The Other Side: Negative Impacts of Exploiting Renewable Energy Sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
Orisa F. Ebube ◽  
Etim E. Akan

The increasing demand for energy threatens the earth with climate change due to emission of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels. This has been the major driver for green energy. Renewable energy has the potential to reduce the negative effects of energy production on the environment at a global scale. However, the technology to harness the energy from renewable sources have only been well developed for the electricity market. Expanding the scope to supply other markets and sectors would lead to increase in demand on rare earth minerals which will reciprocally create negative environmental and socio-economic impacts.  In order to mitigate such impacts, strong regulatory policies will be required to control different aspects of renewable energy sources, the scale of production and footprint on the environment. Recycling renewable energy technology is a step in the right direction. However, the cost of recycling is found to be 5 times the cost of mining. This would affect the price of energy generated from renewable energy sources on a long run. A shift from fossil fuel would imply at least 20 trillion dollars in stranded assets which would trigger a financial collapse. This collapse would possibly lead to the complete loss of the oil, gas and coal industries, power producers, insurance companies and banks that hold loans for these industries.

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 433-444
Author(s):  
Olusola Joshua Olujobi ◽  
Temilola Olusola-Olujobi

Fossil fuels have been the mainstream of energy supply and a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the Federal Government of Nigeria, in spite of being an unrenewable and unsustainable source of energy. Nigeria is yet to tap into the full benefits after privatising its power sector, including the new global evolution in the energy sector and the resulting increasing demand for renewable energy sources, which some consider to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels and their allied products. Energy security is a challenge to socio-economic development in Nigeria, due to the country’s over-dependency on fossil fuels. In terms of their impact and the potentials to preserve energy sources for longevity and sustainability, however, fossil fuels will come to be seen as an out-dated alternative in the power sector as the energy industry evolves. The implications for Nigeria’s oil sector will not be limited to dwindling crude oil prices. The concerns include poor energy utilisation in Nigeria and the need to promote energy efficiency and sustainability. They have led to the formulation of new energy policies around the world to serve as a vehicle for translating solutions into reality. This study has adopted a library-based legal research method with a comparative approach. The study reveals that it is the lack of a coherent legal framework with incentives for using renewable energy that is largely seen as the key issue causing slow uptake of renewable energy as an alternative source of energy in Nigeria. As well as the need for a coherent legal framework on energy and incentives for using renewable energy sources, the study advocates stringent enforcement of existing energy regulatory policies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (4II) ◽  
pp. 309-325
Author(s):  
Rafi Amir-Ud-Din

Energy crisis in Pakistan had been brewing long before it became an important national issue with the potential to significantly affect the outcome of general elections of 2013. The looming crisis of depleting non-renewable energy sources combined with a feeble economy has lent a new urgency to the search for an energy mix which is sustainable, economically viable and environmentally least hazardous. Fossil fuels with their known adverse environmental impacts dominate the current energy mix of Pakistan. The renewable energy sources remain underutilised despite being cost effective and less hazardous for the environment. A substantial amount of literature has highlighted various dimensions of existing energy sources in Pakistan with a particular emphasis on the environmental impact, the sustainability and the efficiency of various energy sources [see Asif (2009); Basir, et al. (2013); Bhutto, et al. (2012); Mirza, et al. (2009, 2008, 2003); Muneer and Asif (2007); Sheikh (2010) for example]. This study analyses the environmental impact, economic feasibility and efficiency of various energy sources subject to various economic and noneconomic constraints. Section 2 discusses energy security by reviewing various tapped and untapped energy sources besides analysing current energy mix and its future prospects. Section 3 highlights the interaction of energy use and environment. Section 4 discusses two approaches to assess the feasibility of an energy mix: disaggregated and aggregated. The latter approach makes a multidimensional comparison of all the energy sources discussed in this study. Section 5 consists of discussion and concluding remarks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Rena Lovo ◽  
Eric Gilder ◽  
Ora Renagi ◽  
Dapsy Olatona

Abstract In this study, the authors carried out a detailed analysis of the technologies required for successful implementation of a sustainable renewable energy household power supply in Papua New Guinea or PNG (PNG is a Pacific Island nation, North of Australia) to free the country from fossil fuel dependency. The role of renewable energy sources in the recent PNG National Energy Policy covering 2018 to 2050 (unveiled at the 2018 March Energy Summit in Port Moresby by the PNG Minister of Energy) was also analysed. From the outcome of our recently concluded SERI 2018 Renewable Energy conference, we assembled into a single hypothetical ‘energy basket’ all the varied renewable ‘green’ energy sources within PNG (as estimated by our energy research groups). This paper estimates that there is sufficient renewable energy in PNG and advocates that these available green energy sources should be tapped, for they can go a long way in the quest for climate change mitigation. This research paper will articulate that shifting PNG’s and other Pacific Island nations’ energy reliance from fossil fuels and other non-renewable sources to renewable green and environmentally sustainable sources is not only achievable, but feasible within a reasonable time.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirhabibi Mohsen ◽  
Askari Mohammad Bagher ◽  
Bahrampour Mohammad Reza ◽  
Mirzaei Mahmoud abadi Vahid ◽  
Tikdari Mahdi

Regarding the renewable energies, the cost of producing electricity and the remaining reserves from fossil fuels in Iran is compared with the same in other countries. Several advantages of renewable energies are studied in the present research with emphasis on solar energy; the Lut desert in Iran is introduced as a high potential for supplying the country’s energy. Various effects of such generation of energy on economy, environment, and public health are also studied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-73
Author(s):  
T.A. Zheliezna

The aim of the work is to analyze targets on the transition to 100% renewable energy sources (RES) existing in different countries of the world as well as strategies for their achievement. The task of the work is to identify the most promising directions and develop appropriate recommendations for Ukraine. The global trend is setting targets for the transition to 100% RES, at least in some energy sectors, developing appropriate strategies and their implementation. Over the last decade, the cost of renewable energy has been steadily declining, making RES more competitive with fossil fuels in many parts of the world. Today, more than 50 countries, hundreds of cities and regions in one form or another have committed to switching to 100% RES. Most often it is about achieving 100% of renewable electricity. So far, at least 52 cities and regions have achieved their targets for the transition to 100% RES. Of these, 41 are located in Europe and 9 are located in the United States. About 2/3 of these targets relate only to renewable electricity. In Ukraine, the official targets for the development of RES are set out in the National Renewable Energy Action Plan until 2020 and in the Energy Strategy of Ukraine until 2035. Recently, a draft Concept of the “green” energy transition of Ukraine until 2050 was developed, which sets the goal of achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2070. One of the main directions of decarbonization of the economy is the development of RES in combination with increasing energy efficiency and energy saving. It is necessary to resume completing the document with the inclusion of reasonable long-term goals to achieve 100% RES in certain energy sectors and in the whole energy balance of Ukraine.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Bužinskienė

There have been many discussions in Lithuania about a strategy for reducing the impact of climate change. Members of the international community agree that reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere is necessary to avoid dangerous climate change. The main greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is mainly produced by combustion of fossil fuels, which are currently used: natural gas, coal, oil, peat, etc. Fossil fuels are still the main source of energy. The amount of energy produced and consumption from renewable energy sources (RES) is increasing both in Lithuania and in Europe. According to the Directive (2009/28/EU) Lithuania has a legally binding target in the year 2020. The share of renewable energy would account for at least 23% of the total final energy consumption of the country. The share of renewable energy would account for at least 10% of the final energy consumption in the transport sector. Lithuania achieved its target and this indicator was 23.9% in 2014. According to the Eurostat data, the share of RES produced from renewable energy sources in the total energy balance is increasing annually. In 2007 this indicator was only 4.7% and it has grown 4 times in 2016. The production of electricity from renewable energy sources satisfied the country’s energy demand by 18.9% in Lithuania. This is the best index so far. Wind energy is the most popular type of green energy, which has been growing at a rate of 5 times in this period. Promotion of the use of renewable resources is provided in the Republic of Lithuania Law on Renewable Energy and the long-term development of the use of renewable resources is provided for in the National Energy Strategy. At this moment Lithuania is a fuel importing country, but in the future Lithuania should produce about 70% of electricity itself. It is forecasted that in 2020 electricity generation in the country should make up 35% of the demand, in 2030 it should be 70%, and in 2050 it should reach 100%. From renewables we should receive a large, almost 80% share of energy. And gas will be a transitional fuel by 2050. The project of strategy states that energy from renewable sources will become a major component of all sectors: electricity, heat, cooling and transport. The objective is to achieve a 30% share of renewables in the final energy consumption balance in 2020, 45% in 2030, and 80% in 2050. The renewables should produce all heat energy and the share of green energy in transport should reach 50% at the end of 2050. The article focuses on the use of the potential of renewable energy sources from agricultural raw materials and their waste. The surplus of agricultural production makes it necessary to look for opportunities to reduce environmental pollution. The aim of the article is to assess the use of potential of renewable energy sources in Lithuania. The results of the analysis showed that increasing energy production is possible not only using wind, solar, water or geothermal energy, but by processing traditional agricultural and animal products and their waste: straw, grain crops, livestock or bird’s excrement, etc. It is recommended to look at the unconventional potential of raw materials, such as sewage sludge, spirits, molasses, etc. The use of biomass has potentially revealed alternatives to biofuels that underpin the use of different generations of biofuels. The use of biofuels in the long term should contribute to the slowdown in climate change.


Author(s):  
Leonid Hr. Melnyk ◽  
Larysa V. Shaulska ◽  
Olena I. Matsenko ◽  
Vladyslav S. Piven ◽  
Vladyslav V. Konoplov

In the article modern trends in the production of renewable energy were analyzed. It was determined that renewable energy sources have many undeniable advantages. First of all, they are much more environmentally friendly than traditional methods of generating energy based on the combustion of fossil fuels. Another advantage of renewable energy sources is their distribution. Unlike traditional energy fuel sources that units possess, renewable energy sources are available to most of the world's inhabitants. It was considered that today in the country there are a number of motivational tools that stimulate the development of green energy. It was proved that the ways of sustainization of the energy sector are associated with three main areas of energy use: electricity generation; heating and cooling of premises; driving vehicles. A system of subsidies for primary investments (purchase and installation of equipment), as well as the commercialization of «green» electricity (costs of entering the market, partial insurance of risks), is applied. It was determined that a separate page in the formation of alternative energy is the rivalry of two directions of its development, based on the creation of concentrated and deconcentrated (distributed) power plants. The first focuses on the concentration of production energy units (solar panels or wind turbines) in one area. The second direction is associated with the deconcentrating of energy sources, that is, the dispersal of individual capacities both across the territory and by forms of ownership. The transition to renewable energy sources is critical for most countries. This is one of the most important steps towards ensuring their energy independence and further restructuring of economic systems towards the formation of a «green» economy. It is gratifying that, along with other countries, Ukraine is making its efforts in this.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1.8) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
M Veda Swaroop ◽  
P Linga Reddy

The solar and wind renewable energy sources are gaining popularity to encourage green energy into the power system. The cost of generation of solar and wind energy sources are decreasing and competing with conventional coal-based generation. Therefore, it is very important to integrate these renewable sources into the power system. Integrating Solar and wind energy sources require to solve the uncertainty problem. Both the solar and wind energy generation is uncertain and not controllable. In this paper, sliding window optimal ARIMA forecasting algorithm is proposed to solve the uncertainty associated with solar and wind sources. The proposed forecasting method is used on the data collected from National Renewable Energy Laboratory website.  


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3860
Author(s):  
Priyanka Shinde ◽  
Ioannis Boukas ◽  
David Radu ◽  
Miguel Manuel de Manuel de Villena ◽  
Mikael Amelin

In recent years, the vast penetration of renewable energy sources has introduced a large degree of uncertainty into the power system, thus leading to increased trading activity in the continuous intra-day electricity market. In this paper, we propose an agent-based modeling framework to analyze the behavior and the interactions between renewable energy sources, consumers and thermal power plants in the European Continuous Intra-day (CID) market. Additionally, we propose a novel adaptive trading strategy that can be used by the agents that participate in CID market. The agents learn how to adapt their behavior according to the arrival of new information and how to react to changing market conditions by updating their willingness to trade. A comparative analysis was performed to study the behavior of agents when they adopt the proposed strategy as opposed to other benchmark strategies. The effects of unexpected outages and information asymmetry on the market evolution and the market liquidity were also investigated.


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