Global energy use has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Historically, the main power sources were coal and oil, and complex green energy technology was a distant sci-fi daydream away. Now, green energy is the pinnacle of a sustainable development that supports Net Zero goals, alongside long-term economic growth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2025 reported on the potential scope of energy, implementation struggles and successes, and how we can support a growing green economy.
The IPCC 2025 Report & Energy Data
The IPCC 2025 Report has defined how successful mitigation of energy systems requires collaborative working with fundamental development goals such as enabling access to modern energy types. While there are varying degrees of accessibility across both developed countries versus developing countries having the economical sustainability to make energy alterations, the goal is universal – have access to clean and modern fuels.
The report also highlighted how developing countries are seeing improvements but are not yet at the ideal level. Despite the progress seen in countries like Bangladesh, Kenya, and India, there were 850 million people globally who did not have access to electricity in 2018, which is a decrease from the 1.2 billion in 2010. In 2019, air pollution had a high probability of being responsible for 1.1 million deaths in Africa. At the current trajectory, it is likely that 2.2 billion people will still be dependent on inefficient and polluting energy sources by 2030.
Phasing Out Coal
Coal was once one of the most widely used energy sources worldwide. Since peaking in 2013, global coal use has been declining, although trends differ by region. Use has fallen in the USA and EU, levelled off in China as renewable energy has grown, and continues to rise in many developing Asian countries.
Although there are many environmental contributors behind the decline in coal usage, the decrease is mostly driven by non-climate factors, and is primarily influenced by regulations to address air pollution, declining renewable costs, and lower natural gas prices
As coal use declines, different regions have made use of alternative energy sources. In the USA, many coal fleets have been replaced by half gas and half renewables. In the EU, it is mostly replaced by renewables. Coal faces economic decline as green alternatives have more affordability in recent years.
Green Energy Sources
The two most notable forms of green energy include solar and wind. Solar has the potential to generate well beyond the total amount of energy need to support use over the current century. Approximately 120,000 Terawatts of sunlight hits our planet continuously, which is around 10,000 times our global energy consumption. When factoring in land use competition there is a potential of 300 petaWatt-hour (pWh) per year for solar, which is still double the current global consumption.
Across the globe, many countries find that the cost of electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) is less than the cost from electricity generated by fossil fuels. We can see this vary, with some countries seeing particularly low costs, such as China, India, and parts of Europe.
Wind energy has not been as successful as solar so far, but it is becoming increasingly competitive and is now a low-cost option in many places. Since 2015, costs have declined by 18% and 40% on land and offshore respectively, with further cost reductions expected by 2030.
China’s Lead in Green Energy as a Global Objective
China has increased its economic prowess in the last 50 years and is now cementing itself as the global leader in renewable energy. China has been reported to have substantially scaled their renewable energy projects. The total of these two renewable energy projects is double the rest of the world and generates enough energy to power the entirety of South Korea. This scale of renewable construction highlights the nature of China’s determination to excel in renewable energy.
Between March 2023 and 2024, China installed more solar than it had in the previous 3 years combined, and more than the rest of the global renewable energy market for the whole of 2023.
This massive boom in renewable energy in China is partly due to the growing economy. China’s rising economy has allowed for wide scale developments across newer energy markets, while many developed countries have much of their energy infrastructure built around prior energy economies, making adaptations more challenging. Nonetheless, this innovation generates incentives for other nations to match the success of energy transformation as seen in China.
Energy Sustainability for UK Local Authorities
Increasing the amount of low-carbon and renewable energy used by local authorities helps secure a more sustainable energy supply for the UK and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps to strengthen investment in new jobs and local business, which would present opportunities for communities and local residents.
Local planning authorities are responsible for renewable and low carbon energy developments below 50 Megawatts (MW) of capacity. While local authorities hold much of the responsibility for low-carbon development, UK Central Government community-led schemes give residents opportunity to propose and progress their own renewable projects. Some of these projects may be eligible through national programmes – thereby offering the potential to share, though not remove, the pressures places on local authorities. Neighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders can be used to grant planning permissions for renewable energy development. These support community initiatives and requires local planning authority strategic policies that proposals need to consider around renewable energy development plans.
A case study carried out in 2012, published via Science Direct, notes that when it comes to strategic energy planning for local authorities in the UK, there are barriers. Local authorities may find financial, structural, and cultural barriers around the implementation of strategic energy bodies. However, there have been measures implemented by the UK Central Government to enable local authorities to benefit from local energy projects.
There is strain in local authority budgets, and exploration of green energy funding schemes and grants could assist with combating this challenge. Copious quantities of annual budgets are spent on energy, while energy costs associated with running social accommodations can run high. The fitting of council buildings and social care housing with solar panels in some local authorities has yielded positive outcomes and reduction of cost.
While there are barriers for local authorities implementing green energy schemes, there is scope for future development and planning to become more community based. The main requirement for diving these localised energy planning schemes is funding.
Green technology also has long-term benefits of reducing energy costs, helping lower the impact on annual budgets. Investigating grants and partnerships can also assist in innovation in the energy space, and inspiration from what authorities overseas and nationally are doing to optimise their systems can help idea-generation for what is possible. HVO vehicles are becoming more prominent in local authority fleets. With biowaste fuels, solar panels on council buildings and hydroelectric opportunities for coastal communities there are many ways local authorities can innovate green initiatives in the future.
Case Study
There is an abundance of global energy innovations that can inspire and drive more enhancements in the UK. Learning from international developments can help us tailor our approach to renewable energy to help secure long-term energy sustainability across the nation. IESE has seen more innovation in the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fleets in IESE Awards nominations in recent years. This highlights how HVO vehicles are an efficient and effective way for councils to make use of green energy schemes to assist with budget management. Hackney Council adopted a 5-year Parking and Enforcement Plan to improve air quality and promote sustainable transport in 2023. Likewise, Brentwood Borough Council also switched their waste and street-ware vehicles from diesel to eco-friendly HVO fuels in 2023, making them the first council in Essex to move to HVO.
If your organisation is innovating with new technologies in the green energy space, please get in touch and let us know about your creative approach at iese.org.uk.
