25 January 2018
Green growth
Wind and solar continued their march in 2017, while battery technology and electric vehicles came of age
Renewable energy already provided a quarter of the world's power, and 2017 was another stellar year of growth that will help push that share higher. Wind and solar costs continued to fall, and advances in battery technology promised improved storage for power from intermittent sources and longer-range electric vehicles. Net additions to renewable energy capacity—which includes hydropower, solar, wind, bioenergy, wave and tidal—grew by a record 165 gigawatts in 2016, 6% higher than in 2015, with further substantial gains likely to be reported for 2017, once all the data is in. The US aside, virtually all major economies now have ambitious renewables targets in place for the next 15 to 25 year
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