April 2011
We Introduce Facts about renewable and non-renewable energy sources Today, the world consumes about 15 terawatts (TW) of energy on an annual basis. Recently, however, estimates suggest that by 2030 this level of consumption will have doubled and that by the end of 2050 it may even have tripled. Indicators of the world’s current energy sources are still discouraging in terms of renewable energy sources. According to data issued by the International Energy Agency (IAE) for 2007, oil accounted for 37.3% of the world’s energy consumption, coal represented 25.3% and gas 23.3%. Nuclear energy accounted for 5.7%, while biomass supported 3.8% of the world’s energy needs and hydro energy provided 3.2%. Solar energy sources represented only 0.5%, wind power 0.3% and geothermal sources and bio fuel accounted for 0.2% respectively of the world’s total energy sources. Excluding nuclear power from this calculation, less than 10% of all global energy needs are generated from renewable energy sources. Fossil fuels still represent the highest percentage of the total global consumption. The demand for oil increased to 84.7 million barrels (per day) in 2008, while the IAE estimates that it will continue to increase to a level of 105 million barrels per day in 2030. Compared with the current level of consumption, which will certainly grow in the future, this assessment shows that existing oil reserves will probably last for about forty years and that reserves of gas will last slightly longer, for around sixty years. These assessments indicate that it is critical that we should turn to renewable energy sources.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: IMPORTANCE AND APPLICABILITY Issues related to energy, especially those relating to renewable energy sources are of vital importance not only because of the current environmental situation and rising crude oil prices, but also because of the increasing demand for energy. We are becoming more and more aware of the fact that is necessary to replace traditional fossil fuels with environmentally acceptable alternatives. What contributes to this situation is the fact that the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Global warming is also a major issue. Therefore, most countries tend to focus their future activities on the development of renewable energy sources. An additional reason for this is raising oil prices and a reduction in the number of oil wells. This indicates that countries are running out of fossil fuel supplies. For these reasons, a number of countries are increasingly relying on renewable energy sources (sun, wind, geothermal springs, sea currents and waves, biomass, etc.).
Renewable energy: assessment of the current situation in the world and in Montenegro Renewable energy is generated from natural sources (such as sunlight, wind, rain, sea waves and geothermal sources) and can constantly be naturally replenished. In its various forms, it is obtained directly from the sun or from heat generated deep down in the Earth. The advantage of such sources is that they cannot be used up, but will be regenerated after a certain time. Also, they play a significant role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and thus contribute to lessening the country’s dependence on imports of oil, gas and electricity. The use of renewable energy sources affects a country’s efficient use of its own potential in energy generation, reduces “greenhouse gases” and emissions, helps to develop local industry and creates new jobs. To this end, renewable energy sources are often seen as playing a critical role in the electro-energy system and also provide the basis for a country’s development. One of the major “obstacles” regarding the use of renewable energy sources is its relatively low price and also the fact that fossil fuels are easy to use. However, over recent years, we have become much more aware of abrupt increases in oil prices and the harmful effects non-renewable energy sources make on the environment. A good example is the fact that the Sun “gives” the Earth 15 thousand times more energy than we as humans can use in terms of energy consumption. It is widely known that the biggest oil reserves are located in politically unstable parts of the world, so it is always good to have an alternative. The percentage usage of renewable energy sources should be significantly increased as non-renewable energy sources are shrinking and their harmful effects are becoming increasingly evident.
The basic types of renewable energy are “traditional renewable energy sources” such as biomass and hydropower sources. “New renewable energy sources" include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, etc. 18% of the world’s total energy is generated from renewable energy sources (2006). However, the major part of this represents the traditional use of biomass energy for cooking and heating (13%), hydropower plants produced 3% and “new renewable energy sources” produced just 2% of the world’s total energy. The European Union (EU) set an ambitious goal of increasing the usage of renewable energy sources to 20% by 2020. The effects of the current financial crisis in the EU indicate that this will be hard to achieve. In 2005 Montenegro became a member of the Energy Community Treaty, and committed itself to harmonizing the energy sector and regulating legal frameworks in acordance with the “Acquis communautaire”. In order to be in line with the obligations of the Energy Community, the government of Montenegro adopted a law on energy in May 2010. This law is harmonized with the relevant EU directives, for example EU directive 2009/28 EC for renewable energy. During 2011, in accordance with the law on energy, the new regulatory framework which defines the rules and obligations of stakeholders in the field of renewable energy will be adopted. Also, there are plans to adopt the Renewable Energy Use and Development Program, which defines the development dynamics in this area in accordance with the Energy Community requirements and also with the strategic goals of Montenegro.
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