COVER STORY

THE FUTURE OF

IT’S THE WAY TO GO, BUT IS READY TO LEAVE OLD FORMS BEHIND TO PURSUE RENEWABLE

By: Chireez Fredericks

It is no secret that global warming is on the rise and that a change needs to be made if we want to preserve the health and safety of our planet. All around the world, the idea of renewable energy as a primary energy source has begun to gain traction and this may just be the key needed to combat the ever-growing issue of climate change.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy resources make up 26% of the world’s electricity today. However, it is expected to reach 30% by 2024.

But what exactly is renewable energy and why should we care?

Renewable energy is generated from natural resources that have the ability to replenish themselves. That is, they never run out. The most common examples of these natural sources are solar (harnessing the radiant light and heat from the sun), wind (using windmills or wind turbines to harness the wind), hydropower (energy that uses the power of water in motion), geothermal power (heat that comes from the sub-surface of the earth) and biomass (renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals). (More on this on page 10.)

Currently, the use of fossil fuels is one of the largest contributors to global warming as it releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases that negatively affect the earth’s ozone layer. Unlike these hazardous fossil fuels, most sources of renewable energy result in little to no greenhouse gas emissions and this makes renewable energy a lot more ecofriendly than fossil fuels.

Renewable energy can also decrease pollution and can therefore reduce threats to our health. This is because the pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants have been linked not only to cancer, heart attacks breathing problems and neurological damage but also to premature death.

What are the costs involved?

Once built, renewable energy-generating facilities cost very little to operate and because the source of the energy is free (the shining sun or blowing wind), and as a result the renewable energy prices tend to become more affordable and remain stable over time. That is, its prices do not fluctuate with unexpected economic changes or political challenges because access to the natural energy source is not limited or controlled by governments and businesses.

The largest part of renewable energy investments is spent on the materials and workmanship that is needed to build and maintain renewable energy-generating facilities. This means job creation, skills development and investment for local communities.

While renewable energy becomes accessible in many parts of the world, we see the costs continue to decline, especially for cities in the developing world. As more and more businesses invest in renewable sources in order to avoid energy disruptions, it allows urban energy infrastructure to become independent from remote sources and local grids. Renewable energy is, therefore, the only way to expand energy access to all inhabitants, particularly those living in urban slums, informal settlements and in suburban and peri-urban areas.

The effect of Covid-19

According to an article written by Nelson Mojarro, an advisory

CLEAN ENERGY

THE WORLD OF ENERGY TYPES ONLY?

board member of Partnering for Sustainable Energy Innovation at the World Economic Forum and former vice-chair committee of Energy Research and Technology, IEA Covid-19 has brought the generation of energy from fossil fuels to breaking point. As the lockdown measures were introduced, global energy demand dropped precipitously at levels not seen in 70 years.

This is not the first time the world has gone through an energy crises but this one is different because it is demand-led. The scale of the fall in demand, the speed of change, and how widespread it has been, have all generated a radical shift that seems to be more than a temporary shortterm drop in demand for fossil fuels, at least in the power sector. With the fall in energy demand, many countries began to use more renewable resources like wind and solar as sources for electricity.

As the crisis hit, grid operators sought the cheapest and cleanest supply source to balance the lower demand. Therefore, the low demand in electricity increased the share of cost-effective renewables while sending the more polluting and expensive carbon fuels to the back of the queue. Covid19 has been a game-changing effect in accelerating the clean energy transition in the power sector.

While renewable energy has many advantages, there are numerous disadvantages that one needs to consider too. Not only is it difficult for renewable energy sources to generate energy on the same large-scale level as fossil fuels, but both solar and wind energy are intermittent; meaning they only generate power while the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and although there are batteries that can store excess energy for later use, they are often very costly. According to a National Geographic article published in September 2021, building wind farms and dams can disrupt wildlife and migration patterns and lead to ecological destruction. It is evident, then, that while renewable energy offers environmentally friendly alternatives to the greenhouse gas emissions and pollution of fossil fuels, careful consideration will need to be made on how and where to build these renewable energy-generating facilities, without affecting existing animal and plant life.

As advantages in technology make renewable energy more accessible, affordable and efficient, an end to climate change could be within our reach.

What does Africa’s energy future look like 20 years from now?

According to a February 2021 Cape Talk interview with Bhavtik Vallabhjee, head of power, utilities and infrastructure at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, “The future of energy is really bright from a renewable energy perspective.” As our African landscape of energy moves away from coal to wind and solar as an energy source, Vallabhjee believes that investing in the tools needed to generate and distribute renewable energy is a good idea and “makes for a green future going forward”.