ABSTRACT
Both had familiarity with energy issues from their previous positions, understood the importance of moving to a clean energy society, and renewable electric R&D budgets reached and exceeded $300M. Global warming also began to attract considerable public attention. Unfortunately, in 1995 control of Congress passed from the Democrats to the Republicans and the Gingrich Revolution produced significant cuts in these R&D budgets to the extent that the NREL had to lay off one quarter of its staff. Nevertheless, solar and wind energy costs continued to drop and progress was made in advancing other renewable electric technologies. In fact, there was enough attention beginning to be paid to renewables that companies in the coal industry, which supplied the bulk of the fuel for U.S. electricity generation, began to attack renewables as incapable of meeting national energy needs. Storage was also recognized as an important component of a renewables-based economy, due to the variability of wind and solar, and hydrogen began to be taken seriously as an energy fuel and energy storage medium. It was also the period during which a number of other countries began to explore their renewable energy options and to develop indigenous renewable energy industries.The turn of the century saw a new Republican Administration in the United States with a focus on fossil fuels and nuclear power and relatively little interest in renewables. However, other countries were moving ahead with their renewable energy programs, clearly recognizing the need to move away from dependence on fossil fuels for environmental, economic, and national security reasons. Incentives began to be offered to encourage this transition-for example, Germany introduced its FIT (Feed-in Tariff) program to stimulate the deployment of solar, wind, and other renewable electric technologies, and today Germany leads the world in installed solar energy systems. The UK recognized the importance of its onshore and offshore wind resources and today leads the world in offshore wind energy deployments. China undertook a major effort to develop its renewable energy resources and today leads the world in PV cell and wind turbine production. It will not be too many years before it assumes the lead in offshore wind energy deployment as well.The new century also saw the acceptance of global warming and associated climate change as issues of global importance and
requiring global cooperation. It was also the period when the inextricable linkage between water and energy issues was finally recognized, along with the other linkages among water, energy, food, environment, and public health. Both sets of issues, along with clean energy issues, are creating critical R&D and policy agendas for the 21st century.The second decade of the 21st century also saw the beginning of the inevitable transition to a renewable energy society, both in the United States and around the world. As I write this in early 2016, I am aware of the fact that solar is the fastest growing energy source in the world today, even exceeding the rapid rate at which wind energy continues to grow and will continue to grow as additional onshore sources are exploited and offshore wind emerges. An excellent summary of renewable energy’s status as of the end of 2014 has been provided by REN21 in the Executive Summary of its annual “Renewables 2015 Global Status Report,” which I reproduce here in full. REN21 is an international non-profit association that facilitates “knowledge exchange, policy development and joint action towards a rapid global transition to renewable energy.”
