Forward march
Renewable energy has proved its credentials. The coming year will only add more momentum to the global rollout
In 2016, renewables continued their relentless march across global energy markets, and 2017 will bring yet more momentum. The Paris Agreement of December 2015 offered another shot in the arm. But development sped along for other reasons too. The levelised cost for electricity - a measurement that compares different sources of generation - for solar-photovoltaic (PV) projects fell even faster in 2016 than in 2015: the title for "lowest-ever PV tariff" changed hands several times, with Dubai, America, Mexico, Abu Dhabi and Chile all vying hard. Newcomers like Saudi Arabia are now coming through the ranks. Offshore wind made a step change, with record-low tariffs in Denmark and The Netherlands
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