Renewable Energy

According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy is energy that is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its various forms, it is derived directly or indirectly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the Earth. Included in the definition is energy generated from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydropower and ocean resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources. Renewable energy sources from natural energy sources such as sun, wind, waves, and tides have developed rapidly in recent years and have been used widely around the world as an alternative-energy system.

Renewable energy is considered one of the viable options to meet the challenge of achieving sustainable development and conserving natural resources that have been depleted because of the rapid growth in population, urbanization, and fossil fuel consumption while addressing the issues of energy security. Renewable energy has been widely considered an indispensable basis of sustainable energy systems, as electricity generation from renewable sources helps in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to sustainable development and addressing climate change over the past decades as compared to electricity from conventional fossil fuels. 

Renewable-electricity generation capacity, including large hydropower, reached an estimated 1,140 gigawatt (GW) worldwide in 2008, with a total share of about 18 percent—of which 15 percent was from hydroelectricity and 3 percent from new renewables such as small hydropower, modern biomass, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. According to Renewable Energy Network 21 (REN 21), about 19 percent of global final energy consumption came from renewables in 2008, with 13 percent from traditional biomass used for heating, 3.2 percent from hydroelectricity, and a small percentage—about 2.7 percent—from the new renewables.

Apart from the environmental benefits, renewable energy has also been playing an important role in alleviating poverty and enhancing the development of remote regions through offering opportunities for work and social advancement of underemployed and disadvantaged segments of the population. However, their adoption has been mainly driven by impending environmental and energy security considerations arising from the use of fossil fuel–based energy (coal, oil, and gas) and the fact that fossil-based energy sources are finite.