Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
is still relatively small when compared to fossil energy sources. Certainly there has
been significant individual growth in particular renewables, and in locations other
than those described in Table 5.2 . For example, a quarter of the electricity genera-
tion in the state of Iowa in 2012 came from wind energy, with additional increases
planned in the next few years. Yet satisfaction at this increase must be tempered by
Table 5.2  Examples of renewable energy developments
a) One of the positive decisions of the military government that ruled Brazil in the 1980s was
to reduce the dependence upon foreign oil supplies by encouraging the development of ethanol,
mainly from products of the country's extensive sugar cane industry. This was complemented
by making it mandatory for cars built in Brazil to run on a mixture of at least 25 % ethanol and
regular gas. Despite the initial opposition of the manufacturers they eventually capitulated.
Later, so-called flexi-cars were created which have the ability to adjust the engine operation
to take account of the gas-ethanol proportion that is input. The success of the scheme has led
other countries to subsidize ethanol production from plants, such as using corn in the United
States, but there are disadvantages. Moreover, world-wide, the proportion of bio-gas used in
cars is still very low.
b) A second example comes from Denmark which in 2011 obtained 21 % of its energy from
wind. The promotion of wind energy came from the distress experienced by many house-
holds in winter given the substantial rise in the cost of oil after the 1970s OPEC crisis. The
government embarked on a strategy of subsidizing wind power, helped by the strong rural-co-
operative history of Danish farmers who combined to finance local wind farms. Companies
such as Vestas, formerly a maker of agricultural machinery, became one of the biggest turbine
manufacturers in the world, making major advances in turbine efficiency and size. Although
there has been some reduction in the subsidies for renewables, the growth of district heating
and other schemes, such as ensuring that all new buildings in the future are designed to use
75 % less energy than in 2009, means that the government's plan to become carbon-free on
balance by 2050 seems to be feasible.
c) A third example comes from the expansion of renewable energy in Germany in the past
decade, which has increased from under 4 % in 1990 to 22 % by 2012 through its Ener-
giewende (Energy Transformation) policy created in 2000, when the Green party was a junior
partner in the Social Democratic government. The original policy seeks to reach a 35 % level
of renewables by 2020, but on current trends this is likely to be exceeded and could reach 80 %
by 2050, especially as nuclear reactors producing 16 % of all electricity are due to be shut
down by 2022, a reaction to the Fukushima disaster. Wind turbines have increased in number,
while Germany has seen major annual increases in its solar capacity to over 25 GW, through
household roof panels, as well as by solar generating parks. Some German cities have become
hubs for solar developments and technology and it has been estimated that by 2012 there were
almost 40,000 people directly employed in the solar power industry. But an even more impor-
tant reason for this German success came from the 2000 decision to adopt a generous 'feed-in'
tariff for households who added solar panels to their roofs or installed wind turbines, paid for
by a surcharge on electricity prices. This meant that any excess energy produced by households
had to be bought by the electricity supply companies, even though it was a higher rate than
the retail price of electricity, the difference being subsidized by the government. The rate was
guaranteed for 20 years and set at a level to allow the typical household to recover the cost of
installation within approximately a decade. The rate of take-up far exceeded expectations and
gradually the feed-in tariff has been reduced as the costs of the subsidies mount. Yet despite
the German promotion of solar power these advances still mean that only 3 % of total energy
consumption in the country came from this renewable source by 2012. A greater proportion of
the renewable energy so far comes from extensive wind turbine operations, many by locally
organized units, such as local energy firms or co-operatives. But these developments mean that
extensive new transmissions grids are needed to link supply and demand sites, and these, like
wind turbines, are generating opposition from areas affected.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search