There is a lot of interest in renewable energy world level. Sustainability issues does not affect a country or a society alone. Rather, these issues and intertwined with our economies, access to resources, and providing quality of life to world citizens.
Various countries have approached the issues of alternative energy differently. As an example the German government plans to completely phase out nuclear power by 2022 and this news is boosting demand across the alternative and renewable power value chain in the country.
Compared to the western world, access to alternative energy not only provides access to safe electricity but may also alleviate poverty. This is the case in tapping into alternative energy in India where some companies and non profit organizations are taking the lead in providing access to sustainable, low-cost energy that also seems to be linked to poverty reduction.
As an example, solar cooker international, Inc., has developed solar cookers or solar stoves that can tap into solar energy to cook food and pasteurize water
These companies and others are using a variety of green energy solutions such as bio energy, biomass sourcing, waste management, solar energy, and agrisciences to not only tap into renewable energy sources but also provide opportunities for improved education opportunities using renewable energy world.
Tapping into alternative energy also allows one to create off-grid, solar powered tools that can be used in health centers and other community places. Denmark has developed a solar-powered refrigerator that is helping doctors and staff at health clinics in Kenya’s Rift Valley store and keep critical vaccines fresh and children vaccinated against diseases such as Hepatitis B.
Similarly, cheap renewable energy technologies such as solar bottle bulb is beginning to transform million of lives. See this video to understand the potential of cheap alternative energy technology that is scalable and affordable:
In the United States, the solar photovoltaic (PV) market will double in 2011, this despite current economic weakness, according to research from Solarbuzz. With a current project pipeline of more than 17 gigawatts (GW), the US solar PV market is projected to reach as high as high as 6.4 GW by 2015 (depending on the scenario) which will be a constant annual growth rate of 47%.
Finally, according to a New York Times articles, development of alternative energy in China has surpassed past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year. Additionally, China has also shown significant growth in the last two years (compared to the West) to emerge as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels.
These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the question whether the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China and other parts of the world.
Therefore, the conversations that are taking place in renewable energy world are not only interesting but may open doors for economic development, raised standards of living, as well as providing clean sources of energy.