2021 came to an end. Who’s up for a quick recap? It has been a complicated year worldwide. Hit by the pandemic and with a huge toll of extreme weather disasters, amongst others. But I always like to focus on the positive, so let’s look back at some of the good outcomes of 2021…
Takeaways from 2021
Hereby, are some of my favourite takeaways from the year. As an energy engineer, there is a common theme in most of my points related to the role sustainable energies will continue to play!
- Renewable electricity growth is accelerating faster than ever worldwide.
- Record number of women heads of state and in government around the world.
- China and the USA – the two largest CO2 emission countries – have agreed to boost climate co-operation over the next decade during COP26.
- New renewable power capacity this year is forecast to rise to 290 GW in 2021, surpassing 2020’s all-time high set – despite the rise in cost of key materials to build solar panels and wind turbines.
- Electric and hybrid vehicles outsold diesel vehicles in Europe (for the first time).
- The price of solar electricity has dropped 89% in the past decade.
- Night trains make a comeback across Europe as a more sustainable long-distance option.
- The most diverse Oscar’s nominee listin history.
- A mission to clean up the Great Pacific garbage patch launched in October and brought its first haul.
As you can see, there have been lots of great achievements around energy transition in 2021 but there is still a long way to go. For that, we need more and more people to join us in this challenge.
2022, we’re ready
We need to keep pushing to make our society more equal and sustainable, ensuring the people’s wellbeing and the planet’s! Let’s make 2022 a memorable one.
If you’re asking yourself how you can contribute to positive change, always remember that the smallest of actions can move mountains. I encourage you to live according to your values, to educate yourself to know the impact of your choices and to be mindful of the environment and of those around you. At the same time, we must demand governments to accelerate the growth of renewables by addressing roadblocks, such as permitting and grid integration challenges, social acceptance, inconsistent policy approaches, and insufficient remuneration. Innovation should remain at the core of the energy transition to ensure faster implementation, larger clean energy production and even the creation of new solutions.
If you are still thinking whether energy is the right career path for you, I assure you that this is a rewarding and exciting field which will only continue to grow for decades. Let’s build together a future that we a proud of.
Happy New Year!