World saw largest rise in renewable energy capacity in 2017: Report
New Delhi, June 4: Renewable power accounted for 70 per cent of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2017, the largest such increase in modern history, a report said on Monday.
But the heating, cooling and transport sectors, which together account for about four-fifths of global final energy demand, continue to lag far behind the power sector.
According to the REN21's Renewables 2018 Global Status Report, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity reached record levels.
Solar PV additions were up 29 per cent relative to 2016, to 98 GW. More solar PV generating capacity was added to the electricity system than net capacity additions of coal, natural gas and nuclear power combined, said the report.
Wind power also drove the uptake of renewables with 52 GW added globally.
Investment in new renewable power capacity was more than twice that of net, new fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity combined, despite large, ongoing subsidies for fossil fuel generation.
More than two-thirds of investments in power generation were in renewables in 2017 owing to increasing cost-competitiveness and the share of renewables in the power sector is expected to only continue to rise.
China, Europe and the US accounted for nearly 75 per cent of global investment in renewables in 2017.
However, when measured per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), the Marshall Islands, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Guinea-Bissau, and many other developing countries are investing as much as or more in renewables than developed and emerging economies.
Both energy demand and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose substantially for the first time in four years.
In the power sector, the transition to renewables is under way but is progressing more slowly than is possible or desirable.
A commitment made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels makes the nature of the challenge much clearer.
If the world is to achieve the target set in the Paris agreement, then heating, cooling and transport will need to follow the same path as the power sector and fast, the report warned.
Small changes are underway. In India, for example, installations of solar thermal collectors rose approximately 25 per cent in 2017 as compared to 2016.
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Doctor kills his professor wife on suspicion of character, held with brother
Nagpur (PTI): Police have solved the murder case of a woman doctor in Nagpur by arresting her husband, also a doctor, and her brother-in-law who had tried to pass off the incident as a robbery-related crime, an official said on Monday.
The crime stemmed from suspicions over the character of the deceased and arguments between her and her husband, Dr. Anil Rahule, who teaches at a private medical college in Raipur.
According to police, Dr. Rahule allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill his wife, Dr. Archana, and his brother, Raju Rahule, smashed her head with an iron rod on April 9.
The slain doctor worked as an assistant professor in the physiotherapy department of the Government Medical College and Hospital, police said.
"Dr. Anil Rahule used to doubt the character of his wife, which resulted in frequent arguments between them. He would often fight with her and physically assault her," police said.
The official stated that Dr. Rahule called his brother, Raju, to their residence in Ladikar Layout in Nagpur on April 9.
While Dr. Rahule pinned down his wife by holding her legs, Raju allegedly struck her on the head with an iron rod. After the murder, both brothers locked the house using the central locking system and fled, police said.
Dr Rahule returned to his house on April 12 and raised an alarm, following which police were alerted.
Prima facie, it appeared to be a case of robbery. However, police grew suspicious after noticing that the body had decomposed, indicating that the murder had occurred a few days earlier.
The suspicion deepened when the police observed that Dr. Rahule was uneasy and pretended to faint, the official said.
"He admitted to killing his wife during interrogation, following which he and his brother were arrested. Police are investigating whether there was any other motive," the official added.
