The world is adding renewable energy capacity at record speed. Solar farms are sprouting up in the deserts of Arizona, wind turbines are swirling along North Sea coastlines, and hydroelectric plants are being etched into European mountainsides. Billion-dollar green policy packages — including the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s “REPowerEU” strategy — are propelling the boom. Global investment in renewable power last year surpassed $700bn, over double the amount in 2015. For all the progress, though, there is a major snag: too much of it is going to waste.
全球正在以創紀錄的速度增加可再生能源的產能。太陽能發電場如雨後春筍般出現在亞利桑那州的沙漠中，風力渦輪機沿著北海海岸線旋轉，水電站被蝕刻在歐洲的山坡上。耗資數十億美元的一攬子綠色政策——包括美國的《降低通膨法》和歐盟的「REPowerEU」戰略——推動了這一熱潮。去年，全球可再生能源投資超過7000億美元，是2015年的兩倍多。儘管取得了這些進展，但仍存在一個重大障礙：太多的投資被浪費了。