More New Energy From Renewable Power Sources

Reader Contribution by Adam Lafferty

A Reuters news article says that according to a study from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), last year saw more than half of the added electrical capacity in Europe and the United States come from renewable power sources such as wind and solar energy. It was also a record year for the amount of new green power added to the grid, partially due to shifting manufacturing to nations with emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil.

REN21, launched in 2005 and supported by the UN and the International Energy Agency, said in a report that despite the continuing economic crisis and lower oil prices, renewable capacity continued to grow close to its rates in previous years, including a 53 percent gain for solar power and a 32 percent gain for wind power.

REN21 also reports that despite acceleration of carbon emissions in 2009, China produced 40 percent of the world’s solar power supply and 30 percent of the world’s wind turbines, adding 37 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy to the global output of 80 GW.

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