Electrification with renewables: driving the transformation of energy services

The world has made the transition from one major form of energy to another several times-from animal power and biomass to burning coal, and then to the increasing use of oil and gas. The replacement of those fuels with renewables marks the next historic shift. Yet to ensure sustainability and global climate stability, energy transformation needs to happen much faster.
Countries around the world need a vast expansion of renewables, smarter and more flexible electricity grids, and huge increases in the numbers of vehicles and other products and processes that run on electricity. Those three elements-combined in a “Re-Electrification” strategy-will be crucial in shaping the world’s new, renewable-dominated energy system.
Combining the perspective of a major grid operator with IRENA’s global work to foster innovation and technology co-operation, the study examines the latest trends and explores long-term pathways for RE-Electrification, or electrification with renewables. It also identifies key areas for further work to anticipate the impacts and economic implications of those pathways.