. Meanwhile, the potential of renewable sources - increasingly cheaper - is large. Just in the deserts of the coast, the wind and solar capacity could cover a large part of the national demand, but these and other types of unconventional renewable energies do not reach even 3% of participation in the national energy matrix.

"It's incredible, the sources for a clean national growth are there, it's a matter of propitiating their orderly use," said Mariela Canepa, Policy Director of WWF Peru. And it is that, the national normative framework, far from promoting the participation of renewable energies, limits them to 5% within the total.

The Supervisory Body for Investment in Energy and Mining has announced its intention to close the gap for Peruvians without access to electricity by 2022 and, in this context, has highlighted the benefits of renewable energy to reach remote areas efficiently.

"Although here it still rings distant, it is no longer a dream, it is a reality," continues Canepa. "When, in 2011, the WWF Energy Report estimated that by 2050 the world could work 100% with renewable sources, some did not believe it; now we are on the way to that."

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Although the image of roofs covered with solar panels still seems far away in cities like Lima, the change could be closer than we imagine. In fact, the local office of WWF is a pioneer in the implementation of a system to generate its own energy through solar panels. "There are already 22 WWF offices around the world, working with solar energy and our office in Lima is the first in a Latin American city," said Jean Philippe Denruyter, Manager of Applied Energy Solutions at WWF International, who leads the implementation of this policy in the organization.

"This is part of a comprehensive strategy that seeks to boost energy efficiency at every level. We know that, in the context of climate change and increasing competitiveness in prices of solar energy, fossil fuels are on the way out, but there is still a lot of resistance and the best way to propose alternatives is to show that they are accessible, that they work and that they are here, and we want to do it by example," says Canepa.

IMMEDIATE BENEFITS

According to the organization's records, the solar panel system installed in its offices in Lima - with a generation capacity of 7kW - covers about 35% of the total consumption barely installed. "Our global goal is that by 2020, 25% of the energy of our offices around the world is solar," said Canepa.

According to the specialist, in WWF Peru, the first step has been the installation of solar panels whose initial objective is to cover 35% of current consumption and, based on practices of responsible consumption and energy efficiency, it is expected to reduce consumption and cover 70% of the demand of the entire office. This will also imply a significant saving in electricity bills.

"Just three days after the panels were installed and an internal campaign to change habits was put in place, we reached moments of close to 100% coverage of solar energy consumption," said Denruyter.

A CHANGE OF CULTURE AND NORMATIVE IS NECESSARY

Solar energy and other renewable energies are available, and technology makes it increasingly simple and cheap, but the necessary incentives are lacking. On the contrary: according to the experts, one of the main challenges to facilitate access to them in the country is the regulations. "Not only is the expected participation of renewables minimal in the national matrix, but it is not allowed to generate - for example - surplus solar energy" and to re-inject it "into the network and charge for it," says the Director of Policies of WWF Peru.

It is possible to cover 100% of the demand of any office or home with panels. However, this often generates surpluses that, far from being shared with third parties, for example, with unattended people, are lost as there are no legal mechanisms to do so. "We must turn to see the potential of renewables, but also aim to the approval of distributed generation regulation, which is an incentive for those who invest in systems such as solar so that they can redistribute and benefit from sharing that energy with third parties," concludes Canepa, satisfied and with the shiny background panels.

We can be 100% renewable by 2050

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