G08: Sciences Physics - Energy: Sources on Green Energy

Select a country and get an interactive view of what the energy future in 2050 could look like.

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The reserves of fossil fuels, which come from the remains of prehistoric animals and plants, are vast but finite, whereas renewable sources are endless. Each has benefits and drawbacks regarding cost, availability, and impact on the environment and human health.

Details on a number or renewable energy sources including advantages and disadvantages of each

In 2018, renewable energy provided about 11.5 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu)—1 quadrillion is the number 1 followed by 15 zeros—equal to 11% of total U.S. energy consumption. The electric power sector accounted for about 56% of total U.S. renewable energy consumption in 2018, and about 17% of total U.S. electricity generation was from renewable energy sources.

For hundreds of years people and industries have relied on fossil fuels. Changing to alternative energies is expensive and requires major changes to the systems that are already in place. Large-scale changes require governments and businesses to support and help provide money for alternatives

Some interesting articles in the pros and cons of renewable energy

For many people across the globe, clean energy solutions are neither affordable nor accessible, even with the drop in the cost of renewable energy. And for many countries, there are barriers to deploying clean energy fast enough to change their emissions trajectories.

We at REN21 know that with a rapid transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency we can turn the tide. With our world-wide community of experts, we can prove that a transition to renewable energy is possible and happening – now! Together, let’s bring that knowledge to every citizen and every decision-maker throughout the world.

Articles on energy and renewable energy written by scientists to counter-act rhetoric

World’s governments plan to produce 120% more fossil fuels by 2030 than can be burned under 1.5°C warming

The Sustainable Energy Coalition acts as a facilitator to focus the message of advocacy, technical, and industry organizations to move forward in a coordinated fashion to accelerate the development and implementation of sustainable, renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Promoting the sustainable supply & use of energy for the greatest benefit of all people.

All energy sources have some impact on our environment. Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—do substantially more harm than renewable energy sources by most measures, including air and water pollution, damage to public health, wildlife and habitat loss, water use, land use, and global warming emissions.

However, renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower also have environmental impacts, some of which are significant.

.... However, with a lack of massive metal turbines in wind turbines, and no promise of consistent sun for solar farms, there is a fundamental problem with renewable energy- if the entire grid relied solely on renewable resources, the power output would greatly fluctuate, exceeding or undermining the demand and therefore cause breakers to trip and the grid to fail.

How much land would it take to power the world’s major cities by solar? Use the sort by functions and take a look below to see how much land is needed to power your city by solar.

Summarises 9 of the challenges of alternative energy, link to detailed document

The quest for Congo’s cobalt, which is vital for electric vehicles and the worldwide push against climate change, is caught in an international cycle of exploitation, greed and gamesmanship.

The demands on these alternative energy sources are inordinate – they will need to not only keep up with the increasing population growth, but needs to go beyond these demands by contributing to the replacement of fossil fuel energy production in order to meet future energy needs and consider the natural environment.

What immediately catches one’s attention when looking at these data is that 80% of the world energy is obtained from fossil fuels which are precious sources that, however, are not renewable. And it is for this reason that it has become necessary to develop and increase the renewable energies, but to do so, a few rather difficult issues must be overcome.

Most green energy sources depend on natural, uncontrolled recourses such as the sun, wind, or ocean waves.