Home > Energy > New and Renewable Energy

ENERGY

New and Renewable Energy

What is renewable energy and why use it?

Most energy resources in the world are derived from fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) which lead to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions (including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) and other air pollutants. Fossil energy is not renewable, drawing on finite resources that will eventually dwindle. In contrast, renewable energy resources are clean sources of energy with much lower environmental impacts. Renewable energy is energy that occurs naturally and repeatedly in the environment and can be used for human benefit. Renewable energy sources are secure and inexhaustible, in the sense that there is no problem of being used up. Typical examples are energy from the sun, wind, ocean, plants, waves, running water, and wastes.

Benefits of renewable energy use

Renewable energy can create many benefits for human and environment, including environmental improvement, increased fuel diversity and energy security, and regional economic development benefits. Using fossil fuels—coal, oil and natural gas—to make electricity pollutes the air, consumes and pollutes water, hurts plants and animal life, creates toxic wastes, and causes global warming. Renewable energy resources can provide many immediate environmental benefits by avoiding these impacts and risks and can help conserve fossil resources for future generations.

In 2018, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 6.9% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.6% from hydroelectricity. New renewables (modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, ocean and biofuels) accounted for another 3.1%.

Energy sources of global final energy consumption in 2018

Fossil fuels 79.9%; Renewables 17.9%; Nuclear 2.2%. Renewables: Traditional Biobass 6.9%; hydropower 3.6%; Biomass/solar/geothermal heat 4.3%; Biofuels 0.6%; Wind/solar/biomass/geothermal/ Ocean power 2.1%

Estimated Renewable Energy Share of Global Electricity Production in end-2019

Non-renewable electricity 72.7&; Renewable Electricity 27.3%. Renewable Electgricity: Hydropower 15.9%; Wind Power 5.9%; Solar PV 2.8%; Bio-power 2.2%; Geothermal, CSP and ocean power 0.4%

References:

 
 
New and Renewable Energy
Solar Energy Solar Thermal Energy Solar Photovoltaic Wind Energy
Biomass Energy Waste to Energy Hydro Energy Tidal Energy
Wave Energy Marine Current Energy Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Geothermal Energy
Hydrogen Hydrogen Economy Fuel Cells Fusion Energy