Solar thermal electricity (STE) could supply up to 6% of the world’s power needs by 2030 and as much as 12% by 2050, given the right conditions, according to a new report from Greenpeace International, SolarPACES and the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA).

The ‘Solar Thermal Electricity Global Outlook 2016’ report also found that, given favourable policy conditions for STE, along with a strong uptake of energy efficiency, the scenarios show that STE could employ as many as 2.7 million people by 2030. STE could also reduce global CO2 emissions by more than 37 billion tonnes, which is equivalent to four years of CO2 emissions from China.

“This report makes clear that STE is key to achieving a world powered by 100% renewable energy by 2050, which is essential if we are to protect the climate,” said ESTELA President Dr Luis Crespo. “The importance of STE is its ability to harness the sun to provide round-the-clock energy, even when the sun isn’t shining. It unlocks a future of emission-free energy in sun-belt countries around the planet,” he said.

The report’s authors noted in a joint statement that the annual market volume for STE reached EUR 890-million (one billion US dollars) in 2009. The installed capacity of STE has increased by a factor of 10 to almost 5 GW today from only 0.5 GW in 2006 and is heading towards double digit GW capacity within the next five years, they said.

For more information: http://www.estelasolar.org/pr-csp-report2016-02-04/