Renewable Energy To Remodel World Dominance Patterns

by Jacek Fior (CleanTechnica) Attending the 9th session of IRENA’s General Assembly on Friday*, we were all looking forward to one item on the agenda – launch of a new report, A New World: The Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation.

We all swarmed into the Regal Room of The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, where we had a chance to meet a good portion of the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation, chaired by Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, former president of Iceland. The importance of this paper appears to be that nobody before has ventured to outline the roadmap of what we are about to see with democratization of energy and the inherent independence of renewable energy.

Some predictions are stated openly and with conviction, such as the one expressed by Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson that the energy transformation will enhance the leadership position of China.

Maria van der Hoeven, former Executive Director of IEA, agreed those who see the signs on the wall will know the change is coming but we must prevent the technology dominance of a few. Otherwise, we will repeat the mistakes from the past and democratization and independence will be blocked.

The other risk of concentrated power was brought to our attention by Carlos Lopes, former Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission of Africa. Rare minerals will play a major role in the energy transformation and many of them will give a huge advantage to some African countries.

“This Report argues that the global energy transformation driven by renewables will have significant geopolitical implications. It will reshape relations between states and lead to fundamental structural changes in economies and society. The world that will emerge from the renewable energy transition will be very different from the one that was built on a foundation of fossil fuels.” READ MORE

Excerpt from PV Magazine: Report commissioner Carlos Lopes, from the University of Cape Town, noted that while the transition will result in increased energy independence in some parts of the world, the high concentration of minerals such as cobalt in a small number of African countries will result in them becoming “of great geostrategic importance”.

“It is not just about producing energy, but what you do with it,” said Lopes. “We will still have dependence on certain minerals that will be highly concentrated.” The result: “An opportunity for Africa to increase its assertiveness, provided the right governance is in place.” READ MORE