Communicating about Solar Energy and Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarla Rai Peterson ◽  
Cristi C. Horton
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Change Communication

Transitioning to renewable energy systems requires changing the ways people interact with energy as well as technological change. This shift involves social changes that include modifications in norms, policies, and governance. Multiple sociopolitical factors shape the likelihood that solar energy will emerge as a significant component in energy systems around the world. This article describes ways climate change communication may be strategically employed to encourage substantial deployment of solar installations and other renewable energy resources as part of the innovations that contribute to transition and transformation of current energy systems. Understanding how communication may contribute to integration of more solar power into energy systems begins with examining current public awareness of and engagement with solar energy, as well as other low-carbon energy resources. With this foundation, climate change communication can contribute to research, development, and deployment of solar energy installations, by facilitating strategic alignment of solar energy with existing interests and preferences of its stakeholders. These stakeholders include elites who fear that shifting the energy system away from fossil fuels threatens their political influence and financial profits, energy workers who fear it will bring further reductions in already reduced wages, and those who perceive fossil fuels as the only alternative to opportunistic mixtures of animal waste and biofuel. Climate change communicators have the unenviable task of helping all of these groups imagine and participate in transitioning energy systems toward greater reliance on renewable energy sources, such as Sun. This article briefly describes the development and implementation solar energy technologies, and suggests how strategic communication may contribute to further implementation. It concludes with examples of differential deployment trajectories of solar energy in the Navajo Nation and Germany. These cases demonstrate that neither the endowment of natural resources nor the material energy needs of a location fully explain energy decisions. Indeed, social dimensions such as culture, economics, and governance play equally important roles. This provides numerous opportunities for climate change communicators to strategically highlight the ways that solar energy responds to immediate needs and desires, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation.

scholarly journals Post COVID-19 Recovery and 2050 Climate Change Targets: Changing the Emphasis from Promotion of Renewables to Mandated Curtailment of Fossil Fuels in the EU Policies

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1347
Author(s):  
Kyriakos Maniatis ◽  
David Chiaramonti ◽  
Eric van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
The European Union

The present work considers the dramatic changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the global economy, with particular emphasis on energy. Focusing on the European Union, the article discusses the opportunities policy makers can implement to reduce the climate impacts and achieve the Paris Agreement 2050 targets. The analysis specifically looks at the fossil fuels industry and the future of the fossil sector post COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis first revises the fossil fuel sector, and then considers the need for a shift of the global climate change policy from promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources to curtailing the use of fossil fuels. This will be a change to the current global approach, from a relative passive one to a strategically dynamic and proactive one. Such a curtailment should be based on actual volumes of fossil fuels used and not on percentages. Finally, conclusions are preliminary applied to the European Union policies for net zero by 2050 based on a two-fold strategy: continuing and reinforcing the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive to 2035, while adopting a new directive for fixed and over time increasing curtailment of fossils as of 2025 until 2050.

Modern Optimization Algorithms and Applications in Solar Photovoltaic Engineering

2016 ◽  
pp. 390-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Tyukhov ◽  
Hegazy Rezk ◽  
Pandian Vasant
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Smart Grids ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Composition Structure ◽  
Primary Energy Supply ◽  
Power Point

This chapter is devoted to main tendencies of optimization in photovoltaic (PV) engineering showing the main trends in modern energy transition - the changes in the composition (structure) of primary energy supply, the gradual shift from a traditional (mainly based on fossil fuels) energy to a new stage based on renewable energy systems from history to current stage and to future. The concrete examples (case studies) of optimization PV systems in different concepts of using from power electronics (particularly maximum power point tracking optimization) to implementing geographic information system (GIS) are considered. The chapter shows the gradual shifting optimization from specific quite narrow areas to the new stages of optimization of the very complex energy systems (actually smart grids) based on photovoltaics and also other renewable energy sources and GIS.

scholarly journals The 21st Century Coal Question: China, India, Development, and Climate Change

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 476
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Warner ◽  
Glenn A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Community Based ◽  
China And India ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Fossil Fuel Emissions

China and India are not only the two most populous nations on Earth, they are also two of the most rapidly growing economies. Historically, economic and social development have been subsidized by cheap and abundant fossil-fuels. Climate change from fossil-fuel emissions has resulted in the need to reduce fossil-fuel emissions in order to avoid catastrophic warming. If climate goals are achieved, China and India will have been the first major economies to develop via renewable energy sources. In this article, we examine the factors of projected population growth, available fossil-fuel reserves, and renewable energy installations required to develop scenarios in which both China and India may increase per capita energy consumption while remaining on trach to meet ambitious climate goals. Here, we show that China and India will have to expand their renewable energy infrastructure at unprecedented rates in order to support both population growth and development goals. In the larger scope of the literature, we recommend community-based approaches to microgrid and cookstove development in both China and India.

scholarly journals RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN SERBIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav M. Pavlović ◽  
Dragoljub Lj. Mirjanić ◽  
Ivana S. Radonjić ◽  
Darko Divnić ◽  
Galina I. Sazhko
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Combustion Gases ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Radiation Conversion

This paper focuses on the use of renewable energy sources in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska and their impact on the environment and climate change. Renewable energy sources used in Serbia are hydropower, solar energy, wind energy, biomass, and biogas. Renewable energy sources used in the Republic of Srpska are hydropower, solar energy, biomass, and biogas. When using hydropower, the formed reservoirs often impact the microclimate of the environment in which they are located. Photothermal and photovoltaic solar radiation conversion installations are mostly stationary, do not emit harmful substances into the environment, and have no impact on climate change. The use of wind turbines has a certain influence on the flow of ambient air. When using biomass and biogas, combustion gases are released into the atmosphere, which has slightly negative impact on climate change. The paper concludes that the use of renewable energy sources in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska has a negligible negative impact on the environment and climate change.

scholarly journals TENDENCY OF GLOBAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES IN THE WORLD IN THE LAST TEN YEARS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isak Karabegović
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
The World

It is well-known that, in the past decades, the burning of fossil fuels was identified as the major cause of climate change. Climate change mitigation is becoming a central concern of global society. Limiting global warming to below 2 °C above the temperature of the pre-industrial period is the key to preserving global ecosystems and providing a secure basis for human activities, as well as reducing excessive environmental change. The ambitions increased at an accelerated pace with a dramatic expansion of net zero-emission targets. Increasing pressure from citizens and society has forced countries to intensify their climate plans, while the private sector has bought a record amount of renewable energy. An energy system based on fossil fuels must be replaced by renewable energy with low carbon emissions with improved energy efficiency. That applies to all consumers of fossil energy: cities, villages, building sectors, industry, transport, agriculture, and forestry. The paper explores and presents the strategy of energy development of renewable energy sources in the world. The application of new technologies that have led to developing renewable energy sources is presented in detail: wind energy, solar energy, small hydropower plants, biomass, and their increase in the total share of energy production, i.e., reduced fossil fuel use in energy production. Investments in new technologies used in renewable energy sources have led to increases in employment worldwide. Analysis of the trend of increased energy production from RES (Renewable Energy Sources) with investment plans, the employment rate for each energy source, and the development of renewable energy sources in the coming period are provided.

scholarly journals Renewable Energy Sources in Iran: Policy and Regulation

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Safari ◽  
Fariborz Safari
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Regulation ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Sustained Development ◽  
Energy Policy Act ◽  
Development Plans

According to the Fifth Five Year Development Plan, in Iran, renewable resources, under the green horizon scenarios, must provide 5,000 MW of electricity. Among different types of renewable source of energy, there is no shortage of information in Iran, which is located near to zero line (earth’s equator), with about 300 clear sunny days in a year, about setting policies promoting solar energy. Taking into account the availability and benefits of solar energy for Iran, this paper has focused on solar energy.Recent statistics show that, if the current development plans proceed, the capacity of the installed renewable energy systems would reach 2.8GW by 2030. This requires more than 2800 million US dollar investment in 20 years, i.e., 2010 to 2030. Despite the advantages of using solar energy, such as reducing greenhouse gases, it is important to note that solar power is 2.5 to 5 times as expensive as electricity from existing conventional power sources, such as coal and other sources. In order to encourage people to use solar power, there is a need to change our laws and establish an integrated energy regulation, involving tax policy mechanisms to support the deployment of solar energy in Iran. As Iran is dependent upon its fossil fuels, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable, which is a worldwide goal to reduce GHG or CO2 emissions, requires the adoption of a comprehensive policy and integrated regulation nationwide, taking a multidisciplinary approach. This paper exemplifies and considers the 2005 Energy Policy Act and Investment Tax Credit (ICT) for residential energy property, illustrating how solar-energy-regulation could contribute to the sustained development of solar energy. The main purpose is to help the development of sustainable solar energy regulation in Iran.

scholarly journals Sustainable energy and fuels from biomass: a review focusing on hydrothermal biomass processing

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 4390-4414
Author(s):  
Koray Alper ◽  
Kubilay Tekin ◽  
Selhan Karagöz ◽  
Arthur J. Ragauskas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Biomass Processing

Fossil fuels must be replaced with renewable energy resources to ensure sustainable development, reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, address environmental challenges including climate change.

scholarly journals Risks of switching to renewable energy sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 01010
Author(s):  
E.S. Romanova ◽  
A.A. Masalkova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

This research work is devoted to the issue of studying the key risks of switching to renewable energy sources. The relevance of the topic of work is determined by the fact that, according to climatologists [5], climate change, which has a negative impact on the environment, is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). For this reason, measures to prevent or reduce greenhouse gas emissions are at the heart of the energy transition. International treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement lay the foundations for global action to combat climate change and implement a fourth energy transition. The energy transition is characterized by a number of incentives and barriers. Despite the fact that there are many scenarios for the development of the global energy sector by 2050, the expected transformations of the energy market lead to a significant redistribution of the ratio of the shares of hydrocarbon sources and renewable energy sources [16]. The trend towards fossil fuels is on the rise. These transformations in the market are determined not only by the climate agenda, but also by the concept of sustainable economic development.

scholarly journals Chinese experience in implementing renewable energy sources as a possible scenario for the Krasnoyarsk Territory

2020 ◽  
pp. 59-79
Author(s):  
Sergey Nikonorov ◽  
Konstantin Papenov ◽  
Denis Sergeyev
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Renewable Sources ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
To Come ◽  
Developing Area

Renewable energy is a rapidly developing area of the modern economy. As many experts forecast, global electricity consumption will double by 2050, while the share of renewable sources in energy generation will be 50%. For most states, the main incentives for the development of renewable energy are the ability to eliminate the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce the level of emissions of pollutants, while ensuring sustainable development of the country. At the same time, Russia, which has significant reserves of natural resources, is in no hurry to switch to the use of energy from renewable sources since it is believed that the country’s subsoil can provide it with cheap energy resources for many generations to come. Therefore, introduction of renewable energy sources that are unable to compete with traditional energy without a developed energy infrastructure and established production is impractical. In our study we try to evaluate the efficiency of the introduction of renewable energy sources in the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia using the example of the Chinese experience.

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