Engineering Sustainability For International Renewable Energy Agency

Objective

Discuss about the Engineering Sustainability for International Renewable Energy Agency.

The case study discussed here is a report prepared by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on the role that renewable energy plays on solving the problem of climate change. The report has discussed how renewable energy provides an immediate solution to reduce carbon emissions and global warming; how and why renewable energy brings sustainable development and economic growth; the economic viability and feasibility of transitioning to renewable energy by 2030; the need to increase renewable energy investments in fight against climate change; and five key actions that need to be taken so as to achieve a sustainable energy future (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015). This report clearly shows that renewable energy technologies have the potential of playing a big role in solving the problem of climate change, which has adverse effects on both the current and future generations. What has been achieved so far by these technologies have proved that if proper policies are formulated and adequate actions taken, a large percentage of carbon emissions can be cut down and catastrophic climate change can be prevented. The main focus of this report is on the role that renewable energy plays as a sustainable engineering solution or practice in fight against climate change. The report will mainly analyze the social, economic and environmental sustainability of renewable energy.

The major objective of this report is to analyze the social, economic and environmental sustainability of renewable energy. It is important to note that one of the major causes of climate change is human activities, especially industrial activities (National Aeronautics and Space administration, 2017). Most of these activities use energy that is generated from fossil fuels. The production process of energy from fossil fuels produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons, among others (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). In addition, the human activities also produce most of these gases to the atmosphere. These gases are the ones that largely contribute to global warming and climate change. Therefore one of the most effective practices of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere is by replacing non-renewable energy with renewable energy. However, it is not just about renewable energy but the energy has to be sustainable (Helder, 2015). It is for this reason that this report will focus on the sustainable renewable energy. The critical sustainability factors that will be discussed are: social, economic/financial, technological, and environmental factors. If renewable energy practices are developed and implemented by considering these factors, there is a possibility of reducing a large percentage of greenhouse gases and the adverse impacts of climate change. This means that people will be able to generate adequate and affordable energy from within their localities in a sustainable way (Sathaye et al., 2011). There will be less greenhouse gases to affect water resources, forests, human health, wildlife, seas and oceans, agriculture, society, etc. As a result, the current and future societies will be saved from all these negative effects of climate change. 

Sustainability Factors

Climate change is a global problem that is affecting all humans in many ways. It is affecting water systems/resources, energy, agriculture, forests, oceans & seas, coasts, wildlife, ecosystems, air quality, human health, transportation, society, etc. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2016; World Wide Fund, 2016). If this trend continues then earth is likely to be uninhabitable for future generations. Most of the electricity used today across the world is produced from fossil fuels, especially coal. World Coal Association (2016) states that coal produces 41% of total electricity used across the world. The process of extracting coal and burning it to produce electricity generates a lot of greenhouse gases that pollute both air and water. These activities also pose high risks to coal miners and persons working in coal-powered plants. Therefore non-renewable energy production in general is not a sustainable practice of energy production.

One important fact is that global population is rapidly growing and so is the demand for energy. This implies that more fossil fuels need to be explored, mined and burned to produce more energy so as to meet the ever increasing demand. But as a way of saving the current and future generations, it is important to find ways of generating energy using sustainable techniques. That is why sustainable renewable energy practices are very important in modern society. There are three main factors that determine sustainability: economic sustainability, social sustainability and environmental sustainability.

Sustainable renewable energy is the one that does not harm the environment. This is not only during the production of energy but also production of equipment used in renewable energy production. Most of the renewable energy resources, such as wind (wind power), sun (solar power), water (hydroelectric power), steam (geothermal power), biomass, waves and tides (hydrokinetic energy, are abundant, affordable, and inexhaustible (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017). Above all, they have no or very little impacts on the environment when used to generate electricity. There are four factors that determine environmental sustainability of renewable energy. First, the energy should be replenished naturally. Second, efficiency of the energy should be improved by technology. Third, the energy should have long-term availability. Lastly, the energy should have no or very minimal negative effects on the environment and society. Renewable energy satisfy all these four factors and therefore it is sustainable. Renewable energy is environmentally friendly because it is generated from inexhaustible resources. Production of this energy does not involve burning of anything, as compared to fossil fuels. Therefore no or very low greenhouse gases are emitted. However, it is also important to consider the entire chain (lifecycle) of renewable energy production. There are several activities that are associated with manufacturing of equipment used in renewable energy production. Some of these activities may not be environmentally friendly (Delobel, 2016). Therefore stakeholders should develop engineering practices that will make renewable energy environmentally sustainable throughout its lifecycle. With ongoing technological developments, the efficiency of renewable technologies is expected to continue increasing and therefore environmental sustainability of renewable energy is almost guaranteed. 

Environmental Sustainability

Global energy prices are usually fluctuating due to scarcity of fossil fuels, which force many countries to rely on those countries that are rich in these resources. These fluctuations usually affect reliability of energy supply. If these is no energy, it means that most of the human activities are halted. Economic sustainability of renewable energy is usually associated with the economic benefits of renewable energy. There are different ways of looking at economic sustainability of renewable energy. These include: the number of jobs created by renewable energy sector; investments promoted by renewable energy development; increasing income of local residents; enhancing trade balance; and generating new income sources. Renewable energy has positive impacts on all these aspects. The sector has created millions of jobs across the world (Amin, 2015); it has enabled local landowners to lease their land for renewable energy projects and receive substantial payments in form of right-of-way, royalty or lease payments; it has generated income and property taxes for local and state governments; and it has stimulated a wide range of economic activities even in the remotest areas (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013). The main advantage of renewable energy is that it can be generated in any place that has renewable resources. Since each place has a different renewable resources, it means that this energy can be generated in any areas. The amount of energy generated will depend on the availability of the resources in the area.  

The only concern of renewable energy is the initial capital required. The initial capital is relatively high but it has a very short payback period. For a renewable energy plant to be developed, there is need to carry out feasibilities studies, purchase land and equipment, pay for required permits, and hire qualified personnel to install the equipment. These costs are usually high for many people, but again it depends on the size of the project. The cost if definitely low if the project is meant to generate electricity for domestic use. Also, there are numerous incentives and tax reliefs that are given to people or organizations that implement renewable energy initiatives. Therefore the initial cost can be reduced by use of these incentives. Once the project is set up, the user will immediately start enjoying the benefits. There will be plenty of cheap, reliable and clean energy. The surplus energy can also be sold to the national power grid. For all these reasons, the economic sustainability and benefits of renewable energy cannot be overemphasized.

Economic Sustainability

Analyzing social sustainability of renewable energy entails various factors, including efficiency, equity, empowerment, sharing/participation, accessibility, social capital, community development, institutional stability, health equity, and cultural identity and competence. According to the case study discussed in this report, there is need to improve regional participation and global collaboration on matters of renewable energy development. The importance of regional participation is that it is can attract investments, reduce costs, increase financial capacity, create economics of scale, and fuel cross-border trade. Governments should also make use of cooperation and engagement opportunities created by renewable energy developments.

Renewable energy development enhances equity because it creates equitable opportunities for all members of the society. Once members have equal access to energy, they can diversify their economic activities thus being able to create more wealth and improve their quality of life. Economic diversification will empower the members who can create social capital and use it to develop very important facilities and infrastructure for the society, such as health facilities, schools, social halls, etc. These also stimulate social and/or interconnected cohesions among the society members. With this kind of approaches and developments, the region will definitely develop and become competitive.

Another aspect that promotes social sustainability of renewable energy is that its benefits are direct. For instance, if a renewable energy project is being developed in an area, the society members will be involved in the construction process and get supplied with the power once the project is completed. Additionally, the society will benefit directly from the economic developments and opportunities that will be created by the project.

Renewable energy has very minimal emissions and therefore it improves human health. It promotes economic empowerment of local residents, which improves their living standards and overall quality of life. Therefore the economic and environmental benefits associated with renewable energy plays a key role in making the society to accept and support renewable energy projects within their localities. Above all, renewable energy promotes the capabilities of current generation and does not compromise the capabilities of forthcoming generations. In other words, renewable energy promotes attainment of better standards of living hence it is social sustainable.

This report has analyzed renewable energy technology as a sustainable energy technique that can improve the lives of people today and those of future generations. The report has discussed the social sustainability, economic sustainability and environmental sustainability of renewable energy. From the discussion, renewable energy is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. In addition, this technology plays a very important role in the fight against global warming and climate change as a whole. According to International Renewable Energy Agency (2016), increasing investments in renewable energy technologies will create more jobs, improve human welfare, create a safe climate for the future and fuel economic growth. Long (2016) states that renewable energy technologies is among the most effective tools of mitigating global climate change. These technologies play a very crucial role in fight against this global challenge. To achieve better results such as those of the global policy of Kyoto Protocol that aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (European Renewable Energy Council, 2015), innovative engineering practices should also be developed and implemented. Therefore renewable energy technologies can be used to improve the economy, health and quality of life of future societies. This is because these technologies will ensure reliable supply of adequate, affordable and clean energy to all regions across the world.  

References

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Delobel, R. (2016) Is renewable energy really environmentally friendly? [Online]. Available from: https://climateandcapitalism.com/2016/09/30/are-renewables-really-environmentally-friendly/ [Accessed January 30, 2017].

Environmental Protection Agency (2016) Climate change impacts [Online]. Available from: https://www.epa.gov/climate-impacts [Accessed January 30, 2017].

Helder, M. (2015) Renewable energy is not enough: it needs to be sustainable [Online] World Economic Forum. Available from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/09/renewable-energy-is-not-enough-it-needs-to-be-sustainable/ [Accessed January 30, 2017].

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (2015) Rethinking energy: renewable energy and climate change. Abu Dhabi, UAE: IRENA.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (2016) Renewable energy benefits: measuring the economics. Abu Dhabi, UAE: IRENA.

Long, N. (2016) Renewable energy is key to fighting climate change [Online] National Resources Defense Council. Available from: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/noah-long/renewable-energy-key-fighting-climate-change [Accessed January 30, 2017].

European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) (2015) Renewable energy – the solution to climate change. Dublin: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

National Aeronautics and Space administration (2017) A blanket around the earth [Online]. Available from: https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/ [Accessed January 30, 2017].

Rinkesh (2017) What is renewable energy? [Online] Conserve Energy Future. Available from: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-renewable-energy.php [Accessed January 30, 2017].

Sathaye, et al. (2011) Renewable energy in the context of sustainable development. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2016) Causes of climate change [Online]. Available from: https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change [Accessed January 30, 2017].

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013) Renewable electricity standards deliver economic benefits (2013) [Online]. Available from: https://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/smart-energy-solutions/increase-renewables/renewable-energy-electricity-standards-economic-benefits.html#.WI7YWPL3bIU [Accessed January 30, 2017].

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