In 2017, renewable energy accounted for approximately 70% of net additions to global power generation capacity due in large part to the cost competitiveness of solar PV and wind, according to REN21's Renewables 2018 Global Status Report (GSR). Significantly, the world added more solar PV capacity than net additions of fossil fuels and nuclear power combined. ​

Global solar PV capacity increased by 98 gigawatts (GW) to 402 GW, an increase of approximately 33%, and ​global wind power capacity increased by 52 GW to 539 GW, an increase of approximately 11%. 

In 2017, 179 countries had national, state, and/or provincial renewable energy targets, and 57 countries had a 100% renewable electricity target at the national or subnational level. 

Multiple electricity systems are successfully integrating high penetrations of variable renewable energy such as solar and wind without affecting grid stability. Five countries generated more than 20% of their electricity from wind and solar in 2017: Denmark, Uruguay, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain (see graph below). 

Links to the full GSR report, highlights, and infographics are available here.

By Renato Piazzon Falcone. Peru is expected to launch its fifth renewable energy auction before the end of the year, according to industry sources, as reported in Gestión. Although official details have not yet emerged about the technology or capacity requirements, the auction is expected to include new capacity in solar PV and potentially other technologies, such as wind, biomass, and small hydro (no larger than 20 MW).
 
As per Peru’s 2008 renewable energy legislation, renewable energy auctions must be considered every two years to comply with the country’s 5% renewable energy target, which led to the auctions held in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. The 2015 auction achieved worldwide record low prices for solar PV and wind at the time. However, the auction to be held in 2017 was cancelled due in part to generation oversupply.
 
To address these challenges and to improve competitiveness of renewables in Peru’s energy market, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) has announced that it is reviewing the country’s renewable energy regulatory framework. Among the measures under consideration are regulatory acknowledgement of firm power in renewable sources (to avoid mandatory backup generation), hourly blocks in auction designs, as well as possible tax benefits. A clear and stable renewable energy policy framework would advance Peru’s energy security and environment goals since, according to new estimates, generation oversupply is expected to end in 2021.
 
In terms of deployment, Peru’s largest to date utility-scale solar projects, which were contracted in prior auctions, have begun operations in 2018: Enel’s 145 MW Rubi Project and Engie’s 40 MW Intipampa Project. Enel has also begun operations of a 132 MW wind farm, Wayra I.

In addition, by the end of 2019, Peru also reportedly plans to install some 140,000 solar panels in various areas of the country that require electricity in accordance with the government's goal of raising rural electrification coverage to 99%. 

By Blanca Lopez Bassa. Chile will award between 7.200 GWh to 7.900 GWh of energy power supply contracts in an energy auction to be held by the end of 2018, according to a presentation by the Chilean Energy National Commission (CNE).

On March 14, 2018, the CNE opened the registration process for institutions and users interested in presenting technical observations on the 2018 energy auction’s preliminary reports. This process officially launches the 2018 energy auction, according to article 131 ter of Law 20.805.

Since the reforms introduced by Law 20.805 of 2015 and Transmission Law 20.936 of 2016, Chilean energy policy has been characterized by unsubsidized and technology neutral energy power supply auctions. The Chilean model has demonstrated that it is possible to attract new renewable energy generators to the market by removing barriers for clean power generators and incentivizing investments in generation.

During prior energy auctions in 2016 and 2017, Chile succeeded in its policy objectives of stimulating competition, decreasing energy prices (Figure 1), and incentivizing entry of new renewable energy generation actors. For example, Auction  2015/01 of 2016 registered the lowest renewable energy price up to that date, US$29.2 MWh (almost half the carbon price in the same auction). The energy supply will come from “new wind capacity (45.5%), new solar capacity (6.8%) and a mix of conventional capacity (47.6%)” (IEA, at 95).

In the energy auction of 2017, the majority of new entry participants were renewable energy generators, the lowest energy price registered was US $21.48 / MWh, and the average price awarded was US $ 32.5 / MWh, as reported by Emol.economia.

Chile’s innovations in energy auction design include the use of hourly and quarterly sub-blocks, which are particularly beneficial for renewable energy generators. In addition, the government established longer contracts and more flexibility, among other regulatory and policy incentives, to attract investment. For example, the government allows up to five years “to postpone the term of beginning of the energy supply or put an early termination to the contract if, for reasons not attributable to the successful bidder, its generation project it is delayed or if it becomes unviable,” according to article 135 ter of Law 20.805. 

The Central American country of Costa Rica has successfully transitioned to a grid powered by nearly 100% renewable resources, according to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE). The primary sources of Costa Rica's power are  hydro, goethermal, wind, biomass, and solar. Fossil fuels function as backup energy generation source, accounting for less than 2% of generation.

In 2016, Costa Rica relied on renewable sources for 98.12% of its electricity, an impressive achievement and consistent with the 2015 total of 98.99%. Costa Rica further reported that in 2016 it went 250 days using only renewable power sources. With the ability to maintain high levels of renewable electricity for two years, Costa Rica's electricity sector is a world leader in clean energy.

It should be noted, however, that Costa Rica's Reventazon Hydroelectric Project, the largest hydroelectric dam in Central America, has generated concerns due to its environmental impacts on river ecosystems and migrating wildlife, including jaguars. Accordingly, it is to be hoped that Costa Rica continues to invest in non-hydro sources of clean energy, such as wind and solar, which also offer the benefit of operating during the dry season, when hydroelectric production is less reliable.

In June 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Barack Obama, and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto issued a joint leaders statement recognizing that our "highly integrated economies and energy systems afford a tremendous opportunity to harness growth in our continuing transition to a clean energy economy."

The North American leaders committed to a North American Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment Partnership that identifies deliverables to be achieved and activities to be pursued in the following categories:

- Advancing Clean and Secure Energy
- Driving Down Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
- Promoting Clean and Efficient Transportation
- Protecting Nature and Advancing Science
- Showing Global Leadership in Addressing Climate Change

Major goals include achieving 50% clean power generation in North America by 2025 as well as demand reduction through energy efficiency. Problematically, the statement includes nuclear as a source "clean power," which significantly reduces the potential positive impact of this initiative on the transition to clean renewable power in the region.

Read the full Action Plan here.

In December 2015, the U.S. Congress extending the Production Tax Credit for wind to 2019 and the Investment Tax Credit for solar to 2022.

The  package could produce about $73 billion in incremental wind and solar investment and 37 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity — a 56% boost to the industry — over the 2016-21 period, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates. Details on the extended residential renewable energy tax credits are here.

A growing number of companies and governments are aim­ing to achieve renewable electricity targets of 50%, 75%, or even 100%. For example, in 2015 alone, California established a 50% by 2030 renewable portfolio standard (RPS); Vermont a 75% RPS by 2032; and Hawaii a 100% RPS by 2045. Dozens of corporations are already procuring 100% of their electrons from renewables for their U.S. operations, including Apple, Intel, and Kohl’s.  A new report, Getting to 100, published by CleanEdge, assesses and analyzes the full suite of options available for aggressively expanding corporate and government use of clean energy, including onsite renewables, community solar, utility-scale renewables, renewable energy credits (RECs), green energy tariffs, and third party clean-energy offerings. 

At the Climate Summit for Local Leaders held in Paris on December 4, 2015, more than 1,000 city and regional officials issued the Paris City Hall Declaration committing to "support ambitious long-term climate goals such as a transition to 100% renewable energy in our communities, or a 80% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050." More here.

A transformation of power grids towards reliance on mainly renewable energy sources has begun. The Age of Renewable Power, a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), provides a framework for developing a national roadmap to guide each country’s power sector transformation.

Brazil's National Economic Policy Council recently eliminated state and federal government taxes on power generated from small-scale renewables, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance's Week in Review. The move is expected to encourage homeowners and small businesses to generate electricity from renewables such as rooftop solar. The country’s energy regulator, ANEEL, estimates rooftop solar in Brazil could reach 2GW of capacity by 2024 if all states agree to drop the tax.