Recharge News
A wind- and solar-led global transition to a 100% renewable energy system by 2050 is economically viable, with future fuel savings outweighing the investment needed, a new report from Greenpeace claims.
The Energy [R]evolution 2015 study pegs the additional annual cost of moving to a fully-renewable world at $1trn, but the average yearly savings from a fuel-free energy system at $1.07trn.Benefits from the global switch include a jobs bonanza in the solar and wind industries, which could employ 9.7 million and 7.8 million people respectively by 2030, dwarfing current employment levels in the oil and gas sector, said the study, which was carried out with the help of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).The 100% by 2050 ‘Advanced’ Greenpeace scenario puts wind capacity at 8.04 terawatts supplying 32% of global power, PV at 9.3TW and 20.2% and concentrating solar power (CSP) with 2.6TW and a 20.8% share.