World Energy Outlook 2017 (Executive Summary)
Four large-scale shifts in the global energy system set the scene for the World Energy
Outlook-2017 (WEO-2017):
- The rapid deployment and falling costs of clean energy technologies; in 2016, growth
in solar PV capacity was larger than for any other form of generation; since 2010, costs
of new solar PV have come down by 70%, wind by 25% and battery costs by 40%. - The growing electrification of energy; in 2016, spending by the world’s consumers on
electricity approached parity with their spending on oil products. - The shift to a more services-oriented economy and a cleaner energy mix in China, the
world’s largest energy consumer, subject of a detailed focus in this Outlook. - The resilience of shale gas and tight oil in the United States, cementing its position as
the biggest oil and gas producer in the world even at lower prices.