Cost, environmental impact, and resilience of renewable energy under a changing climate: a review

Abstract

Energy derived from fossil fuels contributes significantly to global climate change, accounting for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Alternative energy from renewable sources must be utilized to decarbonize the energy sector. However, the adverse effects of climate change, such as increasing temperatures, extreme winds, rising sea levels, and decreased precipitation, may impact renewable energies. Here we review renewable energies with a focus on costs, the impact of climate on renewable energies, the impact of renewable energies on the environment, economy, and on decarbonization in different countries. We focus on solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal energy. We observe that the price of solar photovoltaic energy has declined from $0.417 in 2010 to $0.048/kilowatt-hour in 2021. Similarly, prices have declined by 68% for onshore wind, 60% for offshore wind, 68% for concentrated solar power, and 14% for biomass energy. Wind energy and hydropower production could decrease by as much as 40% in some regions due to climate change, whereas solar energy appears the least impacted energy source. Climate change can also modify biomass productivity, growth, chemical composition, and soil microbial communities. Hydroelectric power plants are the most damaging to the environment; and solar photovoltaics must be carefully installed to reduce their impact. Wind turbines and biomass power plants have a minimal environmental impact; therefore, they should be implemented extensively. Renewable energy sources could decarbonize 90% of the electricity industry by 2050, drastically reducing carbon emissions, and contributing to climate change mitigation. By establishing the zero carbon emission decarbonization concept, the future of renewable energy is promising, with the potential to replace fossil fuel-derived energy and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C by 2050.

Green construction for low-carbon cities: a review

“…Implementing green construction practices is regarded as a significant carbon dioxide reduction strategy. Green buildings may use renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy to meet the needs of their residents while reducing their energy consumption and carbon footprint to zero (Osman et al 2022b). The optimal building design for green materials contributes to the structure's environmental sustainability.…”

Impactos econômicos, sociais e ambientais da geração de energia eólica em comunidades do Rio Grande do Norte

“…111 impactos ambientais revisados incluem os efeitos na vida das aves, poluição sonora, impactos visuais, microclima e vegetação. Já um lado ambiental benéfico pode-se citar que as formas de produção de energias renováveis estão sendo utilizadas para descarbonizar o setor energético (Osman, Chen, Yang, Msigwa, Farghali, Fawzy, Yap, 2022).…”

“…No tocante aos aspectos econômicos é importante frisar que existem estudos científicos que projetam um aumento de demanda global por energia em 56% até 2040 (Osman et al, 2022). Muito do que a literatura aponta é no sentido de que a energia eólica é focada no atendimento das demandas das décadas seguintes numa visão de longo prazo, visando evitar colapso na economia.…”

“…Muito do que a literatura aponta é no sentido de que a energia eólica é focada no atendimento das demandas das décadas seguintes numa visão de longo prazo, visando evitar colapso na economia. Estas fontes de energia renováveis exercem uma função imperativa para atingir as metas globais (Green et al, 2022), bem como a neutralidade de carbono, minimizar o aquecimento global e as mudanças climáticas, além de contribuir para o cumprimento do acordo de Paris (Osman et al, 2022).…”

Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring Based on Improved Active Learning Strategy and KNN Algorithm

“…Due to the increasingly serious global environmental problems, the development of renewable energy has become a hot issue of global concern [1,2]. Wind energy is a common renewable energy, which has the advantages of abundant reserves and low utilization cost.…”