1. Kristina Radin, Public enterprice Strezevo Bitola, Macedonia
2. Jasmina Dimitrovska Bosilkova, Macedonia
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is inevitable. It will happen whether we take action or not. Fossil fuels are—by definition–finite. They are a one-time gift to humanity. Long before they are economically exhausted, we will have turned away from them toward renewable sources of energy simply on the basis of cost. The question, then, is do we make this transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy on our own terms, in ways that maximize the benefits to us today and to future generations, or do we turn our heads away and suffer the economic and social shocks that rising prices and market volatility will create—as it has done so often in the past. Despite this basic logic, most of humanity so far has taken measures nowhere near proportional to the problem. One fundamental necessity to breaking the inertia is a robust, global campaign for 100% renewable energy.
Now that the Paris Agreement is coming into force, countries need to get serious about what they committed to last December. Meeting the Paris targets means a completely decarbonised electricity supply well before 2050, and wind power will play the major role in getting us there.
By 2030 wind power could reach 2,110 GW, and supply up to 20% of global electricity, creating 2.4 million new jobs and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 3.3 billion tonnes per year, and attract annual investment of about €200 billion.
With dramatic price decreases in recent years for wind, solar and other renewables, a decarbonized power sector is not only technically feasible, but is economically competitive as well. New markets are developing rapidly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, supplying clean energy to support sustainable development.
Wind power is the most competitive option for adding new capacity to the grid in a growing number of markets,but if the Paris agreement targets are to be reached, that means closing fossil fuel fired power plants and replacing them with wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass. That will be the hard part, and governments will have to get serious about it if they are to live up to the commitments to which they have now bound themselves.
Decarbonising the global energy system includes the transport sector as a major emitter of carbon. The market for electric mobility, both in regard to electric vehicles as well as public transport, will continue to grow significantly and with this electricity demand for the transport sector. Wind power is in a pole position to supply this future power demand making the wind industry one of the key industries of the energy sector.
The new report examines the International Energy Agency’s central scenario from its World Energy Outlook, the New Policies Scenario, and is compared with the IEA’s 450 Scenario, the GWEC Moderate Scenario and the GWEC Advanced Scenario. The results show how the global wind industry will deliver in terms of global electricity supply, CO2 emissions savings, employment, cost reductions, and investment.
Tematska oblast:
Energetics and Thermal Engineering
Datum:
25.02.2017.
13th International Conference on Accomplishments in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
