The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way.

 

FACTS AND STATS SUPPORTING THE TRANSITION FROM FOSSIL FUEL TO RENEWABLE ONES

-In 2014, Denmark got 43 percent of its electricity from the wind.

-Portugal and Spain each got over 20 percent, and Ireland got 19 percent of its electricity from wind power.

-Indeed, on some days wind power supplied half of Ireland?s electricity.

-During several days in August 2014, electricity generated from wind in the United Kingdom eclipsed coal.

-In South Australia, wind farms now supply more electricity than coal plants.

-In China, electricity from wind farms has eclipsed nuclear power plants. And water for 170 million Chinese households is heated by rooftop solar water heaters. 

 

Several concerns are driving the great transition from fossil fuels to renewables. One of these is worry about climate change and its effect on our future. Another is the health impact of breathing air polluted by burning fossil fuels, as seen in the 3 million people who die each year from illnesses related to outdoor air pollution. A third is the desire for local control over energy production and overall energy security. In response to these broad-based public concerns, government policies—including emissions controls, official renewable energy targets, and financial incentives—are encouraging the shift to solar and wind.

Between 2006 and 2012, global solar photovoltaic?s (PV) annual capacity grew 190 percent, while wind energy?s annual capacity grew 40 percent, reported the International Renewable Energy Agency. The agency projects that by 2030, solar PV capacity will be nine times what it was in 2013 wind power could increase five-fold.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales have risen 128 percent since 2012. Although today?s most affordable EVs still travel less than 100 miles on a full battery charge, the plug-in market is projected to grow between 14.7 and 18.6 percent annually through 2024.

The heat that comes from within the Earth—geothermal energy—can be used for heating or converted into steam to generate electricity. Many countries have enough harnessable geothermal energy to satisfy all of their electricity needs.

As countries become less enamored with coal and nuclear power, they are embracing an array of clean, renewable energies. Whereas solar energy projects were once small-scale, largely designed for residential use, energy investors are now building utility-scale solar projects.

If we continue our efforts and start being more proactive, I am pretty sure that we will be able to equip all our machines with renewable sources and save the resources of earth which are depleting. At the same time, we can protect earth from pollution by going for eco-friendly sources of energy.

 

Sources - http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2015/06/12/the-race-for-better-batteries/  & http://www.worldpolicy.org/journal/sumer2015/fossil-to-solar-and-wind