Sourcing Renewables | Page 193

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced an annual increase of 7.9% for 2018 of global renewable energy capacity, bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy. Globally, total renewable energy generation capacity reached 2,351 GW at the end of last year – around a third of total installed electricity capacity.

With students and faculty pushing for environmentally friendly programs and a longer life span than most corporations, universities have special advantages and challenges when it comes to implementing renewable energy programs. In this presentation from a recent Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum, Dr. Wolfgang Bauer of Michigan State University explores higher ed's approach to renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Google, Facebook, General Motors and Walmart are among a group of more than 300 companies who joined to launch the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), the largest group of corporate renewable energy buyers in the U.S. The group announced a target to add more than 60 gigawatts of new corporate renewables online by 2025.

The Smart Energy Decisions 2019 Innovation Summit opened on a high note with a team from Merck discussing how their usually conservative company set a strategy of aggressive environmental sustainability goals and how they plan to reach these targets.