Renewable Energy Versus Fossil Fuels – At Hive, we work to save the world. We believe that renewable energy is the future and we invest in green energy projects around the world. Although we fight for renewable energy sources, fossil fuels are still used around the world.
Simply put, green energy comes from natural and sustainable sources (meaning it has less negative impact on the Earth than it consumes), but it can take millions of years to pollute and destroy the environment. New energy can be solar, wind, water, geothermal, biomass. On the other hand, fossil fuels can be natural gas, coal and oil.
Renewable Energy Versus Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels release CO2 when burned, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Here, the lines between the power sources are blown. Burning natural resources such as wood for biomass produces more CO2 than fossil fuels. Thus, although biomass is considered a renewable energy source, the process is not always environmentally friendly.
Long Iea, Short Rei: Renewable Energy Vs Fossil Fuels
Fortunately, the fossil fuel industry is declining, but a large portion of the population still depends on it. Green energy employment is expected to grow over the next decade, but more than 12 million people currently work in the fossil fuel sector. Employment in the fossil fuel sector will decline, with oil, gas and coal mining sectors likely to suffer in the coming years.
On the other hand, everything is developing rapidly in the renewable energy market. This industry opens many new jobs and opportunities. As coal and oil jobs shrink, similar jobs are being done for green energy.
Renewable energy sources are widely used, but there is still a high demand for fossil fuels. Although green energy is growing significantly in terms of global renewable energy demand, it still accounts for less than 40%. About 10% of the world’s electricity will come from wind and solar by 2021, and another 28% will come from other clean sources.
The good news is that demand for renewables is growing faster than fossil fuels! Specific technologies vary around the world depending on the exact location and power source.
Clean Power Continues To Stretch Its Cost Benefits Over Coal
Solar energy is the most environmentally friendly form of energy production worldwide, followed by wind energy and bioenergy. However, despite the potential of solar energy, wind energy has recently been growing rapidly.
It may come as a surprise to learn that renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. The cost of green energy has fallen dramatically over the past decade. It is estimated that electricity alone has dropped costs by 80% over the past ten years, and wind energy has fallen by 30-40%, depending on where it is built. As prices continue to fall, experts predict that the cost of renewable energy will continue to fall in the coming years as renewables become increasingly greener, but more expensive, than fossil fuels.
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Power towers stand in front of the cooling towers at the Jaenschwalde coal-fired power plant at night, on December 4, 2014 near Paitz, Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
When 100% Renewable Energy Doesn’t Mean Zero Carbon
Fossil fuels have long provided the world with abundant energy. But in recent years, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar have been developing at a rapid pace. This leaves many wondering as we reach a tipping point: When will clean energy begin to overtake fossil fuels?
Bloomberg caused a frenzy this week when it announced that we had reached a tipping point: “Refined fuels just lost the race to renewables.”
Unfortunately, this name is not quite correct. Clean energy cannot compete with fossil fuels. And it is necessary to examine why in detail in order to better understand how to eliminate global carbon emissions and avoid global warming.
Bloomberg’s key evidence is a chart from Bloomberg New Energy Finance that shows how in 2013 countries around the world added generating capacity from hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass and thermal power to what they produced from oil, gas and coal:
High Electricity Prices, The Links To Fossil Gas And The Need To Shift To 100% Renewables And Reduce Energy Demand
This is a very good sign. But there is no evidence that clean energy is growing faster than dirty energy. This chart shows two important things:
1) Electricity is not the same as energy. The first thing to note is that the above table shows the addition of power. Remember that “electricity” is not the same as “energy”. We use electricity to power our homes and appliances. But most cars and planes in the world don’t run on electricity; work on oil. Many houses do not use electricity for heating; candle. These non-living power sources are not considered above.
If we are concerned about global warming, we need to think about the bigger picture. Electricity and heat alone accounted for 42% of global CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels in 2012. For clean energy to win the race, other sectors must also be taken into account, especially transport.
2) 1 GW of solar energy is not the same as 1 GW of coal. A second objection to the above graph is that it only shows the addition of electrical energy. “Power” is defined as the maximum power that a power plant can produce under certain conditions. It is not equal to the amount of electricity produced by the power plant during the entire period of its operation.
Are Solar Panels Better Than Coal? • Climate Solution Center
Here’s one way to show the difference: coal plants can burn carbon around the clock. Thus, in the long term, a coal plant will generate 50 to 80% of its maximum output. In contrast, solar PV panels only work when there is sunlight. In the long run, they can produce only 20% of the output. These percentages are called “power factors”.
This is important to remember. Consider that the world has 2 gigawatts of solar panels and 1 gigawatt of coal-fired power plants. If you just look at a graph of energy sources, you can tell that the sun decomposes carbon a lot. But this is not true! If we take energy into account, a coal-fired power plant produces more electricity.
So let’s look at a better graph showing the world’s energy consumption from different sources. So we’re looking at all the major sources of energy – not just electricity, but also cars, planes and heating and so on. And we are not deceived only by the sight of power; we look at real-world usage.
As it happens, BP published this data in World Energy Magazine 2014. And the chart below paints a disturbing picture for clean energy:
Oil Companies Are Collapsing Due To Coronavirus, But Wind And Solar Energy Keep Growing
In total, in 2013, they accounted for 87% of global primary energy consumption. Low-carbon sources, including nuclear, hydro, wind, solar and biomass, accounted for 13%.
That percentage hasn’t changed since 1999, Roger Pielke, Jr. said University of Colorado. In other words, 14 years in a world without an electric cleaner.
During this time, the number of clean energy sources has increased. A small yellow ribbon represents renewable energy sources (including solar and wind energy, as well as biofuels and biofuels/coal for vehicles) under development, often including the word “mining”). Hydroelectricity is also expanding. In contrast, nuclear energy is variable.
However, coal, natural gas and oil are unlikely to allow us to grow clean energy. A sample example: in 2013, non-hydro renewable energy consumption increased by 38.5 million tne (demand in oil equivalent). But carbon consumption increased by 103 million TOE, more than doubling. If it’s a race, fossil fuels still exist.
Why The “overly Subsidized” Argument Against Clean Energy Is Bs
I don’t want to be too naive about repairs. This chart from Bloomberg is good news for clean energy: The world is building more solar, wind and hydropower, but at a slower pace than organic growth.
In addition, there are many incentives for the development of clean energy. The cost of wind and solar has plummeted around the world. Battery prices for electric cars have fallen faster than expected (which is important because building a car that runs on clean electricity, not gasoline, is essential to keeping the power on). Meanwhile, China is shutting down polluting coal plants in an effort to tackle air pollution.
Given these trends, it is very likely that clean energy will overtake fossil fuels worldwide in the near future. We may be approaching a tipping point. Maybe we’ll get there in 2020. It is difficult to predict exactly. But when that happens, the share of energy coming from low-carbon sources will increase.
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Critical Perspectives On Fossil Fuels Vs Renewable Energy
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Author by : Anne C. Cunningham
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2016-12-15
Publisher by : Enslow Publishing, LLC
ISBN :
Description : Renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy as climate scientists and environmentalists give voice to the detrimental effects of fossil fuels. But how far have we gotten in developing efficient and sustainable energy, including solar, wind, and geothermal power, and what are the benefits of these renewable energy sources compared to fossil fuels? This text examines the issue from diverse viewpoints, allowing students to analyze key ideas in energy production through primary source evidence....
Renewable Energy And Wildlife Conservation
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Author by : Christopher E. Moorman
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2019-09-10
Publisher by : JHU Press
ISBN :
Description : Brings together disparate conversations about wildlife conservation and renewable energy, suggesting ways these two critical fields can work hand in hand. Renewable energy is often termed simply "green energy," but its effects on wildlife and other forms of biodiversity can be quite complex. While capturing renewable resources like wind, solar, and energy from biomass can require more land than fossil fuel production, potentially displacing wildlife habitat, renewable energy infrastructure can also create habitat and promote species health when thoughtfully implemented. The authors of Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation argue that in order to achieve a balanced plan for addressing these two crucially important sustainability issues, our actions at the nexus of these fields must be directed by current scientific information related to the ecological effects of renewable energy production. Synthesizing an extensive, rapidly growing base of research and insights from practitioners into a single, comprehensive resource, contributors to this volume • describe processes to generate renewable energy, focusing on the Big Four renewables—wind, bioenergy, solar energy, and hydroelectric power • review the documented effects of renewable energy production on wildlife and wildlife habitats • consider current and future policy directives, suggesting ways industrial-scale renewables production can be developed to minimize harm to wildlife populations • explain recent advances in renewable power technologies • identify urgent research needs at the intersection of renewables and wildlife conservation Relevant to policy makers and industry professionals—many of whom believe renewables are the best path forward as the world seeks to meet its expanding energy needs—and wildlife conservationists—many of whom are alarmed at the rate of renewables-related habitat conversion—this detailed book culminates with a chapter underscoring emerging opportunities in renewable energy ecology. Contributors: Edward B. Arnett, Brian B. Boroski, Regan Dohm, David Drake, Sarah R. Fritts, Rachel Greene, Steven M. Grodsky, Amanda M. Hale, Cris D. Hein, Rebecca R. Hernandez, Jessica A. Homyack, Henriette I. Jager, Nicole M. Korfanta, James A. Martin, Christopher E. Moorman, Clint Otto, Christine A. Ribic, Susan P. Rupp, Jake Verschuyl, Lindsay M. Wickman, T. Bently Wigley, Victoria H. Zero...
Renewable Energy Transformation Or Fossil Fuel Backlash
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Author by : Espen Moe
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2016-04-29
Publisher by : Springer
ISBN :
Description : Renewable energy is rising within an energy system dominated by powerful vested energy interests in fossil fuels, nuclear and electric utilities. Analyzing renewables in six very different countries, the author argues that it is the extent to which states have controlled these vested interests that determines the success or failure of renewables....
The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels
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Author by : Alex Epstein
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2014-11-13
Publisher by : Penguin
ISBN :
Description : Could everything we know about fossil fuels be wrong? For decades, environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet at the same time, by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better. How can this be? The explanation, energy expert Alex Epstein argues in The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We’re taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives—their unique ability to provide cheap, reliable energy for a world of seven billion people. And the moral significance of cheap, reliable energy, Epstein argues, is woefully underrated. Energy is our ability to improve every single aspect of life, whether economic or environmental. If we look at the big picture of fossil fuels compared with the alternatives, the overall impact of using fossil fuels is to make the world a far better place. We are morally obligated to use more fossil fuels for the sake of our economy and our environment. Drawing on original insights and cutting-edge research, Epstein argues that most of what we hear about fossil fuels is a myth. For instance . . . Myth: Fossil fuels are dirty. Truth: The environmental benefits of using fossil fuels far outweigh the risks. Fossil fuels don’t take a naturally clean environment and make it dirty; they take a naturally dirty environment and make it clean. They don’t take a naturally safe climate and make it dangerous; they take a naturally dangerous climate and make it ever safer. Myth: Fossil fuels are unsustainable, so we should strive to use “renewable” solar and wind. Truth: The sun and wind are intermittent, unreliable fuels that always need backup from a reliable source of energy—usually fossil fuels. There are huge amounts of fossil fuels left, and we have plenty of time to find something cheaper. Myth: Fossil fuels are hurting the developing world. Truth: Fossil fuels are the key to improving the quality of life for billions of people in the developing world. If we withhold them, access to clean water plummets, critical medical machines like incubators become impossible to operate, and life expectancy drops significantly. Calls to “get off fossil fuels” are calls to degrade the lives of innocent people who merely want the same opportunities we enjoy in the West. Taking everything into account, including the facts about climate change, Epstein argues that “fossil fuels are easy to misunderstand and demonize, but they are absolutely good to use. And they absolutely need to be championed. . . . Mankind’s use of fossil fuels is supremely virtuous—because human life is the standard of value and because using fossil fuels transforms our environment to make it wonderful for human life.”...
Greenergized
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Author by : Dennis Posadas
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2017
Publisher by :
ISBN :
Description : "Renewable energy versus fossil fuels: the debate rages on, worldwide. At stake is nothing less than the protection of our planet from the ravages of climate change. But the costs involved in making the switch to clean energy are daunting. How do we pay for solar and wind energy? Do we scrap all our gasoline-driven autos? How do we move forward?Although the importance of this topic is hard to overstate, it nevertheless consistently fails to engage at the level that it so patently needs to. This is what has led technology expert and seasoned commentator Dennis Posadas to approach the issues in a new and intriguing way. Posadas understands that we respond best to narratives, and that is why he has written what he describes as a "green thinking fable".In this fable, we meet Daniel, a young graduate of the fictional Oriental College, who is thrust into a debate between José, an oil man, and Professor Ruiz, an advocate of clean energy. We follow the lines of argument as Daniel's awareness increases, and he experiences a paradigm shift in his thinking. We see how his short-term outlook focusing on the cost of renewable energy evolves into long-term thinking about the cost of not making the shift to renewables.Posadas's business fable puts the issues in front of the general reader in an engaging and digestible way. It covers concepts such as solar, wind, electric vehicles, waste to energy, feed-in-tariffs, carbon tax, intermittent sources, cost of fossil fuels, health impact of fossil fuel use, energy efficiency, and other relevant topics necessary for understanding this debate. The story and characters may be fictional, but the situations and the technology discussions are based on current facts. Decide for yourself where you stand on the renewables versus fossil fuels debate, and discuss this story with your friends and colleagues.Greenergized is a much-needed route into the issues surrounding the most serious debate our generation faces. And it pulls off the brilliant trick of being highly readable at the same time."--Provided by publisher....
Renewables
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Author by : Michael Aklin
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2018-03-23
Publisher by : MIT Press
ISBN :
Description : A comprehensive political analysis of the rapid growth in renewable wind and solar power, mapping an energy transition through theory, case studies, and policy. Wind and solar are the most dynamic components of the global power sector. How did this happen? After the 1973 oil crisis, the limitations of an energy system based on fossil fuels created an urgent need to experiment with alternatives, and some pioneering governments reaped political gains by investing heavily in alternative energy such as wind or solar power. Public policy enabled growth over time, and economies of scale brought down costs dramatically. In this book, Michaël Aklin and Johannes Urpelainen offer a comprehensive political analysis of the rapid growth in renewable wind and solar power, mapping an energy transition through theory, case studies, and policy analysis. Aklin and Urpelainen argue that, because the fossil fuel energy system and political support for it are so entrenched, only an external shock—an abrupt rise in oil prices, or a nuclear power accident, for example—allows renewable energy to grow. They analyze the key factors that enable renewable energy to withstand political backlash, andt they draw on this analyisis to explain and predict the development of renewable energy in different countries over time. They examine the pioneering efforts in the United States, Germany, and Denmark after the 1973 oil crisis and other shocks; explain why the United States surrendered its leadership role in renewable energy; and trace the recent rapid growth of modern renewables in electricity generation, describing, among other things, the return of wind and solar to the United States. Finally, they apply the lessons of their analysis to contemporary energy policy issues....
Green Vs Green
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Author by : Ryan M. Yonk
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2013
Publisher by : Routledge
ISBN :
Description : Wind, solar, geothermal, biofuel, hydro, and other non-traditional energy sources show promise as alternatives to fossil fuels and may provide a sustainable source of energy in increasingly uncertain energy markets. However, these new sources of energy face their own set of political, administrative, and legal challenges. Underexplored in both academic and policy settings, this book provides valuable insights on how existing regulatory regimes in the United States interact with the broad goal of developing green energy and curbing global climate change....
