The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Antalya from November 9th to 20th. COP31 President and Minister for Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum announced the initiative at the Bonn Climate Change Conference last month, which aims to increase the share of electricity in the world's final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035.
Electrification means expanding electrical systems to meet the majority of people's needs and replacing fossil fuels with electrified transportation, heating, cooling, cooking and industrial processes.
Global initiatives to achieve the goal set by the COP31 Presidency in this context have gained momentum.
The Electrify Now initiative was launched last week led by 40 institutions and organizations around the world and supported by the United Kingdom, the European Commission, Australia, Turkey and Ethiopia. This initiative calls for governments to develop national and local action plans, policies and popularization of electricity technology, meet increasing electricity demand with renewable energy and new technologies, and mobilize large-scale investments and financing.
“91 percent of business leaders believe this will increase energy security”
According to a recent survey of nearly 2,000 executives in 18 countries, including Turkey, 91 percent of business leaders believe electrification will increase energy security and 79 percent believe instabilities in the energy sector make the transition to electrification a more pressing necessity.
90 of these executives say the transition to a renewable energy-based electricity system in their countries will accelerate economic growth, and 88 percent say electrification will increase the competitiveness of their companies. However, 72 percent of those surveyed say that state policy is lagging behind in this regard.
According to an analysis by the international energy think tank Ember, 75 percent of the world's final energy needs can be met by electricity.
“An ambitious but achievable goal”
Currently, 21 percent of the world's final energy needs are covered by electricity. International industry leaders say that Türkiye's announced goal of “35 percent electrification by 2035” is ambitious but achievable and that governments should set long-term strategies and mobilize finance towards this goal.
Bruce Douglas, chief executive of the Global Renewables Alliance, emphasized that the target “provides strong direction for the future” and said: “We strongly support this COP31 Presidency goal. The 35 percent electrification target by 2035 is an ambitious but achievable goal.” he said.
Douglas expressed that a long-term and clearly defined energy policy should be established worldwide to support this goal, saying that with this policy the private sector can increase investments and build new technologies and infrastructure.
Douglas emphasized that there is also a need for a modern and expanded grid and storage infrastructure: “Another important point to achieve this goal is financing. We see that there is a financing gap in many countries. In fact, there is enough capital, but the capital flow is not enough. Therefore, we need to mobilize investments and financing on a large scale.” he said.
Pointing out that electrification brings with it a large increase in efficiency, Douglas said: “Of course, as an Alliance, we support electrification based on renewable energy, but progress is important here. Even if electrification is not carried out directly with renewable resources, it offers advantages in terms of system efficiency and reduces emissions by reducing the need for fossil fuels. This is definitely a win.” he said.
Bruce Douglas explained that the private sector, non-governmental organizations and governments are recognizing the benefits of electrification and that there is strong momentum in this regard.
Stressing that electrification is an important solution to address many challenges such as energy security, affordability and emissions issues, Douglas said: “The world has faced two major energy crises in just four years. The cost of natural gas has increased, supply has become tighter. There is now clear awareness from governments, consumers and industry. There is urgent support and opportunity, particularly for the transition to electrification based on renewable energy.” gave his assessment.
“There is the technology and the momentum to accelerate electrification.”
Maria Mendiluce, executive director of the nonprofit global climate organization We Mean Business Coalition, also stated that “the necessary technologies exist in the world to accelerate electrification and that momentum has been achieved.”
However, Mendiluce explained that the electrification rate is lower in some sectors, especially transportation: “To achieve the goal of increasing electrification, the policy measures must first be determined. If a country participates in a global goal, it should make the necessary policy arrangements and planning to achieve this goal, and approval processes should be accelerated, especially in the field of renewable energy.” shared his opinion.
Mendiluce also pointed to a lack of investment in network infrastructure and said governments should urgently accelerate investments in this area.
Mendiluce explained that renewable energy should be a priority in increasing electrification, explaining that electrification can still be accelerated in the short term with existing resources and renewable energy facilities can come from behind and be incorporated into the system in this process.
On the other hand, Mendiluce warned: “We should never consider electrification together with fossil fuels in the future,” adding that the rapid rise in oil and gas prices and problems with supply shortages after the war between the US, Israel and Iran have accelerated the transition to electrification.
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