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105 Alternative Energy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Alternative energy sources have become increasingly important as the world faces the challenges of climate change and dwindling fossil fuel reserves. Writing an essay on alternative energy can be both educational and thought-provoking, as it allows you to explore innovative solutions and potential impacts on the environment and society. To help you get started, here are 105 alternative energy essay topic ideas and examples:

• The potential of solar power as a primary energy source.
• The benefits and drawbacks of wind energy.
• The future of nuclear energy: opportunities and risks.
• The impact of hydroelectric power on ecosystems.
• Geothermal energy: a sustainable solution for heating and cooling.
• The role of tidal and wave energy in a clean energy future.
• Biomass energy: utilizing organic waste for power production.
• The economics of renewable energy: cost-effectiveness and long-term returns.
• The importance of energy storage in renewable systems.
• The potential of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to fossil fuels.
• The impact of electric vehicles on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• The role of government policies in promoting renewable energy adoption.
• Sustainable energy solutions for developing countries.
• The impact of renewable energy on job creation and economic growth.
• The challenges of integrating renewable energy into existing power grids.
• The potential of offshore wind farms to meet energy demands.
• The social and environmental implications of large-scale solar farms.
• The use of biofuels in aviation: possibilities and limitations.
• The role of community-based renewable energy projects.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing air pollution and improving public health.
• The potential of solar-powered desalination for addressing water scarcity.
• The role of renewable energy in achieving global climate targets.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing a smart grid system.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty.
• The impact of renewable energy on energy independence and national security.
• The role of artificial intelligence in optimizing energy efficiency.
• The potential of solar roads for sustainable transportation infrastructure.
• The challenges of recycling and disposing of renewable energy components.
• The impact of renewable energy on biodiversity conservation.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector.
• The role of renewable energy in disaster resilience and recovery.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing water consumption in power generation.
• The potential of ocean thermal energy conversion as a sustainable energy source.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing a carbon pricing mechanism.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in rural areas.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing energy-related conflicts.
• The potential of solar-powered air conditioning for sustainable cooling.
• The challenges and benefits of decentralized energy systems.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the transportation sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on improving energy access in remote areas.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing mining-related environmental impacts.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the manufacturing sector.
• The role of renewable energy in sustainable urban development.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing deforestation and land degradation.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in developing countries.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the healthcare sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing carbon footprints of buildings.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing water pollution from power generation.
• The potential of solar-powered irrigation systems for sustainable agriculture.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the tourism industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the education sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the shipping industry.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in urban areas.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the mining sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the food industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing noise pollution from power generation.
• The potential of solar-powered street lighting for sustainable urban infrastructure.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the agriculture sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the hospitality industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing waste generation from power generation.
• The potential of wind-powered desalination for addressing water scarcity.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the transportation sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the manufacturing sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the aviation industry.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in coastal areas.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the healthcare sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the retail industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing water consumption in buildings.
• The potential of solar-powered cooking for sustainable food preparation.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the education sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the construction industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the tourism industry.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in remote areas.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the entertainment industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the telecommunications sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing waste generation from buildings.
• The potential of solar-powered water treatment for addressing water pollution.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the food industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the banking sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the construction industry.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in mountainous areas.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the sports industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the technology sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing water consumption in the agriculture sector.
• The potential of solar-powered waste management for sustainable waste disposal.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the retail industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the logistics sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the manufacturing industry.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the banking sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the fashion industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing waste generation from the telecommunications sector.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the entertainment industry.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the healthcare sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the transportation industry.
• The potential of renewable energy in reducing energy poverty in rural areas.
• The challenges and benefits of utilizing renewable energy in the education sector.
• The role of renewable energy in reducing energy consumption in the tourism industry.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing waste generation from the construction industry.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing renewable energy in the agriculture sector.
• The impact of renewable energy on reducing emissions from the healthcare sector.

These essay topics cover a wide range of areas where alternative energy can make a significant difference. Choose a topic that interests you, conduct thorough research, and present your findings and opinions in a well-structured essay. By delving into these alternative energy ideas, you can contribute to the ongoing discussion and raise awareness about sustainable solutions for a greener future.

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Essay on Alternative Energy

Students are often asked to write an essay on Alternative Energy in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Alternative Energy

Introduction.

Alternative energy refers to energy sources that are different from traditional fossil fuels. These include solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. They’re important because they’re renewable and cause less pollution.

Solar Energy

Solar energy comes from the sun. We use solar panels to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. It’s a clean, renewable source that doesn’t harm the environment.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is harnessed by wind turbines. As the wind blows, it spins the turbines, generating electricity. It’s plentiful and renewable, but depends on the wind’s speed.

Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric energy is produced by the movement of water. Dams are built to store water, which is then released to turn turbines and generate electricity. It’s renewable and efficient.

250 Words Essay on Alternative Energy

Alternative energy, often referred to as renewable energy, is energy derived from resources that are naturally replenished. Unlike fossil fuels, these resources are limitless, making them a sustainable option for energy production.

The Need for Alternative Energy

Our planet’s health is in a critical state due to the excessive use of fossil fuels. Their combustion contributes to climate change by releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide. Switching to alternative energy sources is a viable solution to this urgent issue.

Types of Alternative Energy

There are several types of alternative energy sources. Solar power harnesses the sun’s energy, while wind power uses air flow to generate electricity. Hydropower and tidal energy exploit water’s kinetic energy, and geothermal energy utilizes heat from beneath the Earth’s surface. Biomass and biofuels are derived from organic matter.

Benefits of Alternative Energy

Alternative energy sources offer numerous benefits. They significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus mitigating climate change. They also reduce dependence on finite resources and can be more cost-effective in the long run.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite their benefits, alternative energy sources face challenges such as intermittency and high initial costs. However, with technological advancements and political will, these hurdles can be overcome. The future of energy lies in harnessing these sustainable resources, underlining the importance of investing in alternative energy research and infrastructure.

500 Words Essay on Alternative Energy

Introduction to alternative energy.

Alternative energy refers to energy sources that are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or nuclear fusion. The term is commonly used to refer to renewable and non-polluting energy sources. These are energy sources that are continually replenished, such as sunlight, wind, and water flows. They are a vital part of our future, as they offer an alternative to fossil fuels, which are harmful to the environment and are limited in supply.

The Importance of Alternative Energy

The need for alternative energy sources is driven by two major factors: environmental concerns and the depletion of our planet’s natural resources. The burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming, air pollution, and acid rain. On the other hand, renewable energy sources produce little or no pollution and do not contribute to climate change. Furthermore, the world’s oil and gas reserves are finite. As these resources become harder to find and extract, the cost of extraction and production will increase.

Hydropower, generated by the movement of water, is a reliable and constant energy source, but the construction of dams can have significant environmental impacts. Bioenergy, derived from organic materials, is renewable and can be produced locally, reducing our dependence on foreign oil. However, it competes with food resources and may contribute to deforestation. Geothermal energy, derived from the Earth’s internal heat, is reliable and sustainable, but its availability is limited to certain regions.

The Future of Alternative Energy

The future of alternative energy looks promising. Technological advancements are making these energy sources more efficient and cost-effective. Governments around the world are implementing policies to promote the use of renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, the transition to a sustainable energy future will require a combination of strategies, including energy conservation, increased energy efficiency, and the development of new technologies.

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• U.S. Energy Information Administration - Energy Kids - Energy Sources - Renewable
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renewable energy , usable energy derived from replenishable sources such as the Sun ( solar energy ), wind ( wind power ), rivers ( hydroelectric power ), hot springs ( geothermal energy ), tides ( tidal power ), and biomass ( biofuels ).

At the beginning of the 21st century, about 80 percent of the world’s energy supply was derived from fossil fuels such as coal , petroleum , and natural gas . Fossil fuels are finite resources; most estimates suggest that the proven reserves of oil are large enough to meet global demand at least until the middle of the 21st century. Fossil fuel combustion has a number of negative environmental consequences. Fossil-fueled power plants emit air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide , particulate matter , nitrogen oxides, and toxic chemicals (heavy metals: mercury , chromium , and arsenic ), and mobile sources, such as fossil-fueled vehicles, emit nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide , and particulate matter. Exposure to these pollutants can cause heart disease , asthma , and other human health problems. In addition, emissions from fossil fuel combustion are responsible for acid rain , which has led to the acidification of many lakes and consequent damage to aquatic life, leaf damage in many forests, and the production of smog in or near many urban areas. Furthermore, the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), one of the main greenhouse gases that cause global warming .

In contrast, renewable energy sources accounted for nearly 20 percent of global energy consumption at the beginning of the 21st century, largely from traditional uses of biomass such as wood for heating and cooking . By 2015 about 16 percent of the world’s total electricity came from large hydroelectric power plants, whereas other types of renewable energy (such as solar, wind, and geothermal) accounted for 6 percent of total electricity generation. Some energy analysts consider nuclear power to be a form of renewable energy because of its low carbon emissions; nuclear power generated 10.6 percent of the world’s electricity in 2015.

Growth in wind power exceeded 20 percent and photovoltaics grew at 30 percent annually in the 1990s, and renewable energy technologies continued to expand throughout the early 21st century. Between 2001 and 2017 world total installed wind power capacity increased by a factor of 22, growing from 23,900 to 539,581 megawatts. Photovoltaic capacity also expanded, increasing by 50 percent in 2016 alone. The European Union (EU), which produced an estimated 6.38 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2005, adopted a goal in 2007 to raise that figure to 20 percent by 2020. By 2016 some 17 percent of the EU’s energy came from renewable sources. The goal also included plans to cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 20 percent and to ensure that 10 percent of all fuel consumption comes from biofuels . The EU was well on its way to achieving those targets by 2017. Between 1990 and 2016 the countries of the EU reduced carbon emissions by 23 percent and increased biofuel production to 5.5 percent of all fuels consumed in the region. In the United States numerous states have responded to concerns over climate change and reliance on imported fossil fuels by setting goals to increase renewable energy over time. For example, California required its major utility companies to produce 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010, and by the end of that year California utilities were within 1 percent of the goal. In 2008 California increased this requirement to 33 percent by 2020, and in 2017 the state further increased its renewable-use target to 50 percent by 2030.

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The Future of Sustainable Energy

26 June, 2021

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Building a sustainable energy future calls for leaps forward in both technology and policy leadership. State governments, major corporations and nations around the world have pledged to address the worsening climate crisis by transitioning to 100% renewable energy over the next few decades. Turning those statements of intention into a reality means undertaking unprecedented efforts and collaboration between disciplines ranging from environmental science to economics.

There are highly promising opportunities for green initiatives that could deliver a better future. However, making a lasting difference will require both new technology and experts who can help governments and organizations transition to more sustainable practices. These leaders will be needed to source renewables efficiently and create environmentally friendly policies, as well as educate consumers and policymakers. To maximize their impact, they must make decisions informed by the most advanced research in clean energy technology, economics, and finance.

Current Trends in Sustainability

The imperative to adopt renewable power solutions on a worldwide scale continues to grow even more urgent as the global average surface temperature hits historic highs and amplifies the danger from extreme weather events . In many regions, the average temperature has already increased by 1.5 degrees , and experts predict that additional warming could drive further heatwaves, droughts, severe hurricanes, wildfires, sea level rises, and even mass extinctions.

In addition, physicians warn that failure to respond to this dire situation could unleash novel diseases : Dr. Rexford Ahima and Dr. Arturo Casadevall of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine contributed to an article in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that explained how climate change could affect the human body’s ability to regulate its own temperature while bringing about infectious microbes that adapt to the warmer conditions.

World leaders have accepted that greenhouse gas emissions are a serious problem that must be addressed. Since the Paris Agreement was first adopted in December 2015, 197 nations have signed on to its framework for combating climate change and preventing the global temperature increase from reaching 2 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels.

Corporate giants made their own commitments to become carbon neutral by funding offsets to reduce greenhouse gases and gradually transitioning into using 100% renewable energy. Google declared its operations carbon neutral in 2017 and has promised that all data centers and campuses will be carbon-free by 2030. Facebook stated that it would eliminate its carbon footprint in 2020 and expand that commitment to all the organization’s suppliers within 10 years. Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles and has promised that its sprawling logistics operations will arrive at net-zero emissions by 2040.

Despite these promising developments, many experts say that nations and businesses are still not changing fast enough. While carbon neutrality pledges are a step in the right direction, they don’t mean that organizations have actually stopped using fossil fuels . And despite the intentions expressed by Paris Agreement signatories, total annual carbon dioxide emissions reached a record high of 33.5 gigatons in 2018, led by China, the U.S., and India.

“The problem is that what we need to achieve is so daunting and taxes our resources so much that we end up with a situation that’s much, much worse than if we had focused our efforts,” Ferraro said.

Recent Breakthroughs in Renewable Power

An environmentally sustainable infrastructure requires innovations in transportation, industry, and utilities. Fortunately, researchers in the private and public sectors are laying the groundwork for an energy transformation that could make the renewable energy of the future more widely accessible and efficient.

Some of the most promising areas that have seen major developments in recent years include:

Driving Electric Vehicles Forward

The technical capabilities of electric cars are taking great strides, and the popularity of these vehicles is also growing among consumers. At Tesla’s September 22, 2020 Battery Day event, Elon Musk announced the company’s plans for new batteries that can be manufactured at a lower cost while offering greater range and increased power output .

The electric car market has seen continuing expansion in Europe even during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in large part to generous government subsidies. Market experts once predicted that it would take until 2025 for electric car prices to reach parity with gasoline-powered vehicles. However, growing sales and new battery technology could greatly speed up that timetable .

Cost-Effective Storage For Renewable Power

One of the biggest hurdles in the way of embracing 100% renewable energy has been the need to adjust supply based on demand. Utilities providers need efficient, cost-effective ways of storing solar and wind power so that electricity is available regardless of weather conditions. Most electricity storage currently takes place in pumped-storage hydropower plants, but these facilities require multiple reservoirs at different elevations.

Pumped thermal electricity storage is an inexpensive solution to get around both the geographic limitations of hydropower and high costs of batteries. This approach, which is currently being tested , uses a pump to convert electricity into heat so it can be stored in a material like gravel, water, or molten salts and kept in an insulated tank. A heat engine converts the heat back into electricity as necessary to meet demand.

Unlocking the Potential of Microgrids

Microgrids are another area of research that could prove invaluable to the future of power. These systems can operate autonomously from a traditional electrical grid, delivering electricity to homes and business even when there’s an outage. By using this approach with power sources like solar, wind, or biomass, microgrids can make renewable energy transmission more efficient.

Researchers in public policy and engineering are exploring how microgrids could serve to bring clean electricity to remote, rural areas . One early effort in the Netherlands found that communities could become 90% energy self-sufficient , and solar-powered microgrids have now also been employed in Indian villages. This technology has enormous potential to change the way we access electricity, but lowering costs is an essential step to bring about wider adoption and encourage residents to use the power for purposes beyond basic lighting and cooling.

Advancing the Future of Sustainable Energy

There’s still monumental work to be done in developing the next generation of renewable energy solutions as well as the policy framework to eliminate greenhouse gases from our atmosphere. An analysis from the International Energy Agency found that the technologies currently on the market can only get the world halfway to the reductions needed for net-zero emissions by 2050.

To make it the rest of the way, researchers and policymakers must still explore possibilities such as:

• Devise and implement large-scale carbon capture systems that store and use carbon dioxide without polluting the atmosphere
• Establish low-carbon electricity as the primary power source for everyday applications like powering vehicles and heat in buildings
• Grow the use of bioenergy harnessed from plants and algae for electricity, heat, transportation, and manufacturing
• Implement zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells as a way to power transportation and utilities

However, even revolutionary technology will not do the job alone. Ambitious goals for renewable energy solutions and long-term cuts in emissions also demand enhanced international cooperation, especially among the biggest polluters. That’s why Jonas Nahm of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies has focused much of his research on China’s sustainable energy efforts. He has also argued that the international community should recognize China’s pivotal role in any long-term plans for fighting climate change.

As both the leading emitter of carbon dioxide and the No. 1 producer of wind and solar energy, China is uniquely positioned to determine the future of sustainability initiatives. According to Nahm, the key to making collaboration with China work is understanding the complexities of the Chinese political and economic dynamics. Because of conflicting interests on the national and local levels, the world’s most populous nation continues to power its industries with coal even while President Xi Jinping advocates for fully embracing green alternatives.

China’s fraught position demonstrates that economics and diplomacy could prove to be just as important as technical ingenuity in creating a better future. International cooperation must guide a wide-ranging economic transformation that involves countries and organizations increasing their capacity for producing and storing renewable energy.

It will take strategic thinking and massive investment to realize a vision of a world where utilities produce 100% renewable power while rows of fully electric cars travel on smart highways. To meet the challenge of our generation, it’s more crucial than ever to develop leaders who understand how to apply the latest research to inform policy and who can take charge of globe-spanning sustainable energy initiatives .

About the MA in Sustainable Energy (online) Program at Johns Hopkins SAIS

Created by Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies faculty with input from industry experts and employers, the Master of Arts in Sustainable Energy (online) program is tailored for the demands of a rapidly evolving sector. As a top-11 global university, Johns Hopkins is uniquely positioned to equip graduates with the skills they need to confront global challenges in the transition to renewable energy.

The MA in Sustainable Energy curriculum is designed to build expertise in finance, economics, and policy. Courses from our faculty of highly experienced researchers and practitioners prepare graduates to excel in professional environments including government agencies, utility companies, energy trade organizations, global energy governance organizations, and more. Students in the Johns Hopkins SAIS benefit from industry connections, an engaged network of more than 230,000 alumni, and high-touch career services.

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• Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments

Alternative Energy

100% Renewable Energy

Green New Deal

Net Zero Carbon

Nuclear Energy

Fossil Fuels

“Clean Coal”

Natural Gas

Carbon Pricing

1. Alternative Energy

Alternative energy consists of renewable energies (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass), plus nuclear energy. Renewable energy, according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is “often referred to as clean energy, [and] comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. For example, sunlight or wind keep shining and blowing, even if their availability depends on time and weather. Nuclear is not renewable and is not a fossil fuel. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), nuclear is an “energy source that has zero emissions, provides electricity around-the-clock and propels our society into the future.”

Proponents of alternative energy argue that renewable energies and/or nuclear energy are cleaner than fossil fuel energies, they won’t run out, and the maintenance requirements are lower. Additionally, alternative energy will save money, has health and environmental benefits, and decreases reliance on foreign energy sources.

Opponents of alternative energy argue that there is a much higher upfront cost, the sun and wind are intermittent sources of energy and we do not yet have storage capabilities, so backup energies will be required, and there are geographic limitations, including environmental factors, that could prevent building big wind or solar farms.

Kerry Thoubboron, “Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy,” energysage.com, Oct. 25, 2018 Nuclear Energy Institute, “What Is Nuclear Energy?,” nei.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) National Resources Defense Council, “Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts,” nrdc.org, June 15, 2018

2. 100% Renewable Energy

100% renewable energy is a goal shared by at least 160 American citites, 10 counties, and eight states as of Sep. 16, 2020, according to the Sierra Club. As a policy, 100% renewable energy means not using fossil fuel energy or nuclear energy, with a goal for implementation generally between 2035 and 2050.

Proponents of 100% renewable energy policies argue that it’s not about whether to convert to all renewable energies but how, because fossil fuels are not sustainable as fuels or as healthy options for humans or the environment.

Opponents of 100% renewable energy policies argue that natural gas and/or nuclear power are necessary bridge fuels already in use with low carbon outputs that can help lower global temperatures quicker than renewables alone.

David Roberts, “A Beginner’s Guide to the Debate over 100% Renewable Energy,” vox.com, Feb. 6, 2018 Sierra Club, “Committed,” sierraclub.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020)

3. Green New Deal

The Green New Deal is a piece of legislation proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) that outlines benchmarks for the US to meet in order to fight climate change. Those benchmarks include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, job creation, infrastructure and industry investments, access to clean water and healthy food, and stopping oppression of marginalized communities.

Proponents of the Green New Deal argue that the country must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change in a way that avoids the worst consequences of global warming, while resolving social injustices that are inextricably exacerbated by climate change.

Opponents of the Green New Deal argue that the plan is socialist and too far left of the mainstream, too vague with no specific plans about which energies to use, too costly with no plan for how to pay for everything, and that social justice issues should not be confused with climate change.

Linda Friedman, “What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained,” nytimes.com, Feb. 21, 2019 Ed Markey, “Senator Markey and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Introduce Green New Deal Resolution,” markey.senate.gov, Feb. 7, 2019 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, et al., “H. Res. 109,” congress.gov, Feb. 7, 2019

4. Net Zero Carbon

Net zero carbon, also called, net zero emissions or carbon neutrality, is a goal set by several climate proposals, including the Green New Deal, to balance any carbon emissions with the absorption of a comparable amount of carbon from the atmosphere in order to help reduce the global temperature by 1.5C, as directed by the Paris Agreement. Net zero can be achieved via offsets like tree-planting programs, carbon capture technologies, 100% renewable or clean energy plans, and other methods. Most plans call for net zero by 2050, though some set goals or benchmarks for earlier. As of Sep. 25, 2019, over 60 countries had committed to net zero carbon, accounting to 11% of global emissions. The biggest carbon emitters, China, United States, and India had not committed.

Proponents of net zero carbon policies argue that the world has to act now to get climate change under control and net zero policies are the key to any productive climate change plan.

Opponents of net zero carbon polices argue that they are unrealistic grandstanding that distract from more achievable, sensible goals, and could do serious economic damage.

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “Getting to Zero: A U.S. Climate Agenda,” c2es.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) Megan Darby, “Which Countries Have a Net Zero Carbon Goal,” climatechangenews.com, June 14, 2019 Energy Climate and Intelligence Unit, “Net Zero: Why Is It Necessary?,” eciu.net (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) Natascha Engel, “Net-Zero Carbon Target Is Reckless and Unrealistic,” thetimes.co.uk, Jun 28, 2019 Roger Pielke, “The World is Not Going to Halve Carbon Emissions by 2030, So Now What?,” forbes.com, Oct. 27, 2019 Steve Pye, “Countries Need to Move to Zero-Carbon Energy Now–Here’s Why,” blogs.scientificamerican.com, Apr. 19, 2017 Somini Sengupta and Nadja Popovich, “More Than 60 Countries Say They’ll Zero Out Carbon Emissions. The Catch? They’re Not the Big Emitters.,” nytimes.com, Sep. 25, 2019

5. Nuclear Energy

Debates about nuclear energy range from whether it should be included in green or clean plans as a non-renewable energy, whether nuclear power should be phased out of use, whether the US federal government should subsidize nuclear energy, and whether the expansion of nuclear energy contributes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), “Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity. Ninety-four nuclear reactors in 28 states generate nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, all without carbon emissions because reactors use uranium, not fossil fuels. These plants are always on: well-operated to avoid interruptions and built to withstand extreme weather, supporting the grid 24/7.”

Proponents of nuclear energy argue that the energy source is clean, has zero emissions, and is able to reliably support an electricity grid 25/7/365. Nuclear energy is a perfect complement to weather-dependent renewable energies that should be subsidized to replace fossil fuels. Further, nuclear energy protects national security interests by helping to maintain global non-proliferation standards.

Opponents of nuclear energy argue that the energy is not clean because it leaves behind dangerous, radioactive nuclear waste that must be stored. Building new nuclear plants is expensive and subsidies should be directed to sustainable energies. Further, the danger of a nuclear meltdown like Fukushima or Chernobyl are always present, and any access to materials for nuclear power means nuclear weapons can be made.

Greenpeace, “Nuclear Energy,” greenpeace.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) Nuclear Energy Institute, “What Is Nuclear Energy?,” nei.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020)

6. Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are “[c]oal, crude oil, and natural gas are all considered fossil fuels because they were formed from the fossilized, buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Because of their origins, fossil fuels have a high carbon content,” according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In 2019, fossil fuels accounted for 80% of American energy consumption. The debates about fossil fuels are generally whether to phase them out entirely, continue to use them, or use cleaner versions while transitioning to alternative energies.

Proponents of fossil fuels argue that renewable energies are not ready for the market and fossil fuel energy is needed to keep affordable power in American homes. Fossil fuels can be collected and burned more cleanly in order to meet climate change goals.

Opponents of fossil fuels argue that maintaining fossil fuel energy hampers energy progress and sets back climate goals unnecessarily. They maintain that the fossil fuel industry is greedy and doesn’t want to clean up its act, much less cede the way to alternative energy.

Scott Foster and David Elzinga, “The Role of Fossil Fuels in a Sustainable Energy System,” un.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) National Resources Defense Council, “Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts,” nrdc.org, June 29, 2018 New York Times , “Climate and Energy Experts Debate How to Respond to a Warming World,” nytimes.com, Oct. 7, 2019 Jack Shapiro, “8 Reasons Why We Need to Phase Out the Fossil Fuel Industry,” greenpeace.org, Sep. 11, 2019 US Energy Information Administration, “Primary Energy Consumption by Source,” eia.gov, July 2020

7. “Clean Coal”

Coal is perhaps the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, but it accounted for 11.3% of US energy consumption in 2019, “clean coal” generally refers to carbon capture and storage (CSS), but can also mean wet scrubbers that remove sulfur dioxide, coal washing that removes soil and rock, or even the digitization of coal plants.

Proponents of clean coal argue that coal is readily available in the US and cheap compared to other energy sources. Coal already provides a lot of jobs, and clean coal technology could boost employment even more. Further, much of the world relies on coal and clean coal technology could lower emissions globally, helping to meet climate goals. Keeping US energy sources on US soil increases national security as well as US energy independence.

Opponents of clean coal argue that there is no such thing. All coal is dirty and nonrenewable, because pollutants like sulfur dioxide and heavy metals linger in coal ash that is stored underground and seeps into ground water around coal plants. This pollution harms communities surrounding the plants, generally people of color. Natural gas has already sounded the death knells of coal and we shouldn’t try to resuscitate the dying industry with unproven technology.

Sarah Dowdey, “What Is Clean Coal Technology?,” science.howstuffworks.com (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) EndCoal.org, “Myth 2: Coal Is Clean,” endcoal.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) Dan Ervin, “The US Must Still Focus on Clean Coal Technologies,” realclearenergy.org, July 7, 2020 Natasha Geiling, “Clean Coal Is Not a Joke,” sierraclub.org, Sep. 25, 2018 David Grossman, “How Does Clean Coal Work?,” popularmechanics.com, Aug. 23, 2017 Kendra Pierre-Louis, “There’s No Such Thing as Clean Coal,” popsci.com, Oct. 13, 2017 Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute (RMCMI), “Clean Coal Technology,” rmcmi.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2020) US Energy Information Administration, “Primary Energy Consumption by Source,” eia.gov, July 2020 Steven Winberg, “Clean Coal Is Crucial for American Jobs, Energy Security, and National Supply Chains,” energy.gov, June 26, 2020

8. Natural Gas

Natural gas is a fossil fuel, increasingly collected via hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Natural gas is the most used fossil fuel in the US, accounting for 32.04% of American energy consumption in 2019. Debates about natural gas center on whether the fossil fuel should be used as a bridge or transition fuel as we phase out coal and oil and phase in alternative energies.

Proponents of natural gas argue that the fossil fuel is necessary as a practical bridge fuel in the transition to renewable energies because of the intermittency of solar and wind especially. Natural gas is a clean fossil fuel that can remain in use after the demise of coal and oil.

Opponents of natural gas argue that natural gas is a dirty energy that not only does not bridge the transition to renewable energies but hampers the efforts. Climate goals are looming and there is no time for fossil fuels that take time and money away from clean energy.

American Petroleum Institute (API), “API Statement on Climate Proposal from House Select Committee,” apr.org, June 30, 2020 Michael Gerrard, “When Gas Gets Serious about Phasing Out Natural Gas,” acoel.org, May 27, 2020 Brian Kahn, “Please, for the Love of All Things Holy, Stop Pretending Natural Gas Is a ‘Transition Fuel,'” earther.gizmodo.com, Feb. 20, 2020 New York Times , “Climate and Energy Experts Debate How to Respond to a Warming World,” nytimes.com, Oct. 7, 2019 David Roberts, “More Natural Gas Isn’t a ‘Middle Ground’–It’s Climate Disaster,” vox.com, May 30, 2019 US Energy Information Administration, “Primary Energy Consumption by Source,” eia.gov, July 2020 Sam Winstel, “Common Sense Approach to Reliable, Low-Emissions Energy,” api.org, July 31, 2020

9. Fracking

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is a method of extracting natural gas from deep underground via a drilling technique. First, a vertical well is drilled and encased in steel or cement. Then, a horizontal well is drilled in the layer of rock that contains natural gas. After that, fracking fluid is pumped into the well at an extremely high pressure so that it fractures the rock in a way that allows oil and gas to flow through the cracks to the surface. The debate around fracking starts with whether the use of natural gas should end or increase and continues to whether the practice is safe in and of itself.

Proponents of fracking argue that fracking is safe and has allowed the United States to produce and export much more natural gas, which has increased national security and moved the country toward energy independence.

Opponents of fracking argue that the practice is not safe because it pollutes groundwater, increases greenhouse gases, and causes earthquakes. Further, the country should transition away from natural gas, not increase its use.

David Blackmon, “‘No New Fracking’ – Be Careful What You Wish For,” forbes.com, Mar. 16, 2020 Environment America Research & Policy Center, “Fracking by the Numbers: The Damage to Our Water, Land and Climate from a Decade of Dirty Drilling,” environmentamerica.org, Apr. 14, 2016 Independent Petroleum Association of America, “Hydraulic Fracturing,” ipaa.org (accessed Sep. 17, 2020) Marc Lallanilla, “Facts about Fracking,” livescience.com, Feb. 10, 2018 Bernie Sanders, “Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez Lead First-Ever Bill to Ban Fracking Nationwide,” sanders.senate.gov, Jan. 31, 2020

10. Carbon Pricing

Carbon pricing is a market-based strategy to control the rise of greehouse gases. Generally, companies are charged for the carbon they emit, either through a carbon tax, which sets a direct cost for greenhouse gas emissions or the carbon content of fossil fuels, or a cap and trade system, which puts a limit (cap) on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions a company can emit and allows lower emitters to sell their extra emissions allowance to higher emitters.

Proponents of carbon pricing argue that putting a market-based price on emissions can not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but by allowing emitters to choose how to reduce their emissions, carbon pricing can create competitive innovation in the field, benefitting climate change plans.

Opponents of carbon pricing argue that taxes and cap and trade programs penalize those without the financial resources to switch to renewable energies, could result in higher costs for consumers, and carbon pricing creates a system to be gamed by lobbyists, resulting in no change in emissions.

Philip Booth and Jamie White, “Debate: The Pros and Cons of Carbon Taxes,” iea.org, Nov. 6, 2018 Helen Mountford, “A Carbon Price Can Benefit the Poor while Reducing Emissions,” wri.org, Dec. 15, 2018 World Bank, “Pricing Carbon,” worldbank.org (accessed Sep. 17, 2020)

People who view this page may also like:

• Can Alternative Energy Effectively Replace Fossil Fuels? – Top Pro & Con Quotes
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Renewable Energy

Renewable energy comes from sources that will not be used up in our lifetimes, such as the sun and wind.

Earth Science, Experiential Learning, Engineering, Geology

Wind Turbines in a Sheep Pasture

Wind turbines use the power of wind to generate energy. This is just one source of renewable energy.

Photograph by Jesus Keller/ Shutterstock

The wind, the sun, and Earth are sources of  renewable energy . These energy sources naturally renew, or replenish themselves.

Wind, sunlight, and the planet have energy that transforms in ways we can see and feel. We can see and feel evidence of the transfer of energy from the sun to Earth in the sunlight shining on the ground and the warmth we feel when sunlight shines on our skin. We can see and feel evidence of the transfer of energy in wind’s ability to pull kites higher into the sky and shake the leaves on trees. We can see and feel evidence of the transfer of energy in the geothermal energy of steam vents and geysers .

People have created different ways to capture the energy from these renewable sources.

Solar Energy

Solar energy can be captured “actively” or “passively.”

Active solar energy uses special technology to capture the sun’s rays. The two main types of equipment are photovoltaic cells (also called PV cells or solar cells) and mirrors that focus sunlight in a specific spot. These active solar technologies use sunlight to generate electricity , which we use to power lights, heating systems, computers, and televisions.

Passive solar energy does not use any equipment. Instead, it gets energy from the way sunlight naturally changes throughout the day. For example, people can build houses so their windows face the path of the sun. This means the house will get more heat from the sun. It will take less energy from other sources to heat the house.

Other examples of passive solar technology are green roofs , cool roofs, and radiant barriers . Green roofs are completely covered with plants. Plants can get rid of pollutants in rainwater and air. They help make the local environment cleaner.

Cool roofs are painted white to better reflect sunlight. Radiant barriers are made of a reflective covering, such as aluminum. They both reflect the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it. All these types of roofs help lower the amount of energy needed to cool the building.

Advantages and Disadvantages There are many advantages to using solar energy. PV cells last for a long time, about 20 years.

However, there are reasons why solar power cannot be used as the only power source in a community. It can be expensive to install PV cells or build a building using passive solar technology.

Sunshine can also be hard to predict. It can be blocked by clouds, and the sun doesn’t shine at night. Different parts of Earth receive different amounts of sunlight based on location, the time of year, and the time of day.

Wind Energy

People have been harnessing the wind’s energy for a long, long time. Five-thousand years ago, ancient Egyptians made boats powered by the wind. In 200 B.C.E., people used windmills to grind grain in the Middle East and pump water in China.

Today, we capture the wind’s energy with wind turbines . A turbine is similar to a windmill; it has a very tall tower with two or three propeller-like blades at the top. These blades are turned by the wind. The blades turn a generator (located inside the tower), which creates electricity.

Groups of wind turbines are known as wind farms . Wind farms can be found near farmland, in narrow mountain passes, and even in the ocean, where there are steadier and stronger winds. Wind turbines anchored in the ocean are called “ offshore wind farms.”

Wind farms create electricity for nearby homes, schools, and other buildings.

Advantages and Disadvantages Wind energy can be very efficient . In places like the Midwest in the United States and along coasts, steady winds can provide cheap, reliable electricity.

Another great advantage of wind power is that it is a “clean” form of energy. Wind turbines do not burn fuel or emit any pollutants into the air.

Wind is not always a steady source of energy, however. Wind speed changes constantly, depending on the time of day, weather , and geographic location. Currently, it cannot be used to provide electricity for all our power needs.

Wind turbines can also be dangerous for bats and birds. These animals cannot always judge how fast the blades are moving and crash into them.

Geothermal Energy

Deep beneath the surface is Earth’s core . The center of Earth is extremely hot—thought to be over 6,000 °C (about 10,800 °F). The heat is constantly moving toward the surface.

We can see some of Earth’s heat when it bubbles to the surface. Geothermal energy can melt underground rocks into magma and cause the magma to bubble to the surface as lava . Geothermal energy can also heat underground sources of water and force it to spew out from the surface. This stream of water is called a geyser.

However, most of Earth’s heat stays underground and makes its way out very, very slowly.

We can access underground geothermal heat in different ways. One way of using geothermal energy is with “geothermal heat pumps.” A pipe of water loops between a building and holes dug deep underground. The water is warmed by the geothermal energy underground and brings the warmth aboveground to the building. Geothermal heat pumps can be used to heat houses, sidewalks, and even parking lots.

Another way to use geothermal energy is with steam. In some areas of the world, there is underground steam that naturally rises to the surface. The steam can be piped straight to a power plant. However, in other parts of the world, the ground is dry. Water must be injected underground to create steam. When the steam comes to the surface, it is used to turn a generator and create electricity.

In Iceland, there are large reservoirs of underground water. Almost 90 percent of people in Iceland use geothermal as an energy source to heat their homes and businesses.

Advantages and Disadvantages An advantage of geothermal energy is that it is clean. It does not require any fuel or emit any harmful pollutants into the air.

Geothermal energy is only avaiable in certain parts of the world. Another disadvantage of using geothermal energy is that in areas of the world where there is only dry heat underground, large quantities of freshwater are used to make steam. There may not be a lot of freshwater. People need water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

Biomass Energy

Biomass is any material that comes from plants or microorganisms that were recently living. Plants create energy from the sun through photosynthesis . This energy is stored in the plants even after they die.

Trees, branches, scraps of bark, and recycled paper are common sources of biomass energy. Manure, garbage, and crops , such as corn, soy, and sugar cane, can also be used as biomass feedstocks .

We get energy from biomass by burning it. Wood chips, manure, and garbage are dried out and compressed into squares called “briquettes.” These briquettes are so dry that they do not absorb water. They can be stored and burned to create heat or generate electricity.

Biomass can also be converted into biofuel . Biofuels are mixed with regular gasoline and can be used to power cars and trucks. Biofuels release less harmful pollutants than pure gasoline.

Advantages and Disadvantages A major advantage of biomass is that it can be stored and then used when it is needed.

Growing crops for biofuels, however, requires large amounts of land and pesticides . Land could be used for food instead of biofuels. Some pesticides could pollute the air and water.

Biomass energy can also be a nonrenewable energy source. Biomass energy relies on biomass feedstocks—plants that are processed and burned to create electricity. Biomass feedstocks can include crops, such as corn or soy, as well as wood. If people do not replant biomass feedstocks as fast as they use them, biomass energy becomes a non-renewable energy source.

Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric energy is made by flowing water. Most hydroelectric power plants are located on large dams , which control the flow of a river.

Dams block the river and create an artificial lake, or reservoir. A controlled amount of water is forced through tunnels in the dam. As water flows through the tunnels, it turns huge turbines and generates electricity.

Advantages and Disadvantages Hydroelectric energy is fairly inexpensive to harness. Dams do not need to be complex, and the resources to build them are not difficult to obtain. Rivers flow all over the world, so the energy source is available to millions of people.

Hydroelectric energy is also fairly reliable. Engineers control the flow of water through the dam, so the flow does not depend on the weather (the way solar and wind energies do).

However, hydroelectric power plants are damaging to the environment. When a river is dammed, it creates a large lake behind the dam. This lake (sometimes called a reservoir) drowns the original river habitat deep underwater. Sometimes, people build dams that can drown entire towns underwater. The people who live in the town or village must move to a new area.

Hydroelectric power plants don’t work for a very long time: Some can only supply power for 20 or 30 years. Silt , or dirt from a riverbed, builds up behind the dam and slows the flow of water.

Other Renewable Energy Sources

Scientists and engineers are constantly working to harness other renewable energy sources. Three of the most promising are tidal energy , wave energy , and algal (or algae) fuel.

Tidal energy harnesses the power of ocean tides to generate electricity. Some tidal energy projects use the moving tides to turn the blades of a turbine. Other projects use small dams to continually fill reservoirs at high tide and slowly release the water (and turn turbines) at low tide.

Wave energy harnesses waves from the ocean, lakes, or rivers. Some wave energy projects use the same equipment that tidal energy projects do—dams and standing turbines. Other wave energy projects float directly on waves. The water’s constant movement over and through these floating pieces of equipment turns turbines and creates electricity.

Algal fuel is a type of biomass energy that uses the unique chemicals in seaweed to create a clean and renewable biofuel. Algal fuel does not need the acres of cropland that other biofuel feedstocks do.

Renewable Nations

These nations (or groups of nations) produce the most energy using renewable resources. Many of them are also the leading producers of nonrenewable energy: China, European Union, United States, Brazil, and Canada

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Renewable energy – powering a safer future

Energy is at the heart of the climate challenge – and key to the solution.

A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat.

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change , accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

The science is clear: to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, emissions need to be reduced by almost half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

To achieve this, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable.

Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

Fossil fuels still account for more than 80 percent of global energy production , but cleaner sources of energy are gaining ground. About 29 percent of electricity currently comes from renewable sources.

Here are five reasons why accelerating the transition to clean energy is the pathway to a healthy, livable planet today and for generations to come.

1. Renewable energy sources are all around us

About 80 percent of the global population lives in countries that are net-importers of fossil fuels -- that’s about 6 billion people who are dependent on fossil fuels from other countries, which makes them vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises.

In contrast, renewable energy sources are available in all countries, and their potential is yet to be fully harnessed. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that 90 percent of the world’s electricity can and should come from renewable energy by 2050.

Renewables offer a way out of import dependency, allowing countries to diversify their economies and protect them from the unpredictable price swings of fossil fuels, while driving inclusive economic growth, new jobs, and poverty alleviation.

2. Renewable energy is cheaper

Renewable energy actually is the cheapest power option in most parts of the world today. Prices for renewable energy technologies are dropping rapidly. The cost of electricity from solar power fell by 85 percent between 2010 and 2020. Costs of onshore and offshore wind energy fell by 56 percent and 48 percent respectively.

Falling prices make renewable energy more attractive all around – including to low- and middle-income countries, where most of the additional demand for new electricity will come from. With falling costs, there is a real opportunity for much of the new power supply over the coming years to be provided by low-carbon sources.

Cheap electricity from renewable sources could provide 65 percent of the world’s total electricity supply by 2030. It could decarbonize 90 percent of the power sector by 2050, massively cutting carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change.

Although solar and wind power costs are expected to remain higher in 2022 and 2023 then pre-pandemic levels due to general elevated commodity and freight prices, their competitiveness actually improves due to much sharper increases in gas and coal prices, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).

3. Renewable energy is healthier

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 99 percent of people in the world breathe air that exceeds air quality limits and threatens their health, and more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes, including air pollution.

The unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide originate mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. In 2018, air pollution from fossil fuels caused $2.9 trillion in health and economic costs , about $8 billion a day.

Switching to clean sources of energy, such as wind and solar, thus helps address not only climate change but also air pollution and health.

4. Renewable energy creates jobs

Every dollar of investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry. The IEA estimates that the transition towards net-zero emissions will lead to an overall increase in energy sector jobs : while about 5 million jobs in fossil fuel production could be lost by 2030, an estimated 14 million new jobs would be created in clean energy, resulting in a net gain of 9 million jobs.

In addition, energy-related industries would require a further 16 million workers, for instance to take on new roles in manufacturing of electric vehicles and hyper-efficient appliances or in innovative technologies such as hydrogen. This means that a total of more than 30 million jobs could be created in clean energy, efficiency, and low-emissions technologies by 2030.

Ensuring a just transition , placing the needs and rights of people at the heart of the energy transition, will be paramount to make sure no one is left behind.

5. Renewable energy makes economic sense

About $7 trillion was spent on subsidizing the fossil fuel industry in 2022, including through explicit subsidies, tax breaks, and health and environmental damages that were not priced into the cost of fossil fuels.

In comparison, about $4.5 trillion a year needs to be invested in renewable energy until 2030 – including investments in technology and infrastructure – to allow us to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The upfront cost can be daunting for many countries with limited resources, and many will need financial and technical support to make the transition. But investments in renewable energy will pay off. The reduction of pollution and climate impacts alone could save the world up to $4.2 trillion per year by 2030.

Moreover, efficient, reliable renewable technologies can create a system less prone to market shocks and improve resilience and energy security by diversifying power supply options.

Learn more about how many communities and countries are realizing the economic, societal, and environmental benefits of renewable energy.

Will developing countries benefit from the renewables boom? Learn more here .

What is renewable energy?

Derived from natural resources that are abundant and continuously replenished, renewable energy is key to a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. Explore common sources of renewable energy here.

Why invest in renewable energy?

Learn more about the differences between fossil fuels and renewables, the benefits of renewable energy, and how we can act now.

Five ways to jump-start the renewable energy transition now

UN Secretary-General outlines five critical actions the world needs to prioritize now to speed up the global shift to renewable energy.

What is net zero? Why is it important? Our net-zero page explains why we need steep emissions cuts now and what efforts are underway.

• What is climate change?

Our climate 101 offers a quick take on the how and why of climate change. Read more.

How will the world foot the bill? We explain the issues and the value of financing climate action.

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It’s time to stop burning our planet, and start investing in the abundant renewable energy all around us." ANTÓNIO GUTERRES , United Nations Secretary-General

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Green Energy Research: Collaboration and Tools for a Sustainable Future

Science Article | Green Energy | 6 Sep 2024

The Urgency of Green Energy Innovation

The recent Climate Change 2023 synthesis report emphasizes the consequences of delayed emission reductions: fewer effective adaptation options for a warming planet 2 . Geopolitical factors like the Russia-Ukraine conflict further underscore the need for a green energy transition, with Europe’s energy security concerns highlighting the reliance on imported fossil fuels.

The Green Energy Research Landscape

Against this backdrop, green energy development has become a critical area of research, reflected in a more than 10-fold increase in related publications from 2010 (1,105) to 2023 (11,346), according to Digital Science’s Dimensions database. Researchers around the world are striving to improve green energy technology and society’s ability to harness renewable energy sources more efficiently.

According to data analysed by Nature Navigator , which uses artificial intelligence to generate comprehensive summaries of research topics, ‘renewable energy systems and technologies’ is the field’s most frequently mentioned subtopic (Fig.1). At a research concept level, wind power generation, grid optimization and resource management all feature as common underlying themes.

Figure 1: Topic anatomy of green energy research First-level nodes denote the research subtopic (highest prevalence themes emerging from green energy research). Second-level nodes denote the research concepts associated with these research subtopics. Note: only the research concepts mentioned in the highest count of outputs within each subtopic are presented here. Credit: Nature Research Intelligence

Of the primary green energy research subtopics presented by Nature Navigator , it is telling that ‘materials for energy storage and conversion’ is the fastest-growing, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.2% over the last five years. This may reflect a growing consensus among researchers and industry that a lack of options to efficiently store electricity generated by intermittent renewable sources for later use is a key bottleneck preventing the greater penetration of these sources into the grid.

Real-World Example: Accelerating Heat Pump Innovation

Changmo Sung, a prominent green energy researcher at Korea University, leveraged Nature Navigator to identify trends, key areas, and potential breakthroughs in heat pump technology. This facilitated a collaborative project with LG Electronics, accelerating their research efforts.

“It also enabled the rapid discovery of researchers and institutions outside Korea working on similar or complementary projects related to heat pumps” Sung says.

• International Energy Agency, Global Energy Review 2021 (2021).
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2023 (2023).

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How do alternative fuels fit into the future of renewable energy? UGA researcher has some ideas

Ongoing research dedicated to identifying and accessing renewable energy sources has experts looking at how biofuels fit into a more sustainable future.

Distinguished Research Professor and University of Georgia Athletic Association Professor at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center Debra Mohnen has been doing research for more than 35 years.

“I study plants, our most abundant carbon, renewable resource on the planet,” said Mohnen. "I also study how the cell walls are synthesized and their structure and function. I’ve also worked as a member of a leadership team at the Bioenergy Science Center. I was a focus area lead for plant biomass formation and modification.”

Mohnen said that while working on the leadership team at the Bioenergy Science Center the focus was on improving biomass for use in the generation of renewable fuels.

“Biofuels come from renewable carbon sources,” she said. “When we talk about biofuels generated from lignocellulose biomass, we're talking about generating fuels from plants that can be grown on marginal land in the United States. It's been estimated by a recent Department of Energy report called the 2023 Billion-Ton report that there is between 1.1 and 1.5 billion tons of biomass available in the U.S. annually. If it was converted to biofuels, renewable fuel, that would be enough to generate 60 billion gallons of fuel annually.”

Biofuels are liquid, renewable energy sources created by converting the energy stored in organic matter like plants or agricultural waste, also known as biomass into fuel.

“In the U.S. we have an incredibly rich resource that won’t compete for land used to grow crops that could be used to generate biofuels,” said Mohnen. “There are multiple ways waste is converted into biofuels.”

There are a variety of biomasses, including:

• Miscanthus (silvergrass)
• Sorghum trees
• Switchgrass

Switchgrass thrives in many different soil types and land conditions, reduces soil erosion, is good at storing carbon in the soil, and can grow with less water, fertilizers, and pesticides than many crops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy . 

Switchgrass can be found naturalized along roadsides. It is used primarily for soil conservation; forage production; game cover; as an ornamental grass; in cleaning up contaminated environments; for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide; and, more recently as a biomass crop for ethanol and butanol production.

“It doesn’t have to be organic waste,” said Mohnen. “We don’t have enough organic waste to make enough renewable fuel. In order to make enough fuel we have to have what we call lignocellulosic. These are basically plants like switchgrass. You can grow these crops every year on marginal land and they can be harvested.”

Marginal land is land that has little to no value for agriculture or development, according to the the U.S. National Science Foundation . 

More: Aiken residents oppose proposal for new landfill planned near elementary school

Marginal land can be characterized by:

• Poor climate: For example, extreme temperatures, limited rainfall, or other climate issues.
• Poor physical characteristics: For example, low quality soil, steep slopes, or high mountains.
• Difficult cultivation: For example, physical isolation, industrial pollution, erosion, or salinization.

“It’s quite possible that most automobiles will eventually become electric,” said Mohnen. “Right now, almost 38% of our energy comes from petroleum and 36% comes from natural gas. At the moment, renewable energy only accounts for less than 9% of U.S. energy.”

The aviation industry could become a significant market for biofuels in the future, said Mohnen.

“In 2024 the aviation industry worldwide used almost 100 billion gallons of fuel,” said Mohnen. “But by the year 2050, (European leaders) told the aviation industry they need to have 70% of their fuel be sustainable. So there's this huge need to develop this more quickly.”

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at [email protected] or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

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A transition to renewable energy in the Sahel

September 10, 2024.

Energy access is critical to unlocking the immense potential of the Sahel region.

Njoya Tikum

Director, UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa and Resident Representative, UNDP Senegal

Faced with major climate and development challenges, access to renewable energy has become vital for hundreds of millions of Sahelians. In the Sahel, a region endowed with enormous potential, UNDP has set the ambitious goal of providing more than 150 million people with access to clean and affordable energy by 2025.

Guinea: Bridging the energy gap 

In a mountainous landscape surrounded by dense vegetation and numerous watercourses, the isolated villages of western Guinea in the forest region seem to move backwards in time. However, on this land with abundant rainfall and natural resources, several communities have managed to bridge the energy gap thanks to renewable energy.

In Guinea, energy access stands at 18.1 percent, with 47.8 percent in urban areas and 2 percent in rural areas. As consumption is concentrated in urban areas, rural households have almost no access to energy.

Thanks to the construction of hydroelectric dams, hundreds of inhabitants of the villages of Firadou and Bolodou, separated by about 50 kilometres, now benefit from uninterrupted electricity supply.

"Now we have power outlets in our homes to charge our phones and use electronic devices. We have light to carry out our activities at night. We can even watch television for information or entertainment,"  enthuses a Firadou resident. Here, the power plant installed in 2017 and expanded in 2021 produces 43 KVA of electricity and 60 KVA in Bolodou, according to the UNDP representative in Guinea.

These renewable energy projects were initiated by young people who were tired of being disconnected and wanted to provide energy for their communities. Prototypes were first made with available resources, and subsequently, UNDP supported these local initiatives and helped them expand.

"Rather than limiting ourselves to access to electricity, we asked ourselves what we could do with this energy."

Fuelling economic diversification

"Rather than limiting ourselves to access to electricity, we asked ourselves what we could do with this energy. With the reservoir of the hydroelectric dams, fish farming sites have been set up to enhance the food security of the population. Small businesses selling refrigerated drinks or food have also been created." – Mamadou Ciré Camara, Environment and Sustainable Development Programme Officer, UNDP Guinea

"Renewable energy creates jobs for young people. I hope that authorities and donors will continue to support us because there is still much to be done. We have the ideas but not always the means,"  says Fara Santos Kamano, an electrician at the Bolodou hydroelectric power plant. 

Guinea is focusing on expanding access to renewable energy, particularly hydroelectric power, in rural areas as part of its strategy. The country estimates that it has a hydroelectric potential of 6,000 MW for production, transportation, distribution, interconnection and maintenance in the energy sector, which would generate an annual energy of 19,300 GWh. Guinea plans to gradually implement initiatives and investments related to hydro-agricultural development for irrigation or food processing, as well as solar energy and biogas. This is critical for the country's overall strategy to respond to the climate crisis.

UNDP has set a goal to help 150 million people across the Sahel gain access to clean and affordable energy by 2025.

The Gambia: Leading on energy and climate

In contrast, The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, has already achieved self-sufficiency in electricity and is a leader in addressing climate change. It is also an example for other Sahelian countries.

The country of about 2.6 million inhabitants is building a super photovoltaic park to produce 250 MW by the end of 2025, not only to meet domestic needs but also to supply energy to its West African neighbours. Solar-powered systems are also being installed in over a thousand public schools and health facilities. 

Civil society is also taking part in the renewable energy transition and driving initiatives to accelerate community development. This change in mentality and usage requires awareness and training.

"Making the best use of green energy and responsibly exploiting resources will also help establish an ecological conscience for future generations.”

Fandema: Helping ourselves

In the coastal village of Kartong in the southwest of the country, the "Fandema" project, which means "to help oneself" in the Mandingo dialect, enables hundreds of young women to train in renewable energy fields, such as photovoltaics. 

According to Malang Sambou, president of the "Mbolo" association leading the project,  “energy poverty has a significant impact on people's lives in Africa, where they face challenges in accessing water and electricity.”  He believes that  “involving women in the green transition is crucial because it can enhance their daily lives and that of their relatives, giving them more time for themselves.”

Malang emphasizes that  “renewable energy is the better choice for local benefits in Africa, compared to fossil fuels. If the region can reduce the damage and disasters caused by the climate crisis, the economy will improve. Making the best use of green energy and responsibly exploiting resources will also help establish an ecological conscience for future generations.”

Malang's former apprentices are now working in solar panel installation companies in the area, improving the daily lives of thousands of people in the country and contributing to the growth of the local economy.

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Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy

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Since the beginning of the existence of this planet, the sun has been an important resource for sustaining both human and plant life. Plants, which we feed on, manufacture their food by using sunlight. Adequate exposure to sunlight has valuable health effects to humans. In addition, since historic times, man has employed the sunlight as a source of generating energy used for various industrial and household purposes.

Nonetheless, with the emergence of technology, man slowly turned from increased dependence on solar energy and adopted the use of fossil fuels and other forms of energy generation (Morris, 10). It is of essence to note that, with the depletion of fossil fuels, more emphasis is now being put on the use of solar energy as an alternate energy source. However, is its use beneficial, especially in this century?

The sunlight can be used in a number of different ways. Usually, it is converted into electricity through the use photovoltaic cells to power household and industrial electrical equipment. The advantages that the use of solar energy brings have made many people to adopt its use. As the current generation is waking up to the reality that the limited world’s resources are slowly becoming diminished, more emphasis has been put on the adoption of renewable energy sources.

However, despite these facts, some people have continued to milk the planet’s essential energy reservoirs without thinking of the next generation. Although the cost of a barrel of oil has escalated tremendously during this decade, the world’s thirst for oil has not been quenched.

A number of experts have projected that if the current trend continues uncontrolled, then the world’s demand for oil is likely to escalate by as high as sixty-five percent in the next two decades. Therefore, how will we meet all this demand for energy when the renewable resources are continually being depleted?

As an alternate energy source, the use of solar energy can go a long way in meeting the rise in the global demand for energy (DeGunther, 7). It is important to note that long after the other resources have been entirely exhausted from the face of the earth, solar energy will still be present.

So why have we not completely adopted its use? Some people have claimed that it is more cost effective to generate energy using fossil fuels. This has made renewable energy sources, such as the wind and sunlight, to go untapped. However, it seems as though this in no longer the case.

If the production of fossil fuels is cost effective, then why is it that the world’s consumption of energy far exceeds the amount that is supplied? And why has the grid been unable to meet adequately the increased demand for energy for home and industrial appliances? Currently, power failures are a common daily occurrence. That is why smart people have started to look for affordable alternatives for generating power. No wonder, solar energy have never disappointed them.

It has been said that the use of sunlight for energy generation is more expensive because of the exorbitant expenses incurred while installing the solar panels. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that in the long run, solar panels save more money or they are ‘free’ once the fixing is done (Benduhn, 4). The meager costs incurred in their maintenance cannot be compared to the costs of the use of other sources of energy. The recovery period for these costs incurred is shorter as compared to the use electricity.

In addition, some governmental agencies are providing ambitious financial incentives for individuals who want to bring the benefits of solar energy to their homes. More over, some utility organizations practice net metering programs in which an individual sells his or her surplus energy to the organizations so as to reduce the costs of electricity bill.

Solar energy equipment also utilizes less amount of energy since they do not require any fuel to ensure that they are running. As a result, they are not directly affected by the ever rise and fall of fuel prices that sometimes leads to increased burdens on the use of renewable energy sources.

The continued dependence on the renewable sources of energy is even more costly. For example, it is approximated that in the United States, the cost of electricity has been increasing at about 6.5% every year for the past three decades (Peter, para. 2). The overwhelming escalation of electricity prices can lead to super-high energy costs in the future, if no adequate efforts are done to curb this unprecedented price increase through the adoption of the use of other cheaper alternative sources of energy.

Besides the high costs of conventional non-renewable sources of energy, the millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other dangerous chemicals produced annually due to the use of fossil fuels in the generation of energy are causing a lot of destruction to our beautiful planet. If no efforts are made to reduce the emission of the dangerous compounds to the atmosphere, then the future generation will hold us accountable for not adopting the use of other environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Some people argue that solar panels require a lot of space to accommodate them. They say that to achieve high-energy efficiency, the solar panels should be installed in a wide area of land. As much as this is true, it is not a cause of neglecting the adoption of solar energy as an alternate source of energy. How much land is now uninhabited in many places around the world? This land can be put to meaningful use by installing solar panels in such areas.

In addition, the adoption of some creative strategies can easily defeat this problem. For instance, some households and business enterprises have had their grid-connected solar panels attached to utility and light poles, people with extra space have filled them up with solar panels, and some people have even set up their solar panels on the rooftops.

Interestingly, the installation of solar panels is unconstrained by geographical limits. This implies that one can comfortably install them in the remotest part of a country since energy from the sun is available independently and one does not require a connection to a power or a gas grid for them to function. Therefore, as much as solar panels require adequate installation area, better ways of surmounting this problem are available.

It has been argued that the use of solar energy is dependant on weather conditions; therefore, this makes it to be unreliable as weather conditions usually change constantly. In addition, the opponents of solar energy have put forth that its production is only limited to during the day and hence it cannot adequately meet the needs of energy.

However, these inadequacies can be surmounted by building an efficient backup system or by practicing net metering. Because the production of solar energy relies on the location of the sun, fixing some parts in the solar panels will ensure they function optimally, regardless of the weather conditions.

Even though bad weather is able to lower the effectiveness of the solar panels, the effects are not very much extensive. For example, it has been estimated that even if the U.S. could get at least forty minutes of sunshine per day, it can be adequate to produce more energy than all the fossil fuels it uses on a yearly basis.

Therefore, despite its little inadequacies, the adoption of solar energy as an alternate energy source can reduce the usage of the planet’s precious fossil fuels that have been estimated to be undergoing depletion at a rate of more than 100,000 times faster than they are being created (Wanamingo, para. 3).

In conclusion, it is without doubt that our continued negligence to adopt the use of solar energy as an alternate energy source puts us in a tricky situation. This calls for the enactment of appropriate energy policies to increase the use of sunlight for the production of energy.

The world’s increased energy needs cannot be adequately met by the use of the diminishing non-renewable sources of energy. Therefore, the adoption of solar energy, which is abundant, readily available, and can never be depleted, is the best alternative to this problem.

Works Cited

Benduhn,Tea. Solar power . Pleasantville, NY: Weekly Reader Pub., 2009. Print.

DeGunther, Rik. Solar power your home for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley, 2010. Print.

Morris, Neil. Solar power . North Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media, 2006. Print.

Peter, Kavar. “ Here Comes the Sun: Solar Energy Is Becoming More Attractive For Mainstream Consumers .” Affordable Solar Power. 2005. Web.

Wanamingo, Erica S. “ Solar energy .” TeenInk .com. TeenInk, n.d. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2018, May 17). Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-use-of-solar-energy-as-an-alternate-energy-source/

"Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy." IvyPanda , 17 May 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/the-use-of-solar-energy-as-an-alternate-energy-source/.

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1. IvyPanda . "Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy." May 17, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-use-of-solar-energy-as-an-alternate-energy-source/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy." May 17, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-use-of-solar-energy-as-an-alternate-energy-source/.

Wind powers a record summer for renewable energy in Britain

Associate Professor, Energy Systems and Data Group, Birmingham Energy Institute, University of Birmingham

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham

Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London

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Grant Wilson receives funding from EPSRC and InnovateUK under a range of different projects such as GasNetNew and DIATOMIC

Daniel L. Donaldson receives funding from Network Rail and has received funding from EPSRC and the Climate Change Committee.

Iain Staffell works with Drax Group to produce the Electric Insights website. He has received funding from UKRI and the European Commission.

University of Birmingham provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

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Great Britain’s electricity system (Northern Ireland is part of the integrated Irish electricity grid) made a leap forward in August 2024. The amount of power generated by fossil fuels fell to 3.6 terrawatt-hours (TWh), its lowest level in over a century. This meant that each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed during August emitted on average just 84 grams of CO₂.

The record-low contribution of fossil fuels to British electricity in August will have affected household emissions. Heating your home with an average heat pump in August would have been eight times cleaner than using a gas boiler for instance, while charging a typical electric vehicle could have been about ten times cleaner than a petrol car .

Before August 2024, monthly generation from fossil fuels had never dipped below 4 TWh, even during the lockdowns of 2020 when demand for electricity and transport fuels plummeted. What’s more exciting is that this was the first time fossil fuels (98.5% gas and 1.5% coal) fell to third place in the British electricity mix over an entire month.

Gas power plants can be quickly and reliably ramped up when there is a surge in electrical demand or a lull in output from weather-dependent renewables like wind and solar. This makes phasing out gas particularly difficult. That’s why the results from August 2024 are so encouraging: gas appears to be losing its dominance.

While the contribution of gas to Britain’s electricity will rise again in autumn and winter, its meagre showing in a low-demand month like August suggests its heyday is waning.

What the data shows

August typically sees very low demand for electricity. There is next to no need for space heating, Britain still has low levels of air-conditioning and there is lower industrial and household demand while more people are away on holiday and fewer people are at work due to the month’s two bank holidays.

Lower demand means that less electricity needs to be generated or imported, and so a greater share of it can come from the installed capacity of low-carbon sources like wind, nuclear, solar and hydro.

However, lower electrical demand in Britain alone does not guarantee there will be lower generation from fossil fuels. For example, the power sector in August 2022 emitted 4.4 million tonnes of CO₂, whereas in 2024, this dropped to 1.7 million tonnes.

This was in part due to Britain being a net exporter of electricity (1 TWh) to the European continent in August 2022. Whereas this year, Britain was a net importer of 1.9 TWh. To put this in perspective, this 2.9 TWh change in net monthly trade is about 80% of the electricity generated from fossil fuels in August 2024.

Compared with 2023, electricity generation from combined cycle gas turbines in August 2024 more than halved thanks to renewables and imports.

The standout increase in renewable energy for August was wind, which generated 6.8 TWh, or 33% of August’s electrical demand, compared with 25% in August 2023. Apparently there was one upside to the wet and windy weather that swept Britain this summer. This trend will continue, with significant wind capacity additions planned by 2030.

Britain’s energy system is changing

As renewable energy sources become more prevalent, weather patterns will play an increasingly important role in power generation. This will affect both the supply of electricity and its demand. The inherent risks are something that energy system planners must address to provide stability and security of supply by supporting a range of low-carbon fuels.

So far during 2024, CO₂ emissions from electricity are nearly 6 million tonnes lower than they were at the same point in 2023. Britain is on track to end the year with power sector emissions of between 30 and 35 million tonnes, which would be 40-50% below emissions just five years ago ( 57 million tonnes in 2019 ).

Emissions are expected to decrease even as overall electricity demand is likely to rebound from low levels in 2023. Slightly lower electricity prices, and the growing shares of electric vehicles and heat pumps, are contributing to rising demand. These are helping the benefits of clean electricity spread into other sectors, by shifting energy demand from high-carbon liquid fuels (transport) and natural gas (heating) over to electricity.

It may well be that 2023 marks a low point for annual electricity demand for Britain. Future growth in low-carbon heat and transport, plus data centres, AI and robotics, will push demand upwards. However, it is also inevitable that the record lows for emissions and fossil fuel generation in 2024 are merely a step towards even lower levels, as natural gas generation loses market share to renewable generation over the coming years.

This year’s milestones are encouraging signals that Britain’s energy transition is gathering much needed pace, paving the way for a future with less reliance on volatile imported fossil fuels and less impact on the environment. Indeed, by the end of September 2024, the UK’s last coal-fired power station will close , leaving gas as the only fossil fuel left to phase out.

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In diesel-dependent East Timor, renewable energy transition remains slow despite government pledges

A street light is seen during a sunrise in Dili, East Timor Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A man sells electricity credit at a shop in Dili, East Timor Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A man stands next to a generator at an office in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A barber gives a haircut in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Vendors sell vegetables with battery supported lights at a market in Dili, East Timor Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A solar panel is seen next to an East Timor national flag in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Streetlights are seen at sunset in Dili, East Timor Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — East Timor is at an energy development crossroads.

While the small Southeast Asian nation — and one of the world’s youngest countries — has made international and domestic pledges to reduce its carbon footprint through untapped solar and other renewable energy potential, it faces a looming economic crisis as the gas fields its economy depends on near depletion, hampering its ability to pay for the high cost of transitioning its energy sector.

Access to electricity is a modern development for many of East Timor’s 1.3 million people, after much of the country’s infrastructure was razed by Indonesian forces during the war for independence. Recovery was slow after East Timor gained formal independence in 2002. By 2015, just 60% of the population had access to electricity, according to the World Bank.

Efforts to electrify the country have jumped since then, with 100% of residents having access to electricity since 2021, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Experts said that transmission issues remain, resulting in regular blackouts.

The country’s electricity is generated from heavily polluting diesel oil-powered plants, with small diesel-fired generators serving as a main alternative power source in remote areas, according to Tony Heynen, a coordinator in the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Energy postgraduate program in Australia.

East Timor has made domestic and international commitments to scale up its share of renewable energy generation. In 2016, it was one of nearly 200 countries that signed the United Nations’ Paris Agreement . Its state-owned electric company, Eletricidade de Timor-Leste, updated its strategic development plan to switch from diesel to gas for fuel, while aiming for renewables to provide up to 50% of the country’s energy mix by 2030.

Renewable energy potential is strong in East Timor, according to the Asian Development Bank, with almost the entire territory having the potential to successfully generate solar energy. Other renewable sources include hydropower, wind and biofuel.

The development of renewable energy would help the country diversify its economy and bolster its agricultural sector, according to Charles Scheiner, a researcher with the East Timor nongovernmental organization La’o Hamutuk. Seventy percent of families rely on farming for their livelihoods, according to a report by the World Bank and ADB.

“Dependable energy, including electricity, would greatly improve people’s daily lives,” Scheiner wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

“Renewable, decentralized sources are the most consistently reliable way to provide it,” he said, noting the potential to develop smaller solar grids or homes with individual solar panels around the country.

But transitioning energy production and/or building new energy sources are expensive, and East Timor faces severe financial challenges as the gas fields that provide a majority of its gross domestic product near depletion, said Michael Leach, a professor at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.

“There’s a concern that by around 2035, (the government) will run out of money at the rate they’re spending it at the moment,” Leach said.

East Timor’s current power plants, which were built with large investments from the government in recent decades, can also produce far more electricity than the country demands, lowering the imperative for the country to switch systems, Heynen said.

Still, East Timor’s government has expressed interest in transitioning its energy sector. In 2020, it hired energy consultants to conduct a feasibility study for supplying natural gas to the three power plants. In 2021, it announced tendering for solar parks and a feasibility study for hydropower schemes.

But the findings have not been implemented, Scheiner said.

East Timor President José Ramos-Horta told The Associated Press in an interview in Dili last week that his country is interested in exploring various types of renewable energy sources, including wind, sea and especially solar power.

“We have plenty of sun,” he said, adding that the cost of solar technology continues to fall.

“So far, we’re still in the infancy of renewable” energy development, he said. “For us, moving towards renewables or solar in 10, 20 years from now is (an) even better option because by then, the technology will be so much more reliable and so much cheaper.”

AP requests for interviews sent to EDTL Empresa Publica, the minister of planning and strategic investment, and the secretary of state for electricity, water and sanitation all went unanswered.

Ramos-Horta has also called on the international community to support the country’s energy transition, citing its vulnerability to climate change.

“Small nations like Timor-Leste cannot meet this existential challenge alone,” he said during a lecture on climate change in March, using another formal name for East Timor. “We need strengthened international cooperation, technology transfer, capacity building and financial support to increase resilience, drive mitigation efforts and adapt to the unavoidable impacts ahead.” ___

Adam Schreck contributed reporting from Dili, East Timor.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

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Atomico backs Tem to help businesses buy renewable energy directly from sources

Startup calls itself the uk’s ‘first neo-utility’.

A U.K. startup wants to do for utilities what neobanks have been doing for the financial sector for more than a decade: disrupt an age-old industry using technology, streamline it and cut out the middlemen.

London-based Tem has built a marketplace and platform to connect businesses directly to renewable energy sources, and it is working with an existing Ofgem -regulated utility partner instead of applying for a supply license itself. Ultimately, Tem is all about enabling businesses to bypass so-called “big energy” and their big prices while making it easier to meet climate targets.

“We like to think of ourselves as the U.K.’s very first ‘neo-utility’,” Tem’s co-founder and CEO, Joe McDonald , told TechCrunch over email.

Founded in 2021, Tem on Wednesday said it has raised £10.5 million ($13.7 million) in a Series A round led by European venture capital firm Atomico, which closed two funds totaling $1.24 billion earlier this week . The investment comes as nations in Europe and beyond strive to reduce their carbon output and become “climate-neutral” by 2050. The U.K., specifically, is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by “at least 100% of 1990 levels” within the next 25 years.

At the same time, rising oil and gas prices have underscored the need to find an alternative solution to fossil fuels.

Aside from McDonald, Tem’s founding team includes chief technology officer Bartlomiej Szostek , chief commercial officer Jason Stocks , and Ross Mackay . All three met at a startup called Limejump that used big data to disrupt the U.K. energy market, and that was where the seed for Tem was sown.

“I’ve worked for over 12 years in the energy industry, and during this time, the winners and the losers in the energy market have largely remained the same,” McDonald said. “Smaller businesses buying from big energy have always been hit with high fees, volatility, and no guarantee of true renewable energy. They’re stuck in a system that doesn’t put people first. The lack of affordable clean energy is one of the biggest challenges for both businesses and the planet. We wanted to ensure any business can access the renewable energy they need forever.”

Renewed energy

Tem’s platform matches businesses’ energy requirements with suitable renewable generators using an “AI matching algorithm” that forecasts energy supply and demand across buyers and sellers in the startup’s network. The company provides its own pricing and billing system, customer service, and an interface through which customers can select their renewable energy priorities and preferred contract length, and see data related to power consumption and where their energy originates.

Tem claims to have some 200 customers today, including Silverstone , home to the British Grand Prix.

The startup channels a network of more than 50 renewable generators, which may include anything from a solar or wind farm to anaerobic digestion plants such as those provided by U.K. biogas generator, Biodynamic .

While companies can technically transact directly with many of these renewable energy sources, this typically involves long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and complex, costly administration, which only really works for the biggest businesses.

“In such a complex system, these [power purchase] agreements can be hundreds of pages long, take months to negotiate, and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds,” McDonald said. “What’s more, because the customer needs to be able to buy all of the energy that a generator produces, it only works for really large businesses with huge amounts of energy usage. This is fine if you’re a megacorporation like Google or Amazon — but what about the other 99% of businesses?

Tem charges for a “variable” percentage of every transaction, but it declined to disclose what determines that percentage. McDonald did note, though, that energy prices are usually at least 10% cheaper than what they would be on the wholesale market, and can be as much as 25% lower.

Tem could apply for its own supply license and become a fully independent supplier — as some neobanks have done in the banking realm — but McDonald says that partnering with a third-party license holder like P3P Partners lets the startup focus on its raison d’être .

“We could [apply for a license], but our focus is on the tech and transforming the buying and selling experience, not on being a licensed utility,” he said. “We believe that for our model to have maximum impact, we need to stay above individual market integration.”

The state of play

Aside from big energy and the incumbent wholesale market, a number of younger companies have emerged to tackle this very problem. In Germany, we have the likes of Trawa , which recently closed a €10 million round of funding , while the U.K. has companies like Al Gore-backed Octopus Energy , which snapped up failed renewable energy rival Bulb back in 2022 — that failure was mostly due to soaring wholesale prices.

Tem says this is one of the ways it differs from its competition. While Bulb sold itself on the premise that it sourced energy from renewable or offset sources, it actually did that via the traditional utility markets.

“The energy crisis in recent years has also seen several companies go bust, creating brand trust issues related to new startups in the energy space,” McDonald said. “However, the reason so many new suppliers fail is that they operate on a traditional utility model in a wholesale market that exposes them to huge volatility and high transaction costs. We, on the other hand, mitigate these risks with our carefully balanced, direct business-to-generator matching engine.”

Aside from lead investor Atomico, Tem’s Series A round saw participation from AlbionVC, Revent, and angel backers including Holly and Sam Branson , and Wise executives Harsh Sinha and Nilan Peiris. Tem has raised £13 million ($17 million) since inception.

The company currently operates only in the U.K., but it is eyeing international expansion in the coming years — the fresh cash will likely help with that plan.

“We will likely focus on Europe first, especially markets with aggressive renewable targets like Germany, the Nordics, and later the U.S.,” McDonald said.

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Photo : Atlas Renewable Energy's Boa Sorte Solar Power Plant (438 MWp) located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.  

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“At IDB Invest, we see Atlas as a strategic partner in advancing sustainable development across Latin America. The financing of this significant project will play a crucial role in Colombia’s energy transition. Additionally, providing local currency liquidity and co-financing alongside Bancolombia, a long-standing partner in financing projects within the country, has been pivotal,” said Marisela Alvarenga, Chief Investment Officer at IDB Invest (a.i.).

“The Shangri-La Solar project, one of the largest in Colombia, underscores our commitment to delivering innovative and competitive energy solutions while expanding into new markets and securing top-tier financing. This agreement not only strengthens our long-standing relationship with IDB Invest, with whom we’ve financed six solar projects across Latin America, but also marks our first collaboration with Bancolombia. Their flexibility and transparency were instrumental in making this financial transaction a reality,” said Rubén Borja, Atlas Country Manager for Colombia.

“As a financial institution, we are dedicated to channeling resources into initiatives that drive a sustainable energy transition in our country. We are delighted to collaborate with IDB Invest on supporting projects like the one being developed by Atlas. Such initiatives not only advance a cleaner energy matrix but also foster the development of more sustainable communities and enhance people’s well-being,” said Juan Carlos Mora, President of Bancolombia.

In addition to providing the loan, IDB Invest will monitor Atlas’s efforts to enhance the project's gender strategy. This includes developing a program aimed at ensuring at least 15% female participation in the local workforce hired for the Shangri-La project, benefiting communities in the surrounding area.

Atlas’s 'We Are Part of the Same Energy' program, which has been rolled out across Latin America, has trained over 1,500 women from communities near the company's solar projects in technical skills. This initiative not only facilitates the hiring of many of these trained women during the construction phase but also aims to mitigate risks related to discrimination and gender-based violence.

The project will advance several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

This project is a key component of the partnership between Atlas Renewable Energy and ISAGEN, which aims to develop, build, and operate solar projects totaling 1,000 MW over the next decade. This collaboration is pivotal in advancing Colombia's energy transition and driving decarbonization efforts.

About IDB Invest

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social, and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of $21 billion in assets under management and 394 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that meet the needs of its clients in a variety of industries.

About Atlas Renewable Energy

Atlas Renewable Energy is a leading international renewable energy company, boasting an asset portfolio of over 7.5 GW. This includes 2.5 GW in advanced development stages, ready for contracting, and 3 GW currently operational. Since its inception in early 2017, Atlas has specialized in the development, financing, construction, and operation of renewable energy projects—spanning solar, wind, and battery technologies—across the Americas. The company is driven by a highly experienced team with deep expertise in the global energy market and a proven track record in the renewable energy sector in Latin America. For more information, visit: atlasrenewableenergy.com

About Bancolombia

Bancolombia, with a legacy spanning 149 years, is Colombia's largest bank by total assets (COP 352 billion) and has a significant presence in Central America. Serving over 32 million clients, the bank offers a comprehensive range of financial and non-financial services, including commercial and consumer banking, stock brokerage, financial leasing, factoring, fiduciary services, asset management, private banking, and investment banking. Bancolombia is committed to promoting sustainable development and enhancing the well-being of communities across its operational regions.

About ISAGEN

ISAGEN is a leading energy generation and marketing company, operating 22 plants with a total net effective capacity of over 3,000 megawatts (MW). The company is focused on developing a diverse renewable energy portfolio that harnesses water, wind, and solar power. ISAGEN is dedicated to building a reliable energy system with a clean energy matrix, contributing to the sustainability and advancement of the country.