Research report – The role of science, technology and innovation in increasing substantially

the share of renewable energy

Definition

Renewable energy is a term that refers to energy from a source that is not depleted when
used, such as wind or solar power.

Significance
Renewable energies are sources of clean, inexhaustible and increasingly competitive energy.
They differ from fossil fuels principally in their diversity, abundance and potential for use
anywhere on the planet, but above all in that they produce neither greenhouse gases – which
cause climate change – nor polluting emissions. Their costs are also falling and at a sustainable
rate, whereas the general cost trend for fossil fuels is in the opposite direction in spite of their
present volatility.
Growth in clean energies is unstoppable, as reflected in statistics produced in 2015 by the
International Energy Agency (IEA): they represented nearly half of all new electricity generation
capacity installed in 2014, when they constituted the second biggest source of electricity
worldwide, behind coal.
According to the IEA, world electricity demand will have increased by 70% by 2040 - its share
of final energy use rising from 18 to 24% during the same period – driven mainly by the
emerging economies of India, China, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia.
Clean energy development is vital for combating climate change and limiting its most
devastating effects. 2014 was the warmest year on record. The Earth’s temperature has risen by
an average 0.85 °C since the end of the 19th Century, states National Geographic in its special
November 2015 issue on climate change.
Meanwhile, some 1.1 billion inhabitants (17% of the world population) do not have access to
electricity. Equally, 2.7 billion people (38% of the population) use conventional biomass for
cooking, heating and lighting in their homes - at serious risk to their health.
As such, one of the objectives established by the United Nations is to achieve to access to
electricity for everyone by 2030, an ambitious target considering that, by then, according to the
IEA’s estimates, 800 million people will have no access to an electricity supply if current trends
continue.

Purpose
The first and main reason for why governments and businesses are keen to move to renewable
energies as soon as possible is that fossil fuels are a finite resource. We may or may not have
reached peak oil - the point at which demand outstrips supply -and by current figures, many
experts seem to agree we did so around 2008 with only external factors creating fluctuations in
demand making it difficult to predict precisely when it will run out. That is another debate
entirely that our politicians and economists have argued for decades, and will continue to
argue (14) for many years to come. Whichever way we look at it, fossil fuels will run out
eventually and it will take some 10,000,000 years to replenish what we have used in around 150
years.

As the human population increases, our rate of consumption of these fossil fuels also increases.
Geologists and others whose job it is to locate and access these pockets of crude oil are finding it
increasingly difficult to locate and extract new sources. Whether we have 1 year or 100 years left
of oil, many argue that what is left should remain in the ground because it is not sustainable - it
will run out eventually and so we should prepare for a post-fossil fuel world now.

Limitations

Renewable energy has many benefits, but it’s not always sunny when it comes to renewable
energy. Here are some disadvantages to using renewables over traditional fuel sources.

1. Higher upfront cost

While you can save money by using renewable energy, the technologies are typically more
expensive upfront than traditional energy generators. To combat this, there are often financial
incentives, such as tax credits and rebates, available to help alleviate your initial costs of
renewable technology.

2. Intermittency

Though renewable energy resources are available around the world, many of these resources
aren’t available 24/7, year-round. Some days may be windier than others, the sun doesn’t shine at
night, and droughts may occur for periods of time. There can be unpredictable weather events
that disrupt these technologies. Fossil fuels are not intermittent and can be turned on or off at any
given time.

3. Storage capabilities

Because of the intermittency of some renewable energy sources, there’s a high need for energy
storage. While there are storage technologies available today, they can be expensive, especially
for large-scale renewable energy plants. It’s worth noting that energy storage capacity is growing
as the technology progresses, and batteries are becoming more affordable as time goes on.

4. Geographic limitations

The United States has a diverse geography with varying climates, topographies, vegetation, and
more. This creates a beautiful melting pot of landscapes but also means that there are some
geographical contexts that are more suitable for renewable technologies than others. For
example, a large farm with open space may be a great place for a residential wind turbine or a
solar energy system, while a townhome in a city covered in shade from taller buildings wouldn’t
be able to reap the benefits of either technology on their property. If your property isn’t suitable
for a personal renewable energy technology, there are other options. If you’re interested in solar
but don’t have a sunny property, you can often still benefit from renewable energy by purchasing
green power or enrolling in a community solar option.
Diagrams
Bibliography
www.environmentalscience.org

www.renewableenergyworld.com

news.energysage.com

www.acciona.com