The Advantages and challenges of renewable energy sources in reducing carbon emissions.
Advantages of renewable energy
In recent years, renewable energy has been championed as a more environmentally friendly replacement for conventional fossil fuels. Solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy are all examples of renewable energy that replenish themselves over time. These alternatives are appealing because of their potential to reduce carbon emissions and help with the climate change problem because they are less carbon intensive than fossil fuels.
However, there are still obstacles that must be overcome before renewable energy sources can be implemented on a large scale. Advantages of Alternative Energy: The capacity of renewable energy sources to considerably cut down on carbon emissions is one of its key advantages. Greenhouse gas emissions from renewable energy sources are negligible, making them competitive with conventional fossil fuels. If renewable energy sources were embraced globally by 2050, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) claims that global warming could be kept at 1.5°C. In addition to helping the environment, investing in renewable energy has financial benefits as well.
The clean energy industry is booming, and the use of renewable energy may help stimulate local economies and provide employment opportunities. According to IRENA, 11.5 million people would be working in the renewable energy sector worldwide in 2020. Third, countries may strengthen their energy independence by switching to renewable energy. Renewable energy sources, in contrast to traditional fossil fuels, do not require imports from other nations. This can make it possible to rely less on volatile energy supply from outside.
Problems Associated with Renewable Energy
High Initial Investment: Large-scale renewable energy projects, in particular, sometimes need large up-front investments. There has been a general decline in the price of renewable energy, but the initial investment is still too high for certain people and businesses. Intermittency: Solar and wind power, for example, are intermittent since they fluctuate depending on the weather. During times of peak demand, this can be difficult for the people who manage the nation’s energy grid. Batteries and other forms of energy storage provide a potential answer to this problem. Third, investments in infrastructure are necessary for the widespread use of renewable energy sources, especially for megaprojects. Building windmills and solar panels, and creating efficient energy storage and transmission networks all fall under this category.
New Initiatives and Measures: There may be obstacles, but renewable energy has been growing in popularity over the past few years. According to IRENA, 72 percent of the world’s new power capacity in 2020 came from renewable energy sources. The European Union, for example, has set a target of having a carbon-neutral economy by the year 2050, and this is just one of several countries with lofty goals for the expansion of renewable energy.
The implementation of policies that encourage the use of renewable energy sources is also underway. The Biden administration has proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes major investment in renewable energy, with the objective of reaching a carbon-free power sector by 2035. It is clear that addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions would need widespread implementation of renewable energy sources.
Although there are obstacles to be overcome, new innovations and policies suggest that renewable energy use will increase further in the years to come.