This data is drawn from two global surveys: the Global Consumer Wind Study 2012 (GCWS), an annual survey produced by TNS Gallup, about consumers’ preferences for renewable energy, and the Corporate Renewable Energy Index Report 2012 (CREX), an index of companies that use renewable energy voluntarily, prepared by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The CREX study found global investment in new renewable capacity has continued to rise. In 2011 net investment in renewable power capacity outpaced that of fossil fuel generation ($237bn for renewables versus $223bn for additional fossil fuel generation).
The GCWS showed that 45% of consumers surveyed perceive climate change as one of the top three challenges facing the world today while 62% of respondents say they would be more willing to buy products from brands using wind energy.
“The evidence presented by the surveys is extremely encouraging, clearly showing that consumers are demanding more renewable energy in the grid and are showing a willingness to pay a premium price for products made with renewable energy,” says Morten Albaek, Vestas Group Senior Vice President of Marketing, Communication and Corporate Relations.
Vestas firmly believes corporations are part of the solution towards meeting the world’s rapidly rising demand for energy without increasing dangerous carbon emissions.
“The trend of private companies investing in renewable energy is very positive,” says Morten Albaek. “We have already seen many companies such as IKEA purchasing wind turbines as part of a commitment to get all of its energy from renewable sources, and recently Aviva, the UK’s largest insurance group invested in a wind power plant in Spain as they wanted a low risk, strong yield investment.”
“The findings of the CREX report show corporations are taking an active role in purchasing their own renewable energy directly. However the pace of growth in companies’ use of renewable energy will depend on the level of political and regulatory support, and on further progress in the cost-competitiveness of these technologies,” says Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
In order to bring this important data to greater public attention, Vestas is conducting the 2012 Energy Transparency campaign, aimed at increasing transparency of consumers’ energy preferences globally and influencing companies’ energy procurement, while at the same time helping to shape the future energy mix of the world.
The 2012 Energy Transparency campaign aims to further amplify this trend and bring it to the public-eye with comprehensive third party evidence that on a global and local level creates transparency of the energy preferences of consumers and the actions of corporations.
The campaign was successfully kicked off in Rio De Janerio last month and will feature events in London, New York, Hamburg, and Sydney over the coming weeks.
The Corporate Renewable Energy Index (CREX) is an index that ranks companies according to their voluntary renewable energy procurement. Produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the aim behind the CREX is to clearly identify the level of renewable energy used by corporations around the world and provide much-needed transparency to companies, investors , policy makers, NGOs and last but not least consumers. In 2012, the CREX includes 389 companies from 26 countries.
The CREX main findings:
• Global investment in new renewable capacity has continued to rise. In 2011 net investment in renewable power capacity outpaced that of fossil fuel generation ($237bn for renewables versus $223bn for additional fossil fuel generation)
• Many companies are making a significant commitment to renew¬able energy through direct investment in on-site generation (40% of renewable electricity purchases in 2011).
• The voluntary procurement of renewable energy has grown in recent years, and this is set to continue, but the pace of growth will depend on political and regulatory support.
The Global Consumer Wind Study (GCWS) is a global study, conducted by TSN Gallup, which focuses on consumers’ preferences regarding energy, their demand for products made with renewable energy, as well as how energy decisions by some of the world’s largest companies affect consumer choices. In 2012, the study was conducted among 24.000 consumers in 20 countries.
The GCWS main findings:
• 45% of consumers surveyed perceive climate change as one of the top 3 challenges facing the world today.
• 17% believe that it is the single greatest challenge facing the world today, with only the financial crisis identified as the top challenge by more respondents.
• 85% of consumers surveyed say they want more renewable energy
• 74% would get a more positive perception of a brand if wind energy were the primary energy source used in its production.
• 49% of respondents express willingness to pay more for products made with renewable energy
• 62% of respondents say they would be more willing to buy products from brands using wind energy
• 52% of consumers believe that the transparency of the energy mix used in product production is too low.
Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the global fight against climate change. Wind power from Vestas’ more than 47,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by approximately 55 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence.
Today, Vestas has delivered wind energy in more than 70 countries, providing jobs for over 20,000 passionate people at our service and project sites, research facilities, factories and offices all over the world. With 65 per cent more megawatts installed than our closest competitor and more than 51 GW of cumulative installed capacity worldwide, Vestas is the world leader in wind energy.
