Developing Countries and the Role of Renewable Energy

Although it is achievable to have renewable energy, not all countries can abruptly follow and turn green. Developing countries have abundant renewable energy resources and they are capable of manufacturing their systems inculcated in this.

 

Renewable energies like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass are some of these that they are developing. By developing such energy sources, developing countries can reduce their dependence on oil and natural gas, creating energy portfolios that are less vulnerable to price rises. In many circumstances, these investments can be less expensive than fossil fuel energy systems. Besides, they help to face the climate change urgency.

This is an alternative especially in remote areas where development and distribution of energy generated from fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive. Producing renewable energy locally can offer a viable alternative.

It was only in the early months of year 2000 that developing countries consider and express interest in renewable energies and it has increased in recent years due to environmental concerns about global warming, climate change and rampant pollution plus the fact that this can reduce costs of renewable energy technologies and improves efficiency and reliability.

Many recent trends reflect the importance of developing countries in advancing renewable energy. Collectively, developing countries have more than half of global renewable power capacity. China and India are rapidly expanding markets for renewables. Brazil produces most of the world’s sugar-derived ethanol and has been adding new biomass and wind power plants. Many renewables markets are growing at rapid rates in countries such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay
(source: Wikipedia).

As of 2010, an estimated 3 million households get power from small solar PV systems.
Micro-hydro systems configured into village-scale or county-scale mini-grids serve many areas. More than 30 million rural households get lighting and cooking from biogas made in household-scale digesters. Biomass cook stoves are used by 40 percent of the world’s population. These stoves are being manufactured in factories and workshops worldwide, and more than 160 million households now use them (source: Wikipedia).

Because of the worldwide demands for renewable energy, this also brings in a lot of opportunities to its constituents – bringing in business opportunity and employment. Renewable energy technologies can also make indirect contributions to alleviating poverty by providing energy for cooking, space heating, and lighting.

It also broadens its scope even in schools through providing electricity. Renewable energy for cooking and heating can reduce the time that children spend out of school collecting fuel (source: Wikipedia). This also paved way to eliminate traditional fuels which is hazardous to health and becomes an indoor pollution.

Millions of people use only traditional energy as biomass-wood, residues and dung, for cooking and heating. This constant use of this type of energy exposed them to indoor particulate and carbon monoxide concentrations considered in many times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) standards. "Traditional stoves using dung and charcoal emit large amounts of carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. Women and children suffer most, because they are exposed for the longest periods of time. Acute respiratory illnesses affect as much as 6% of the world population. The WHO estimates that 2.5million women and young children in developing countries die prematurely each year from breathing the fumes from indoor biomass stoves". Renewable energy can contribute to improve this situation by avoiding the exposure to indoor pollutants (source: Wikipedia).

Renewable energy can also provide power for supplying the fresh water and sewerage services needed to reduce infectious disease especially in the rural and remote areas where electricity is expensive and where some areas have a hard time putting up electricity due to location.

In developing countries, this method of renewable energy is oftentimes achievable if government would just steer a committee that would focus on its advantages and the
long-term effect brought about getting green. In two-three years from now, most countries would sure see its good effects and perhaps we could save our environment more.