Renewables are inexhaustible sources of energy. Unlike fossil fuels, the production of which requires huge efforts, time, and expensive heavy machinery, they convert a natural resource – like sun, wind, water, or biomass – directly into electricity. Another big factor that makes renewable energy much more attractive than coal, oil, and natural gas is their significantly smaller environmental footprint.
Renewables are not only cleaner but also cheaper and easier to produce than any fossil fuel. Here are 6 interesting renewable energy facts about the current state of the market and what role these clean sources will play in the future.
1. Solar energy is almost 200 years old
Solar energy is far from a modern-day invention. In 1839, Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the ‘photovoltaic effect’ wherein electricity is generated from direct sunlight, otherwise known as solar energy. In 1941, Russel Ohl invented the solar cell. NASA was the first to adopt solar technology in the 1950s, using it aboard the satellite Vanguard (now the oldest satellite in orbit).
2. Renewable energy improves power grid stability and reliability
It is suggested that 100% renewable energy would not be reliable or stable. Different types of renewable energy solutions such as solar and wind, however, are less likely to fail due to severe weather, since they’re spread out over a larger area and made up of multiple units of equipment.
3. Wind and Solar Are the Fastest-Growing Renewables
In 2021, the fastest-growing sources of clean energy were wind and solar, whose share doubled since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. Within just one year, the latter rose by 23% from 2020 levels, while electricity generated by wind turbines experienced a 14% increase. For the first time, solar panels and wind turbines generated over 10% of the global electricity demand. According to research by Ember, these two clean energy sources experienced an average of 20% compound growth per year. In order to meet the 1.5C pathway by 2030, Ember’s researchers argue, such high growth rates need to be maintained throughout the current decade.
4. Renewable energy creates more jobs for women than fossil fuels
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)’s 2020 Annual Review, 32 per cent of the global renewables workforce is female, compared to just 21 per cent in fossil fuel sectors. There is of course still room for improvement: women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) roles is still far lower than in administrative jobs, both within renewables and across the energy sector as a whole.
5. Renewable energy is helping people around the world to get access to electricity
Over one billion people worldwide don’t have access to electricity. Renewable energy is cheaper than extending the electric grid to under-populated areas and it’s more affordable than diesel and kerosene systems, making it ideal for smaller and poorer communities.
6. Iceland leads the world with near 100% energy produced from renewable sources
While many countries around the world work toward reducing their carbon emissions, some have taken impressive strides to stop emitting altogether. The leader of the pack is Iceland, which is now almost 100 per cent renewable energy powered, drawing from the nation’s abundant geothermal and hydro reserves.
