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01 GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Seasonal storage of heat generated by renewable energy for
district heating systems (heat is fed in the summer, taken out in
winter) also has been deployed in a number of cases. 206 Borehole
thermal storage from solar collectors has been implemented in
Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, and a
number of demonstration projects have been implemented in
Australia, China and France. 207 On a smaller scale, solar PV is
being combined with heat pump systems, which provide storage
and enable increased on-site consumption of the renewable
energy generated. 208
Solar technologies have accounted for the majority of renewable
energy used to meet cooling demand in recent years. The
growth rate of the global solar cooling market has fluctuated,
averaging approximately 6% between 2010 and 2014. 209 Although
there is a niche market for medium-sized capacity installations
(e.g., in hotels and hospitals, especially on islands where fuel
must be imported), widespread deployment has stagnated
due to relatively high system costs, space requirements and
the complexity of solar thermal-based cooling, especially for
small-capacity systems. 210 Solar-based cooling discussions are
shifting increasingly to integrated solar PV-driven systems, as the
technology progresses in the research and development (R&D)
stage. 211 Bioenergy-based cooling – for example, via connection
to adsorption chillers – remains in the R&D stage, with very little
practical implementation due to high comparative cost. 212
There also is growing interest in district cooling systems, spurred
by an increasing demand for cooling. 213 Growth in district cooling
in the Middle East, namely in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar
and Saudi Arabia, has surpassed other world regions. There
was, however, also noteworthy development in Australia, the
Republic of Korea and Singapore in 2015. 214 Such systems offer
opportunities for integration of renewable energy, although their
deployment is as yet rare. 215
In general, deployment of renewable technologies in the
heating and cooling markets continued to be constrained by a
limited awareness of the technologies, the distributed nature
of consumption and fragmentation of the heating market,
comparatively low fossil fuel prices, ongoing fossil fuel subsidies
and a comparative lack of policy support. 216
Despite challenges to renewable heating and cooling markets in
2015, there were international signals that awareness and political
support for related technologies may be growing. A number of
INDCs delivered to the UNFCCC for COP21 specifically mention
goals to expand the use and manufacture of renewable heating
technologies. 217 In addition, the European Commission continued
to develop its first strategy for heating and cooling in 2015
(launched in early 2016) with plans to boost energy efficiency in
buildings and increase the use of renewable energy in the heating
and cooling sector. 218 The development of this strategy – one of
the first of its kind – demonstrates a growing awareness of the
potential of renewable heating and cooling.
TRANSPORT SECTOR
Global consumption of energy in transport has increased by an
average of 2% annually since 2000 and accounts for about 28% of
overall energy consumption. 219 Most of the total transport energy
demand (around 60%) is for passenger transport, a majority of
which is for passenger cars. 220 Road transport also accounts for
a majority (around 67%) of freight transport, with shipping (23%)
and rail (4%) accounting for smaller shares. 221 Renewable energy
accounted for an estimated 4% of global road transport fuel in
2015. 222
There are three main entry points for renewable energy in the
transport sector: the use of 100% liquid biofuels or biofuels
blended with conventional fuels; the growing role of natural gas
vehicles and infrastructure that can be fuelled with gaseous
biofuels; and the increasing electrification of transportation.
Renewable energy use in transport received increasing
international attention in 2015. Many countries pledged in their
INDCs to “decarbonise fuel”, focusing largely on passenger
transport. 223 (p See Sidebar 4 in Policy Landscape chapter.) The
Partnership for Sustainable Low Carbon Transport, a multistakeholder
partnership of more than 90 organisations, and the
Global Fuel Economy Initiative continued work towards lowcarbon
(including renewable), efficient transport in 2015. 224
Liquid biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) represent the vast majority
of the renewable share of global energy demand for transport. In
2015, ethanol production increased 4%, whereas global biodiesel
production fell slightly (less than 1%). 225 Although low oil prices
negatively affected some sectors in 2015 (particularly heating and
cooling), liquid biofuel markets were somewhat sheltered in many
countries thanks to blending mandates. 226 (RSee Reference
Table R3.) Regional trends include:
n North America: In the United States, the world’s largest
biofuel producer, after long delays and lapses the biofuel
industry received positive signals from policy makers in
2015. Ethanol production (based largely on maize) rose, and
biodiesel production (based largely on soya oil) decreased
slightly relative to 2014 levels. 227 To the north, Canada, a leader
in fuel ethanol production in past years, saw production fall
in 2015.
n Latin America: Brazil, the world’s second largest biofuel
producer, increased both ethanol and biodiesel production
during 2015, due to good sugarcane harvests and blending
mandates. However, in Argentina, a leading producer in years
past, output fell by 20% due to constrained export markets.
Colombia, the region’s third largest biofuel producer, raised
its ethanol production by almost 12% over 2014 levels, but its
biodiesel production decreased slightly. 228
n Europe: In the EU, new rules came into force, amending
existing legislation to limit to 7% the share of biofuels in
transport from crops grown on agricultural land. 229 Against this
background, biofuel production in the region remained largely
stable.
n Asia: As fuel ethanol continued to grow in Asia, led by increases
in China and Thailand, biodiesel production fell sharply.
Indonesia, previously one of the top biodiesel producers
worldwide, saw production decrease by roughly 60%. China’s
biodiesel production increased, almost overtaking Indonesia’s
2015 levels.
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