Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development

This paper discusses the perspective of renewable energy (wind, solar, wave and biomass) in the making of strategies for a sustainable development. Such strategies typically involve three major technological changes: energy savings on the demand side, efficiency improvements in the energy production, and replacement of fossil fuels by various sources of renewable energy. Consequently, large-scale renewable energy implementation plans must include strategies for integrating renewable sources in coherent energy systems influenced by energy savings and efficiency measures. Based on the case of Denmark, this paper discusses the problems and perspectives of converting present energy systems into a 100% renewable energy system. The conclusion is that such development is possible. The necessary renewable energy sources are present, and if further technological improvements of the energy system are achieved the renewable energy system can be created. Especially technologies of converting the transportation sector and the introduction of flexible energy system technologies are crucial.     

Renewable energy for African development

A great deal of attention has been paid to the needs of the rural poor in their pursuit of economic, social and political development. In this light the merits of rural electrification are often debated with mixed conclusions and conjectures. The positive role renewable energy plays in the drama of human development is enjoying greater receptivity by both policy makers and villagers. However, institutional barriers still inhibit increased adoption of renewable energy technologies. This article argues that the question of how renewable energy services can be delivered to and paid for by the rural and peri-urban populations is answered not so much by the technology selected as by the institutional and organizational structures erected. By addressing financial infrastructure, capacity building, and village empowerment sustainable rural electrification programs are possible.     

Renewable energy costs,potentials, barriers: Conceptual issues

Renewable energy can become the major energy supply option in low-carbon energy economies. Disruptive transformations in all energy systems are necessary for tapping widely available renewable energy resources. Organizing the energy transition from non-sustainable to renewable energy is often described as the major challenge of the first half of the 21st century. Technological innovation, the economy (costs and prices) and policies have to be aligned to achieve full renewable energy potentials, and barriers impeding that growth need to be removed. These issues are also covered by IPCC’s special report on renewable energy and climate change to be completed in 2010. This article focuses on the interrelations among the drivers. It clarifies definitions of costs and prices, and of barriers. After reviewing how the third and fourth assessment reports of IPCC cover mitigation potentials and commenting on definitions of renewable energy potentials in the literature, we propose a consistent set of potentials of renewable energy supplies.     

Renewable energy market conditions and barriers in Turkey

Decentralized wind, hydropower, biogas and biomass, geothermal, solar thermal and solar electricity energy systems are the most commonly found renewable energy technologies promoted for rural energy supply within sustainable developments programs. They are, therefore, seen to have a central place in the practice of sustainable development and in allowing less development countries to bypass the environmentally damaging fossil fuel intensive paths made by industrialized countries. On the political front, many less development countries are critical of pressure on them to adopt environmental energy technologies.Turkey is situated the meeting point of three continents (Asia, Europe and Africa) and stands as a bridge between Asia and Europe. The country is located in southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. As Turkey’s economy has expanded in recent years, the consumption of primary energy has increased. Presently in order to increase the energy production from domestic energy resources, decrease the use of fossil fuels as well as reduce of green house gas emissions different renewable energy sources are used for energy production in Turkey. The share of energy production from renewable energy sources has increased during the last 10 years. Turkey must import most of the energy to meet her needs. Turkey also has a large potential for renewable energies. The lack of knowledge about renewable energy technologies by most policy-makers, potential consumers, and energy firm managers has played against renewable energy developments. The paper presents renewable energy used in Turkey and Europe Union and evaluation of the market conditions and barriers of renewable energy use in Turkey.     

Renewable energy in South Africa: Potentials,barriers and options for support

The challenge of transforming entire economies is enormous; even more so if a country is as fossil fuel based and emission intensive as South Africa. However, in an increasingly carbon constrained world and already now facing climate change impacts South Africa has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity soon and decidedly. The South African electricity sector is a vital part of the economy and at the same time contributes most to the emissions problem. First steps have been taken by the South African government to enhance energy efficiency and promote renewable energy, however, they fail to show large-scale effects. This paper seeks to identify the relevant barriers to renewable energy investments and, based on experience from other countries, provide policy recommendations.     

Renewable energy technologies for international development

Renewable energy technologies have received considerable attention within the past five years for their potential to help meet basic needs in developing countries. The state-of-the-art of three technologies (wind-energy utilization, improved cook-stoves, and solar drying) is reviewed. A variety of significant activities are underway but widespread dissemination of these technologies does not yet appear to have occurred; new and renewed efforts, including research and development, are needed.     

Renewable energy education for sustainable development

Rising international concern about global warming and the rapid development of the renewable energy industry over recent years has led to a need for multidisciplinary programs in energy studies. We have developed a postgraduate program in energy studies which is based on the principles of ecologically sustainable development. This program combines work in energy technology with energy policy, energy economics and environmental and social issues. The program is offered on campus at Murdoch University and by external study, via the internet, throughout Australia and overseas. It has attracted considerable interest from students seeking to find new opportunities within the renewable energy industry. This paper outlines the philosophy of the energy studies program, its implementation and outcomes.     

Renewable energy: Externality costs as market barriers

This paper addresses the impact of environmentally based market failure constraints on the adoption of renewable energy technologies through the quantification in financial terms of the externalities of electric power generation, for a range of alternative commercial and almost-commercial technologies. It is shown that estimates of damage costs resulting from combustion of fossil fuels, if internalised into the price of the resulting output of electricity, could lead to a number of renewable technologies being financially competitive with generation from coal plants. However, combined cycle natural gas technology would have a significant financial advantage over both coal and renewables under current technology options and market conditions. On the basis of cost projections made under the assumption of mature technologies and the existence of economies of scale, renewable technologies would possess a significant social cost advantage if the externalities of power production were to be “internalised”. Incorporating environmental externalities explicitly into the electricity tariff today would serve to hasten this transition process.     

Coal and sustainable energy supply challenges and barriers

Coal is broadly recognized as secure, competitive, diversified, not vulnerable and predictable in price as an energy resource. In the power generation sector, coal is playing a dominant role in the EU-27 with 25% share of the total installed capacity and almost one-third of the power generation. The role played by the domestic resources and especially by coal is increasingly becoming the focus of the EU energy strategy.     

Renewable energy sources in European energy supply and interactions with emission trading

This paper presents a model-based approach, which allows to determine the optimised structure and operation of the EU-15 electricity supply under different political and economic framework conditions, with a focus on the integration of renewable energy sources for electricity generation (RES-E) in the EU-15 countries. The approach is designed to take into account the characteristics of power production from both renewable and conventional sources, including the technological and economic characteristics of existing plants as well as those of future capacity expansion options. Beyond that, fuel supply structures are modelled, as well as the international markets for power and CO₂-certificates with their restrictions. Thus, a profound evaluation of the exploitation of mid-term renewable potentials and an assessment of the market penetration of the various renewable power generation technologies under the (normative) premise of a cost-optimised evolution of the power system becomes possible. Results show that a promotion of renewable energies reduces the scarcity of CO₂-emission allowances and thus lowers marginal costs of CO₂ reduction up to 30% in 2030. Despite the higher overall costs, a diversification of the energy resource base by RES-E use is observed, as primarily natural gas and nuclear fuels are replaced.     

Renewable energy and sustainable development in Turkey

Achieving solutions to environmental problems that we face today requires long-term potential actions for sustainable development. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions. So clean, domestic and renewable energy is commonly accepted as the key for future life for Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources. Because of this and the fact that it has limited fossil fuel resources, a gradual shift from fossil fuels to renewables seems to be serious and the sole alternative for Turkey. This article presents a review of the present energy situation and sustainability, technical and economical potential of renewable energy sources and future policies for the energy sector in Turkey. Also, potential solutions to current environmental problems are identified along with renewable energy technologies. Throughout the paper several problems relating to renewable energy sources, environment and sustainable development are discussed from both current and future perspectives. The renewable energy potential of the country and their present use are evaluated here based on the available data. The present study shows that there is an important potential for renewables in Turkey.     

Renewable energy application progress in Mexico

This paper shows a general view of the renewable energy systems instaled in Mexico, since the early 70's up to the present date. Mention is made of the location, within the Mexican territory, of these systems, their power and the institutions that have participated in this program which are academic, federal government agencies, local government agencies as well as private companies. The installed systems are mainly: wind generators, flat and concentrator collectors, geothermal plants, biomass, solar ponds, photovoltaic systems and small hydrologic plants.     

调整能源结构促进经济发展

通过对我省能源消费状况分析,详细阐述了1990年以来煤炭、油品、电力在我省能源消费中所占的比重和各产业部门、工业行业耗能情况,找出了我省能源消费的特点和不足,提出了相应的对策.     

OECD国家可再生能源的发展

以国际能源署(IEA)的报告为基础，介绍了OECD(经济合作与发展组织)国家可再生能源的发展情况，包括可再生能源在一次能源供应中的地位和可再生能源发电情况，并分别介绍了各类可再生能源发电的进展及其主要的发展国家状况。     

Green Utilities: Renewable energy utilities forge global strategies

While AEP, E.ON, RWE, EDF, Enel and other super-utilities battle for global market share — acquiring and divesting electricity and gas assets along the way to maintain balance in precarious capital markets — a new breed of global competitor is emerging, predominantly from the ranks of Europe’s smaller utilities. Unable to compete on the basis of scale, these emerging players are building competitive advantage with their growing experience in renewable energies. William W. Ambrose, President, Emerging Energy Research, llc reports.     

Green energy strategies for sustainable development

In this study we propose some green energy strategies for sustainable development. In this regard, seven green energy strategies are taken into consideration to determine the sectoral, technological, and application impact ratios. Based on these ratios, we derive a new parameter as the green energy impact ratio. In addition, the green energy-based sustainability ratio is obtained by depending upon the green energy impact ratio, and the green energy utilization ratio that is calculated using actual energy data taken from literature. In order to verify these parameters, three cases are considered. Consequently, it can be considered that the sectoral impact ratio is more important and should be kept constant as much as possible in a green energy policy implementation. Moreover, the green energy-based sustainability ratio increases with an increase of technological, sectoral, and application impact ratios. This means that all negative effects on the industrial, technological, sectoral and social developments partially and/or completely decrease throughout the transition and utilization to and of green energy and technologies when possible sustainable energy strategies are preferred and applied. Thus, the sustainable energy strategies can make an important contribution to the economies of the countries where green energy (e.g., wind, solar, tidal, biomass) is abundantly produced. Therefore, the investment in green energy supply and progress should be encouraged by governments and other authorities for a green energy replacement of fossil fuels for more environmentally benign and sustainable future.     

Renewable energy policy development in the Caribbean

The Caribbean region is endowed with renewable energy resources which remain largely untapped. With an average insolation of 15-20 MJ m⁻² day⁻¹, investment in some renewable energy technologies is feasible. The major problem confronting the region is lack of financial resources. Petroleum imports continue to dominate the energy scenario except for Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. However, increased awareness of sustainable development issues throughout the region is a major factor in support of renewable energy implementation and is a driving force for energy policy decision-making. With the necessary joint-venture partnerships and government fiscal incentives, photovoltaic technologies, wind energy and solar energy industries are poised to expand thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuel imports while preserving the environment.     

Renewable energy in the equilibrium mix of electricity supply sources

A method to derive the long-run supply curve for a given renewable energy source and technology is proposed. The method accounts for the spatial complexity arising from the distribution of the energy source and the energy transport infrastructure of the territory. The use of the resultant supply curve within the partial equilibrium competitive model for the design and evaluation of renewable energy support schemes and for the determination of optimal supply mixes is illustrated. A case study with the application of the method for wind energy in Rapa Nui (or Easter) Island is presented.     

Renewable energy for sustainable development in Africa: a review

Renewable energy usage in Africa has been reviewed using South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Mali as case studies. The various national energy policies of these countries were analysed and areas that require attention to achieve sustainability were highlighted. On the overall, the success of sustainable development in Africa lies in addressing the imminent energy crisis in the continent. Excessive usage of fuel wood is already creating considerable environmental problems especially in the Sahel. Africa has all the potentials to solve its energy problems if appropriate infrastructural support can be provided for harnessing the abundant renewable resources in the continent, and if skills are pooled together and experiences shared in addressing the key issues.