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Chapter 11 - Renewable Energy
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- By Wim Turkenburg, Utrecht University, Doug J. Arent, National Renewable Energy laboratory, Ruggero Bertani, Enel Green Power S.p.A., Andre Faaij, Utrecht University, Maureen Hand, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wolfram Krewitt, German Air and Space Agency, Eric D. Larson, Princeton University and Climate Central, John Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Mark Mehos, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Tim Merrigan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Catherine Mitchell, University of Exeter, José Roberto Moreira, Biomass Users Network, Wim Sinke, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Virginia Sonntag-O'Brien, REN21, Bob Thresher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wilfried van Sark, Utrecht University, Eric Usher, United Nations Environment Programme, Dan Bilello, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Helena Chum, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Diana Kraft, REN21, Philippe Lempp, German Development Ministry, Jeff Logan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lau Saili, International Hydropower Association, Niels B. Schulz, International Institute for Applied systems Analysis, Austria and Imperial College, Aaron Smith, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Richard Taylor, International Hydropower Association, Craig Turchi, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Jürgen Schmid, Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology
- Global Energy Assessment Writing Team
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- Book:
- Global Energy Assessment
- Published online:
- 05 September 2012
- Print publication:
- 27 August 2012, pp 761-900
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Summary
Executive Summary
Renewable energy sources – including biomass, geothermal, ocean, solar, and wind energy, as well as hydropower – have a huge potential to provide energy services for the world. The renewable energy resource base is sufficient to meet several times the present world energy demand and potentially even 10 to 100 times this demand. This chapter includes an in-depth examination of technologies to convert these renewable energy sources to energy carriers that can be used to fulfill our energy needs, including their installed capacity, the amount of energy carriers they produced in 2009, the current state of market and technology development, their economic and financial feasibility in 2009 and in the near future, as well as major issues they may face relative to their sustainability or implementation.
Present uses of renewable energy
Since 1990 the energy provided from renewable sources worldwide has risen at an average rate of nearly 2% a year, but in recent years this rate has increased to about 5% annually (see Figure 11.1.) As a result, the global contribution of renewables has increased from about 74 EJ in 2005 to about 89 EJ in 2009 and represents now 17% of global primary energy supply (528 EJ, see Figure 11.2). Most of this renewable energy comes from the traditional use of biomass (about 39 EJ) and larger-scale hydropower (about 30 EJ), while other renewable technologies provided about 20 EJ.
Chapter 8 - Integration of Renewable Energy into Present and Future Energy Systems
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- By Ralph Sims, Pedro Mercado, Wolfram Krewitt, Gouri Bhuyan, Damian Flynn, Hannele Holttinen, Gilberto Jannuzzi, Smail Khennas, Yongqian Liu, Lars J. Nilsson, Joan Ogden, Kazuhiko Ogimoto, Mark O'Malley, Hugh Outhred, Øystein Ulleberg, Frans van Hulle, Morgan Bazilian, Milou Beerepoot, Trevor Demayo, Eleanor Denny, David Infield, Andrew Keane, Arthur Lee, Michael Milligan, Andrew Mills, Michael Power, Paul Smith, Lennart Söder, Aidan Tuohy, Falko Ueckerdt, Jingjing Zhang, Jim Skea, Kai Strunz
- Edited by Ottmar Edenhofer, Ramón Pichs-Madruga, Youba Sokona, Kristin Seyboth, Susanne Kadner, Timm Zwickel, Patrick Eickemeier, Gerrit Hansen, Steffen Schlömer, Christoph von Stechow, Patrick Matschoss
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- Book:
- Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
- Published online:
- 05 December 2011
- Print publication:
- 21 November 2011, pp 609-706
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Summary
Executive Summary
To achieve higher renewable energy (RE) shares than the low levels typically found in present energy supply systems will require additional integration efforts starting now and continuing over the longer term. These include improved understanding of the RE resource characteristics and availability, investments in enabling infrastructure and research, development and demonstrations (RD&D), modifications to institutional and governance frameworks, innovative thinking, attention to social aspects, markets and planning, and capacity building in anticipation of RE growth.
In many countries, sufficient RE resources are available for system integration to meet a major share of energy demands, either by direct input to end-use sectors or indirectly through present and future energy supply systems and energy carriers, whether for large or small communities in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or non-OECD countries. At the same time, the characteristics of many RE resources that distinguish them from fossil fuels and nuclear systems include their natural unpredictability and variability over time scales ranging from seconds to years. These can constrain the ease of integration and result in additional system costs, particularly when reaching higher RE shares of electricity, heat or gaseous and liquid fuels.
Existing energy infrastructure, markets and other institutional arrangements may need adapting, but there are few, if any, technical limits to the planned system integration of RE technologies across the very broad range of present energy supply systems worldwide, though other barriers (e.g., economic barriers) may exist. Improved overall system efficiency and higher RE shares can be achieved by the increased integration of a portfolio of RE resources and technologies.