What are alternative energy sources and what is their future

Green energy is chosen by countries, cities, companies and citizens. We tell how renewable sources are moving from the category of alternative to the main ones, how they are developing in our country and the world, and what future awaits them

• What is it
• Types
• Plans
• Examples
• Investment

What are alternative energy sources

Alternative energy sources are renewable energy resources that are obtained through the use of hydropower, wind power, solar power, geothermal power, biomass and tidal energy. Unlike fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal and uranium ore, these energy sources do not deplete, which is why they are called renewable. In 2019 alone, renewable energy sources (RES) facilities with a total capacity of 200 GW were installed around the world.

Types of alternative energy sources

1. Solar energy

The sun is the main source of energy on Earth, because about 173 PW (or 173 million GW) of solar energy hits our planet every year, which is more than 10 thousand times higher than the global energy needs. Photovoltaic modules on the roof or in open areas convert sunlight into electrical energy using semiconductors – mainly silicon. Solar collectors generate heat for heating and hot water production, as well as for air conditioning.

Solar panels can generate energy in cloudy weather, and even in snowfall. For the greatest efficiency, they should be installed at a certain angle – the farther from the equator, the greater the angle of installation of the panels.

2. Wind power

Using the wind as a driving force is a long tradition. Windmills were used for grinding flour, sawmilling) and as a pumping or water-lifting station. Modern wind turbines generate electricity from wind energy. First, they convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy of the rotor, and then into electrical energy.

Wind power is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies. According to the latest data from IRENA, over the past two decades, global onshore and offshore wind power generation capacity has increased almost 75 times, from 7,5 GW in 1997 to about 564 GW by 2018.

3. Water energy

Even in ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire, water energy was used to drive working machines, including mills. In the Middle Ages, water mills were used in Europe at sawmills and pulp and paper mills. Since the end of the XNUMXth century, water energy has been actively used to generate electricity.

4. Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy uses the earth’s heat to generate electricity. The temperature of the subsoil allows heating the upper layers of the Earth and underground reservoirs. They extract the geothermal energy of the soil with the help of small wells – this does not require large investments. It is especially effective in regions where hot springs are located close to the surface of the earth’s crust.

5. Bioenergy

Bioenergy is universal. Heat, electricity and fuel can be produced from solid, liquid and gaseous biomass. At the same time, plant and animal wastes are used as renewable raw materials.

6. Ebb and flow energy

Tides and waves are another way to get energy. They make the generator rotate, which is responsible for generating electricity. Thus, to generate electricity, wave power plants use hydrodynamic energy, that is, energy, pressure drop and temperature difference between sea waves. Research in this area is still underway, but experts have already calculated that only the coast of Europe can annually generate energy in the amount of more than 280 TWh, which is half of Germany’s energy consumption.

How different countries of the world are implementing energy transition plans

Countries around the world have set themselves ambitious targets for the transition to renewable energy. The goals have also become part of the Paris Agreement – by 2030, zero-carbon solutions can be competitive in sectors that account for more than 70% of global emissions. It is planned to do this through the energy transition – the process of replacing the coal economy with renewable energy. In 2020, despite the pandemic and economic recession, many cities, countries and companies continued to announce or implement decarbonization plans.

India is expected to make the largest contribution to the development of renewable energy in 2021. A number of wind and solar projects are planned to be launched here.

The European Union is also forecasting a jump in capacity growth in 2021. Here, even in the context of a pandemic, they do not forget about the Green Deal, the largest correction of the economic course in the history of the EU. The goal of the project is to create a carbon-neutral space in the EU by 2030. To this end, it is planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from the level of 1990 and increase the share of energy from renewable sources to 32% in the total energy consumption structure. According to the European Commission, it will be possible to achieve these goals with the help of annual investments of €260 billion. The share of renewable energy in the EU energy system is also constantly growing. Thus, about 40% of electricity in the first half of 2020 in the EU was produced from renewable sources.

In the meantime, the leaders of investments in the development of renewable energy are China, the USA, Japan and the UK. Since BloombergNEF began tracking this data, global investment in wind and solar, biofuels, biomass and waste, and small hydropower has increased by almost an order of magnitude. On an annualized basis, investment in clean energy has grown from $33 billion to more than $300 billion in 20 years.

China has become a top producer of renewable energy equipment in ten years. First of all, we are talking about solar panels. Seven of the top 2060 solar cell manufacturers in the world are Chinese companies. In general, the development of technologies has reduced the cost of building new renewable energy facilities. This brings China’s plans to become carbon neutral by XNUMX closer.

Serious steps towards the energy transition are also expected from US President Joe Biden. He not only returned the country to the Paris Agreement, but also announced that he intends to achieve net greenhouse gas emissions and a transition to 100% green energy by 2050.

Also, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom plan to use only RES by 2050. 2020 has already been the greenest year for the UK power grid since the Industrial Revolution. The country was able to do without coal for 67 days. Britain plans to abandon traditional energy sources by 2025.

RES are actively developing in Spain – according to forecasts, the solar energy sector in the country alone will grow about twice as fast as in Germany.

In 2020, Scotland received 97% of its electricity from renewable sources. With the help of the produced “green” energy, it was possible to meet the electrical needs of more than 7 million households. Scotland plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The same year was chosen as the time for the complete abandonment of traditional energy for Austria, and Saudi Arabia planned to receive 2030% of its electricity from RES by 50.

Geothermal energy in Reykjavik and solar panels for Berlin

Individual cities around the world are also striving to become climate neutral. Of the more than 570 cities in the world for which statistics are maintained, more than 100 receive at least 70% of their electricity from renewable sources – water, geothermal, solar and wind energy, according to CDP.

The list includes such cities as Auckland, Nairobi, Oslo, Seattle, Vancouver, Reykjavik, Porto, Basel, Bogota and others.

For example, Burlington (Vermont, USA) already receives 100% of its electricity from wind, solar, water and biomass. All of Reykjavik’s electricity comes from hydroelectric and geothermal sources. By 2040, all public and private transport in the capital must be free of fossil fuels.

100% of energy from renewable sources for the Swiss Basel is provided by its own energy supply company. Most of the electricity comes from hydropower and 10% from wind. In May 2017, Switzerland voted in favor of phasing out nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy.

World capitals also do not stand aside. For example, the Senate of Berlin approved the action plan for the development of solar energy in the German capital “Masterplan Solarcity”. In accordance with the overall development strategy of the city, Berlin should become climate neutral by 2050. At the end of 2018, solar power plants were operating in Berlin, which covered 0,7% of electricity consumption; by 2050, 25% of the city’s energy consumption will be provided by solar energy.

How business creates a positive image by investing in renewable energy

Companies around the world are also creating strategies and defining green goals that they want to achieve within a certain period of time. There was an awareness: we need to act responsibly and set an environmentally friendly example for consumers. Of course, the use of RES can not only help create a positive image for companies, but also reduce electricity costs.

So, the new Facebook servers, as well as General Motors, will receive energy from a solar power plant. It is being built in Kentucky as part of the large-scale Green Invest program.

IKEA aims to produce more electricity from renewable sources than it consumes by 2030. There are 14 solar panels in stores in 920 countries, as well as more than 530 wind turbines. Ingka, the parent company of IKEA, invested about $2,8 billion in various renewable energy projects and became the owner of 1,7 GW of capacity. It will also continue to invest in the construction of wind farms and solar power plants.

Chemical concern BASF will gradually switch to renewable energy sources, and also plans to invest in wind farms.

Intel is powered by wind, solar, water and biomass. Since 2012, Intel has invested $185 million in 2 energy saving projects, and 000% of the electricity consumed by the corporation in the US and EU comes from renewable energy sources.

Apple is also aiming to become carbon neutral. It has acquired several solar farms, providing sustainable energy for its data centers. Since 2018, all Apple retail stores, offices and data centers have been powered by 100% renewable energy.

Microsoft uses more than 1,3 billion kWh of green energy annually in software development, data center operations and manufacturing. The company has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.