Sun, Water, Wind: A global blueprint for 100 percent clean energy
November 23, 2015 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
As world leaders prepare to gather in Paris for a landmark climate summit, a new analysis from Stanford University and the University of California lays out roadmaps for 139 countries to switch to 100 percent clean, renewable energy generated from wind, water and sunlight by 2050.
Overall, the analysis found, the business, health, and climate costs of a 100 percent clean and renewable energy system were more than 60 percent lower than those of a business-as-usual scenario. The researchers hope the roadmaps will give negotiators and leaders confidence that they can meet energy demands in all energy sectors -- including electricity, transportation, heating and cooling, industry, and agriculture -- with clean sources. "The main barriers to getting to 100 percent clean energy are social and political, not technical or economic," Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University and director of the school's Atmosphere/Energy Program told members of Congress and ambassadors from countries participating in the negotiations during a forum Thursday in Washington, D.C. Jacobson also serves on the board of the nonprofit Solutions Project alongside actor Mark Ruffalo and Gasland director Josh Fox. Future costs for producing clean energy are similar to a business-as-usual scenario of about 11 cents per kilowatt hour, according to the report, similar to the average cost in the United States today; however, the air pollution and climate costs due to fossil fuels are virtually eliminated by clean-energy technologies. Globally, the transition to clean, renewable energy would create over 20 million more jobs than would be lost in the transition, as well as stabilize energy costs, thanks to free fuels such as wind, water and the sun; reduce terrorism risk by distributing electricity generation; and eliminate the overwhelming majority of heat trapping emissions that contribute to climate change, the report says. The researchers also calculated that just 0.3 percent of the world's land footprint would have to be devoted to energy production under a 100 percent clean energy scenario -- less than the size of Madagascar. The countries in the roadmap include the world's major greenhouse gas emitters, and were selected based on available International Energy Agency data. Last week, the IEA's energy outlook concluded for the first time that renewables are already set to outpace coal as the world's leading source of electricity. "The past few years have seen dramatic increases in the growth of renewable energy," Jacobson said. "Countries can ramp that up even faster and enjoy a host of economic and health benefits by doing so." Earlier this month, National Geographic highlighted Jacobson's earlier research on clean energy roadmaps, which he drew up for all 50 U.S. states, calling the project a "blueprint for a carbon-free America." For more: © 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex, LLC. All rights reserved. |