Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the sight of energy infrastructure - solar water heaters, PV panels, wind turbines, biogas
plants, geothermal plants, small-scale hydro, and a variety of new delivery mechanisms -
literally and figuratively in their backyards.
The renaissance of renewable energy will therefore require from citizens both a more
localised and a more global understanding of energy. Whether it is generated on our roof,
ten miles offshore, or on another continent, the energy we use will have to be our business.
We will cease to be mere consumers and start to hold a stake in where our energy comes
from. We will need to develop a positive attitude to energy, as something we have chosen
and rightfully own. It's about saying, “Yes, in my back yard.”
1
More acreage was converted to cultivation of crops between 1950 and 1980, than from
2
According to the IEA baseline scenario, OECD energy demand in 2035 will be just 3
per cent higher than today, while the share of non-OECD countries will rise from 55 per
cent in 2010 to 65 per cent in 2035 (IEA
2012a
).
3
According to the IEA baseline scenario, the share of renewables in the primary energy
mix is expected to rise from the current 13 per cent to 25 per cent by 2035. Most of this
additional renewable capacity will come from biomass (20 per cent), followed by wind
(2.7 per cent) and solar (1.4 per cent). In electricity generation, the share of renewables is
projected to grow from the current 20 per cent to 31 per cent, catching up with coal (IEA
4
The global hectare is a unit that measures the average biocapacity of all biologically
productiveareasonEarthinagivenyear.Theseincludecropland,forests,andfisheries,but
do not include deserts, glaciers and the open ocean. The 'global hectare per person' refers
to the ability to produce resources and absorb wastes per person.
5
The global increases in carbon dioxide concentration are attributable primarily to fossil
fuel use and land use change, while those of methane and nitrous oxide are primarily
attributable to agriculture. The current shares of GHG emissions from different sources
are: 56.6 per cent CO
2
from fossil fuels, 17.3 per cent CO
2
from deforestation and decay
