News
Offshore wind jobs ‘to triple by 2030’
Demand for offshore wind staff will triple by the end of the decade, surging to 868,000 full-time jobs from an estimated 297,000 in 2020, according to analysis by Rystad Energy. The researchers said the hiring spree will already be visible in the middle of the decade, as job demand could reach about 589,000 in 2025...It said the prolific growth will require a lot of skilled employees. Rystad calculated the staffing needs in the number of full-time equivalent workers – one year of full-time employment for one person regardless of actual hours – and included only direct and indirect jobs driven by offshore wind capacity deployment globally.
Thailand energy company secures ADB aid for renewables and EV projects
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued funding to be used to increase renewable energy and EV charging infrastructure in Thailand. A $47.62 million green loan issued to the largest renewable energy company on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Energy Absolute Public Company Limited, will be used to finance ongoing renewable energy projects and a countrywide EV (electric vehicle) charging network. Energy Absolute Public Company Limited will use the loan to finance the Nakornsawan Solar and Hanuman Wind power plants and deploy fast and standard chargers at charging stations.
Comment: Four key issues powering the renewable energy revolution
The rapid evolution in renewable energy has been prompted by legislators and the dawning realisation that we can and must do less damage to our precious planet. There is still a very long way to go and we are still at the beginning, so for investors there are plenty of opportunities to participate in and support this emerging, but enduring, transformation. The early entrant renewable energy companies are already very substantial. They have relatively simple business models and throughout this troubled year they have remained largely unaffected by the market turmoil brought on by the ravages of Covid-19.
4 climate finance priorities for the Biden administration
Providing funding to poorer nations to undertake climate action is not only a moral and legal responsibility for developed countries, but also a strategic investment in a cleaner and more resilient world. Such support pays dividends by reducing the severity and costs of climate impacts for people, including extreme weather, ecosystem loss and societal instability both at home and abroad. Over the last four years (see our coverage from 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), Congress has sought to maintain U.S. finance for international climate action, in the face of repeated efforts by the Trump administration to drastically cut funding back.
Sustainable energy key to COVID-19 recovery in Asia and the Pacific
The past year is one that few of us will forget. While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have played out unevenly across Asia and the Pacific, the region has been spared many of the worst effects seen in other parts of the world. The pandemic has reminded us that a reliable and uninterrupted energy supply is critical to managing this crisis. Beyond ensuring that hospitals and healthcare facilities continue to function, energy supports the systems and coping mechanisms we rely on to work remotely, undertake distance learning and communicate essential health information.
IHS Markit predicts more than 10GW of global energy storage deployments in 2021
Analysis and research firm IHS Markit has predicted that over 10GW of new energy storage will be deployed during this year, with around half of those additions in the US market. The company said in a new report that this would be more than double the 4.5GW of global capacity additions in 2020. Meanwhile the US’ strong lead will continue with the market gaining in share until 2023, when IHS Markit senior analyst for clean technology George Hilton said the pipeline in the country reduces.
U.S. formally rejoins Paris Agreement as Biden rolls out ambitious climate program
U.S. President Joe Biden has forgone the traditional post-inauguration honeymoon period, issuing more than 40 executive orders within days of taking office. One of the first directives on his list confirmed his new administration’s intention to formally rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change. This will occur on 19 February 2021 in a landmark move designed to reshape global climate policy for years to come. The U.S. re-adoption of the key goals set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is widely seen as a curtain-raiser to Biden’s USD 2 trillion clean energy program and environmental leadership drive...
ASEAN cities threatened by climate change
The World Bank estimates the global population to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 with two-thirds of this number living in cities. From that, an estimated 90 million people will move to cities in the Southeast Asian region. This means that urban dwellers would reflect 45 percent of ASEAN’s population where millions of people, especially those living in vulnerable places along river banks, canals and hill sides, will be exposed to the harmful effects of environmental damage. This vulnerable portion of the ASEAN population is expected to increase by 50 percent in the region’s major cities.