Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.[3] Although most renewable energy sources are sustainable, some are not. For example, some biomass sources are considered unsustainable at current rates of exploitation.[4][5] Renewable energy often provides energy for electricity generation to a grid, air and water heating/cooling, and stand-alone power systems. About 20% of humans' global energy consumption is renewables, including almost 30% of electricity.[6] About 7% of energy consumption is traditional biomass, but this is declining.[7] Over 4% of energy consumption is heat energy from modern renewables, such as solar water heating, and over 6% electricity.[8]

Globally there are over 10 million jobs associated with the renewable energy industries, with solar photovoltaics being the largest renewable employer.[9] Renewable energy systems are rapidly becoming more efficient and cheaper and their share of total energy consumption is increasing,[10] with a large majority of worldwide newly installed electricity capacity being renewable.[11] In most countries, photovoltaic solar or onshore wind are the cheapest new-build electricity.[12]

Many nations around the world already have renewable energy contributing more than 20% of their energy supply, with some generating over half their electricity from renewables.[13] National renewable energy markets are projected to continue to grow strongly in the 2020s and beyond.[14] A few countries generate all their electricity using renewable energy.[15] Renewable energy resources exist over wide geographical areas, in contrast to fossil fuels, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. Deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies is resulting in significant energy security, climate change mitigation, and economic benefits.[16] However renewables are being hindered by hundreds of billions of dollars of fossil fuel subsidies.[17] In international public opinion surveys there is strong support for renewables such as solar power and wind power.[18][19] But the International Energy Agency said in 2021 that to reach net zero carbon emissions more effort is needed to increase renewables, and called for generation to increase by about 12% a year to 2030.[6]

Renewable energy technology projects are typically large-scale, but they are also suited to rural and remote areas and developing countries, where energy is often crucial in human development.[20][21] As most of the renewable energy technologies provide electricity, renewable energy is often deployed together with further electrification, which has several benefits: electricity can move heat or objects efficiently, and is clean at the point of consumption.[22][23] In addition, electrification with renewable energy is more efficient and therefore leads to significant reductions in primary energy requirements.[24] In 2021, China accounted for almost half of the increase in renewable electricity.[25] In 2021, Norway, known for its production of hydroelectricity, consumed hydro energy worth 45% of its total energy supply.