Solar, wind energy good for Asia

Sven Teske, Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Germany sven.teske@greenpeace.de

It is one of the rare positive messages seen in economic reports around the world: Wind and solar power both registered exponential growth rates of 30 percent to 40 percent in the past five years. And this is just the beginning. It could create a multi-billion dollar market with nearly 4 million jobs. Just a dream? Not so.

The solar industry currently employs well over 20,000 people and generates business worth more than US$1 billion dollars. The wind industry is providing jobs for more than 100,000 people, creating US$7 billion in business. And existing market opportunities look perfect to further the growth of renewable energy markets.

There is enough wind and sun to power the world four times over. Prices for solar and wind power dropped during the last decade for more than 50 percent -- and are still on the way down.

The solar and wind energy industry published their business plans and projections till 2020: With an average growth rate of 20 percent to 30 percent -- quite conservative estimates compared to developments of the last decade -- both industries could grow into big business.

Projections indicate that the wind industry could supply 12 percent of the world's electricity, creating over 1.7 million jobs. Wind energy is already the fastest grown energy source, and one of the cheapest. In very windy areas, energy derived from wind can be cheaper than from those generated by fossil fuel power plants.

Greenpeace believes that Southeast Asia is one of the most promising regions for new renewable energies, rich in solar and wind resources with an increasing need for expansion of its energy market. Therefore we hosted an international conference on renewable energy in Bangkok on Aug. 13-14.

What if the wind is not blowing? A combination of solar and wind energy plus energy from agricultural waste can provide reliable power supply, without the risk of rising world market prices for fossil fuels. Real indigenous power!

Southeast Asia is in the best position to take advantage of year-long availability of energy from the sun and wind. These types of energy sources are not only good for the region's environment but take away the region's dependence on fossil fuels like oil and coal, which are already manifesting devastating impacts on the world's climate.

Being mainly an agricultural society, farmers in Southeast Asia can play a big role in the development of renewable energy. The industry can produce equipment to generate electricity from solar and wind, farmers can then harvest electricity derived from solar and wind alongside their fruits and rice.

In 2000 new renewable energy sources provided 4.6 percent of the world's energy supply. On the upcoming global renewable energy conference mid next year, governments around the world will debate about legally binding targets for renewable energy. They can double the amount of renewable energy to 10 percent by 2010 through incentives and policies.

It will be a major step towards a sustainable energy supply, using regional energy, creating regional jobs to protect the Asian environment and the global climate.