Geothermal and hydropower need more attention: IEA head

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

When it comes to renewable energy, we should not only think of sun and wind but also geothermal and hydropower, said Fatih Birol, President of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on May 12.

Birol spoke during the Association for Renewable Energy Research's online conference and said that the only energy source that performed well during the coronavirus pandemic was renewable energy.

Birol said that consumption of renewable energy increased despite the negative effects of the coronavirus epidemic on all types of energy resources.

All renewable energy sources are crucial but hydropower and geothermal resources need more attention, Birol said: "Two types of renewable resources are being treated unfairly. One of them is geothermal energy, the other is hydroelectric. Geothermal energy is a type that can be used in electricity generation, heating, and industry and has extremely low costs. But there is not much written about it. We forget about hydropower, too. When we look at the world, the share of solar and wind, which we talk about a lot, in total electricity production is 9 percent, while hydroelectricity is 17 percent alone. Hydroelectric and geothermal energy is not on the agenda worldwide enough. This June we will release a publication dedicated solely to hydropower. "

Reminding that 90 percent of the new additional capacity in the world came from renewable energy last year, Birol said "The energy sector almost did not build anything but renewable energy capacity. We also expect the same result for this year."

Birol said that almost half of the growth in solar and wind comes from China alone, and this is important progress because the developments in China effect the world accordingly.