Page 11 - AsiaElec Week 37 2021

AsiaElec SUSTAINABILITY AsiaElec

Green giants unite to work towards

full sustainability of renewables

GLOBAL A group of leading green energy developers has between wind and solar as critical for accelerat-
identified the need for a close alliance between ing the energy transition.
solar and wind in order to meet global climate “The wind industry has a crucial role to play
goals and to achieve a just transition away from in cleaning up the dirty parts of the global econ-
fossil fuels. omy such as steel, cement and heavy transport
The partners have come together to create the but also to decarbonise our own supply chain at
Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy in a bid to the same time,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of the
carry out concrete, collaborative action to boost Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
green energy, the Global Wind Energy Council “Work on the wind industry’s own sustain-
(GWEC) said in a statement. ability is already under way as we move from
The companies involved include major utili- pilot projects to a full-scale industry approach,
ties with exposure to green energy, such as EDP, addressing challenges such as circular econ-
Enel Green Power, Goldwind, Iberdrola, JA omy solutions to blade recycling and protecting
Solar, ReNew Power and Trina Solar. labour practices and human rights in a rapidly
The initiative represents the founding mem- expanding workforce.”
bers’ joint response to the urgent need to decar- “Beyond its climate impact, solar power can
bonise the global energy system while ensuring make a significant contribution towards the Sus-
its sustainability from an environmental, social tainable Development Goals thanks to the ‘ripple
and governance (ESG) perspective. effect’ that fans out into the economic, social and
The Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy environmental domains, benefiting areas such as
brings together utility companies from diverse health, education, gender equality and poverty
geographies, major manufacturers in the wind alleviation,” said Gianni Chianetta, CEO of the
power and solar PV supply chains as well as sec- Global Solar Council (GSC). “What is key is a
tor associations and innovation partners. joined-up effort. It’s no longer enough for any
The 17 founding members are, in alphabet- one technology, industry or organisation to lead
ical order: 3M, Adani Green Energy Ltd., EDP, the way: we need to lead together, with collabo-
Eletrobras, Enel Green Power, Global Solar ration and joint action.”
Council, Global Wind Energy Council, Gold- The launch of the Alliance comes at a critical
wind, Iberdrola, JA Solar, Nordex Group, NTPC time for climate action and the energy transition,
Limited, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di just two months ahead of the United Nations’
Torino, ReNew Power, Risen Energy and Trina COP26 climate summit due to take place in
Solar. Glasgow.
“We have to act now – and act together Meanwhile, the latest scientific assessment
– in making a serious commitment towards from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-
carbon-free, sustainable energy,” said Salva- mate Change (IPCC) has warned that the world
tore Bernabei, representative of the founding is off track to limit global temperature increases
members of the Global Alliance for Sustainable to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels or even keep
Energy and CEO of Enel Green Power. them well below 2°C, as set out in the 2015 Paris
“We will pursue our mission to make a col- Agreement.
lective impact in embedding sustainability The planet will warm by 1.5°C in the next
across the entire value chain by leveraging on two decades without drastic moves to eliminate
core, shared values: responsibility, respect for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. UN Secretary
human rights, protection of the environment General Antonio Guterres said this scientific
and biodiversity, but also open collaboration and consensus “must sound a death knell for coal
transparency.” and fossil fuels before they destroy our planet”.
The Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy The pathway to keeping global heating within
aims to redefine the meaning of ‘sustainable the limits set by the Paris Agreement is net-zero
energy’ and embrace all those working in and by 2050 and climate action needs to be stepped
affected by renewables, joining efforts with civil up to reach that goal. In that scenario, almost
society, end-users, policymakers, academic 70% of electricity generation globally would
institutions, materials suppliers, original equip- come from solar PV and wind power, according
ment manufacturers and likeminded utilities to to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
interface with governments and investors. The Renewable power technologies, led by wind
initiative is fully aligned with the 2030 agenda set and solar PV, have already stepped up to domi-
out in the UN Sustainable Development Goals nate new installations of electricity generation, as
(SDGs). they have become the cheapest sources of power
The new body has identified closer alignment in many markets.™

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