Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
construction and energy-effi cient housing, but even just staying with jobs in renew-
able energy supply, this is clearly a growth area, opening up many issues concern-
ing, for example, regulation and training needs (Duell and Vetter 2013 ).
Interestingly, Germany, along with Denmark, has also pioneered new decentral-
ised forms of ownership of the new energy technologies. For example, in Germany
only about 13% of the country's 70,000 MW of renewable energy generation capac-
ity is now owned by big energy companies. The rest is owned by households, com-
munities, local co-ops, development trusts and farmers. Over 900 energy co-ops
have emerged, some of them quite large, town sized. The old political issue of own-
ership and control is back on the agenda in a new form (WFC 2012 ; DGRV 2013 ;
Debor 2014 ).
10
Conclusions
The complexities of global economies and policies mean that the pace of change is
uncertain, but a transition to using renewable energy on a wide scale seems inevi-
table, given the limits of and constraints on conventional energy sources. Although
the EU, and to a lesser extent the USA, have made much of the running in terms of
green energy so far, in the years ahead China seem likely to dominate, as it tries to
grapple with the impacts of its rapid growth, pollution, and the need for nonfossil
fuel. That, and the wider uptake of green energy around the world, will create many
new jobs and may give the ethical, political and strategic issues touched on above a
new dimension and urgency.
In terms of immediate practical issues and strategies, what emerges from the
analysis above is a need to develop ways for easing the transition - on the assump-
tion that this will go ahead anyway. Campaigning to make sure that it happens at the
national policy level is an obvious necessity, and environmental groups, along
increasingly with trade unions, are engaged in that. But at the same time, there are
specifi c areas that need attention, for example, plans for retraining workers dis-
placed from conventional energy industries and support for the creation of new local
green energy enterprises and energy co-ops.
There is also a need for wider debate on what type of society we want to create.
Will it be based on economic growth or on more sustainable approaches at the local
level? Is a degree of economic protectionism necessary to limit the power of global
markets, as in the 'local content' rules adopted by some countries seeking to limit
imports of green energy system from overseas and protect local jobs? Would that
inhibit or stimulate innovation? Can the transition to green energy and effi cient
energy use really be achieved area by area, nation by nation, or do we need a more
coherent international plan?
The transition will in part be brought about by individuals and groups working in
their own communities and in their workplaces. We are seeing local transition plans
emerging around the UK, and elsewhere in the EU, there are some dramatic exam-
ples of local co-operative efforts. We might see green plans emerging again from
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