Photo voltaic panels and wind generators within the Netherlands.
Daniel Bosma | Second | Getty Photos
Explorer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard has known as for a renewed deal with slicing vitality waste, saying it is “hopeless” to shift to renewables with out bettering effectivity.
Round three-quarters of the world’s vitality is wasted, Piccard instructed an “IOT: Powering the Digital Financial system” panel moderated by CNBC’s Silvia Amaro. This estimate relies on waste “because of inappropriate behaviour and inefficient techniques or infrastructures,” he instructed CNBC individually through electronic mail.
Piccard, who’s founder and chairman of the environmental non-profit group Photo voltaic Impulse Basis, stated that “we stay in a world of waste.”
“So if we attempt to exchange fossil [fuel] vitality with renewables with out being environment friendly, with out decreasing the consumption, it is hopeless,” he stated.
One other concern Piccard highlighted was that some international locations solely contemplate wind and photo voltaic as various renewable vitality sources.
Biogas, produced by the breakdown of natural matter reminiscent of meals, has been “excluded … from the taxonomy” in Europe, he stated, and other people additionally neglect about geothermal vitality, which makes use of warmth from the earth.
A report revealed in October by the European Fee confirmed that whereas bioenergy continued to be the principle supply of renewable vitality within the EU in 2021 — at round 60% — biogas made up simply 10% of this share. Geothermal vitality accounted for simply 2.7% of renewable vitality consumption, whereas wind energy was 13.2% and photo voltaic vitality was 7.2%.
“So we deal with producing extra, as a substitute of consuming much less, and within the manufacturing that we wish to do, we neglect loads of various kinds of renewable energies that we do not consider,” he stated.
On account of these points, Piccard stated there is a danger that inexperienced vitality targets may very well be missed — in addition to the chance to provide cheaper vitality regionally.
“So each nation desires … vitality independence, extra competitiveness, they usually neglect that the one method to attain it’s by vitality effectivity, and renewables,” he stated.
‘Paradox’ of China’s photo voltaic panel oversupply
Piccard additionally mentioned the continuing considerations in regards to the potential oversupply of photo voltaic panels from China to the European market.
“It is a bit of a paradox as a result of the Chinese language have killed the European photo voltaic business, however they’ve saved the world by displaying that photo voltaic vitality will be so [much] cheaper than anything,” he stated.
There have been rising considerations in Europe and the U.S. {that a} surplus of backed clear vitality merchandise, together with photo voltaic panels, from China is making it tougher for his or her home industries to compete.
Earlier this month, the European Fee launched two investigations into Chinese language photo voltaic panel producers that it stated may have benefitted from “doubtlessly market distortive” subsidies.
In the meantime, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated final week that she would not rule out doable tariffs on China’s inexperienced vitality exports.
Piccard stated it was additionally necessary to think about the potential benefits of Chinese language photo voltaic panels in Europe, nonetheless. For instance, he stated that these panels may very well be used to generate cheaper electrical energy within the area, which may then be used to provide hydrogen regionally.
“I feel, as a substitute of preventing in opposition to the impediment, I feel you want to use the scenario to see how there will probably be outcomes on the facet of the issue that may that may be useful for us,” he stated.
Piccard added that when he initiated the Photo voltaic Impulse undertaking over 20 years in the past, photo voltaic vitality was 40 instances costlier than it’s at this time. Photo voltaic Impulse 2 grew to become the first solar-powered electrical airplane to circumnavigate the globe in 2016.
“So I am sorry, perhaps it isn’t politically right however I am thanking China for the lower [in] value of photo voltaic vitality that has given an exquisite push to renewable energies — we might not be at this level with out China,” he stated.
