Why is Renewable Energy important today?

Energy Price Stability

In the last three years, we have seen large fluctuations in the cost of natural gas, oil and electricity due to global economics, market deregulation and political events in some parts of the world. Renewable energy is not subject to sharp price changes because it comes from sources such as sunshine, flowing water, wind and biological waste, all of which are free. This gives people greater certainty about the cost of energy, which is good for society and the economy. By comparison, fossil fuels are limited in their supply and their price will increase as they become scarcer.

Clean Air

Air pollution is a major problem in many cities in Nepal and around the world. The biggest cause of air pollution in cities is the burning of fossil fuels, including fuels used for transportation. The great advantage of using renewable energy in place of fossil fuels is that renewable energy adds very few pollutants to the environment. Renewable energy is considered “clean” and “green”.

Protecting Global Climates

When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide. This gas acts like an invisible blanket, trapping more of the sun’s energy in the atmosphere, causing the Earth to warm up little by little. Carbon dioxide is building up in the atmosphere as more and more fossil fuels are used in homes, factories and automobiles. If this continues, most scientists think our planet is likely to become significantly warmer, which could cause many serious problems around the world. These problems could include melting of arctic ice, increased forest fire, rising sea levels, loss of animal habitat, damage of coral reefs, the spreading of tropical diseases, expanding deserts and more frequent and severe storms.

Protecting Landscapes and Watersheds

Some energy projects, particularly big coalmines. Hydro dams and oil & gas activities can have a large impact on lands and watersheds. Damage or loss of natural lands and watersheds is likely to affect humans and animals. For example, wilderness areas could be lost for when energy resources are extracted. Hydro dams can flood large areas, while the facilities associated with oil and gas and oil sands development can affect forests and disrupt animal movements and migrations. On the other hand, Solar energy can provide a continuous supply of energy, which is integrated directly into buildings so that it has very little impact on land use. Run-of-Rover hydro plants can be designed to allow for free flow of existing streams.

Unlimited Supplies

Renewable energy supplies will never run out. While the supplies of coal, oil and natural gas are limited, sunshine, wind, biomass and water power are considered almost limitless resources. Our large, untapped supplies of wind, sun, water and biomass can power our society indefinitely.

Jobs and Economy

Renewable energy can be developed in such a way that every household or neighbourhood could have its own renewable power generating equipment. This would create many new jobs for people involved in setting up and maintaining this energy supply and in manufacturing the equipment. It is also more efficient to produce renewable energy in small amounts right where it is needed. The energy loss and equipment needed to transmit power over long distances can also be minimized in this way.