Geography @ NumptyNerd
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Renewable energy​

Wind power has capacity to meet world’s entire electricity demands

Offshore wind power has the capacity to meet all of the world’s electricity demand, and is set to be a “game-changer” for energy systems, according to the International Energy Agency.

Offshore wind power has the potential to be a "major game-changer", similar to the massive growth in solar power. By 2040 wind could be the biggest power source in Europe. Today, Europe leads the world in offshore wind power and China is keen to catch up. In 2018, China lead the world in investing in offshore wind power.

 According to the International Energy Agency, offshore wind has the potential to meet the world’s electricity demand 11 times over by 2040.


Source: Financial Times October 2019 

Picture
unsplash-logoModern Affliction
Some countries are doing better than others in the quest to dump fossil fuels and build a sustainable future. The UCL Institute for Global Prosperity has highlighted some nations as being "green trailblazers".
Costa Rica
Uruguay 
Iceland
New Zealand
In 2015, Costa Rica was able to generate electricity for 75 days without using fossil fuels. Renewable energy now generates 99% of Costa Rica's electricity. Success comes from strong investment in hydroelectricity.
Renewables provide almost 95% of Uruguay’s electricity. 
The country uses wind energy, hydro, biomass and solar. This means that Uruguay has a diverse range of renewable energy supplies.
Geothermal power and hydropower produces just about all of Iceland's electricity.
Icelandic geothermal technology has great potential to be used in other hotspots such as the African Rift Valley.
Hydropower produces 80% of New Zealand’s electricity.

New Zealand is not alone, hydropower is the biggest source of renewable energy in the world.

PictureWind farm, California (Photo: Dave Parker)
Over 43 percent of all new power in 2013 was from renewable sources, such as as wind and solar. This figure does not even include power generated by large dams. This good news comes from the Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre in Germany. The global trend is towards a sustainable energy future. 

By 2016, according to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy will be a bigger source of energy than gas. In 2018, the IEA predicts that renewables will account for a quarter of the world's energy production.

China leads the world in investing in renewable energy - $56 billion in 2013, compared to only $36 billion in the USA. In Japan, there has been a massive 80 percent increase in 
investment for solar power to compensate for the demise of its nuclear programme.

The cost of both wind power and solar power have fallen significantly over the past five years. There has been a 25 percent decrease in the cost of photovoltaic systems. At the same time, the cost of wind power has plummeted by 53 percent.


Overall, in 2013, renewable energy was responsible for preventing 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction towards a sustainable future that buys time to adapt to climate change.


About Numpty Nerd™


​Numpty Nerd™ is for anyone who loves Geography.
Geography is about learning to change the future. People need to have knowledge that empowers them to develop a sustainable future. Geographers aim to foster sustainable relationships between people and their environments.

Every effort is made to respect copyright, if you think something here belongs to you, please contact Numpty Nerd.™ This is a non-profit website. The stuff here is protected by the usual copyright laws. Please remember to cite Numptynerd.net as your source.

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  • Home Page
  • Globalisation
    • Globalisation: a Geographical Process
    • Globalisation: Diaspora
    • Globalisation: Cultural Diffusion
    • Globalisation: fashion victims
    • Globalisation and Identity
    • Globalisation and Food Cultures
  • People & Planet
    • Agro-industrialisation
    • Air Pollution
    • Biodiversity loss is a SDG
    • China after the one child policy
    • Desertification in China
    • Natural Causes of Climate Change
    • Renewable Energy
    • Slow Food Movement
    • Technology: a Geographical Perspective
    • The Debate about Aid
    • Tourism: the Butler Model
    • Tourism as a Development Strategy
  • Places
    • Africa is not a country
    • Bangladesh: tourism
    • Milan - Italy's Superstar City
    • Nigeria: Africa's biggest economy
    • London: the capital city of the world?
    • Salford: a city regenerated?
  • The Tool Shed
    • Climate Graphs
    • Images and Captions
    • Critical Thinking >
      • Misleading Maps
      • Mapping an alternative World
      • Language and Geography
      • Gross Domestic Lies