The 100% club, supply risks highlighted and NZ misses out
In this issue:
The 100% club
While we can rightly be quite proud of our renewable generation record, we’re still not quite among the elite. Analysis by Stanford University suggests 7 countries can now claim to have all their electricity generated from renewables. The definition of all leaves a little wriggle room, with seventh placed Democratic Republic of Congo boasting 99.78%. Four countries, Albania, Bhutan, Nepal and Paraguay hit the magic 100%. And New Zealand? We achieved a creditable 14th, recorded as 84.86% renewable.
Transition supply risks highlighted
International supply chain risks to the energy transition were highlighted this week in a report prepared for the UK Government. The report highlights risks to the supply chains of wind, solar and infrastructure equipment. Of course, New Zealand will face the same constraints and fierce competition for hardware.
Blown away by wind uptake
Despite concerns over supply chain problems, the Global Wind Energy Council’s Global Wind Report tells us 2023 saw a 50% increase in installations year on year with another 117GW of capacity installed. Total installed capacity increased 13% and now exceeds 1 terra-watt. China, the US, Brazil, Germany and India are leading the growth figures.
NZ misses out
Bloomberg Philanthropies has just published its list of cities receiving awards under its Youth Climate Action Fund. The fund has been set up to provide assistance to young people to design, produce and govern climate solutions in their cities. Each of the 100 cities receiving support have been awarded US$50,000 (NZ$87,000). There are no New Zealand cities listed in the 100. Let’s do better next year.
Smarter cities
Berg Insight has just published the third edition of its Smart Cities: Connected Public Spaces report. This study analyses major application areas for connected public spaces, such as smart street lighting, smart parking, smart waste collection, air quality monitoring and smart city surveillance. The Executive Summary can be downloaded free.
Former PM appeals to World Bank and IMF
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark joined over 100 other dignitaries and celebrities such as Stephen Fry and musicians Annie Lennox, Brian Eno and Nile Rodgers this week in calling on the G20 leaders, the World Bank and IMF to reform debt policies to help developing countries move towards sustainability and combat climate change.