Charting a New Energy Future

Sawin, Janet L.

2003

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Between the late 1990s and 2020, global energy consumption is projected to rise nearly 60 percent due to population growth, continued urbanization, and economic and industrial expansion. Consumption of electricity, the most versatile form of energy, will increase even more sharply by most estimates—nearly 70 percent. The largest share of this growth is expected to occur in the developing world, where some 2 billion people have no access to modern forms of energy such as electricity and piped gas. And most of the additional energy is projected to come from fossil fuels, according to national and international agency forecasts. But meeting these demands with conventional fuels and technologies will further threaten the natural environment, public health and welfare, and international stability. Renewable energy technologies have the potential to meet world energy demand many times over and are now ready for use on a large scale. Wind and solar power are the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. By some estimates, “new renewables” (which excludes large-scale hydropower and traditional biomass) already account for more than 100,000 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected electric capacity. Globally, new renewable energy supplies the equivalent of the residential electricity needs of more than 300 million people. [Extracto: Introducción]

Alemania; Aspectos económicos; Electricidad; Energía; Energías renovables; Políticas energéticas;