Perspectives on The Development of Non-Conventional Renewable Energy

Due to the world’s energy crisis in the end of the twentieth century, the power sector began studying the potential of renewable energy sources.

Renewable sources of energy are now used in both developed and emerging economies. Major advancements in the renewable energy sector have been made where it has been strongly supported by the government on the financial and legislative level, with an emphasis on funding the development of the renewable energy technology.



In the beginning of the twenty first century the share of all renewable energy sources (including conventional hydropower and wood) in the gross energy consumption made up 14%, and in electricity consumption – 19%.

A substantial increase in the utilization of non-conventional renewable sources, especially since the turn of the twentieth century, has been typical for most developed and many developing economies. For instance, in 2006 in the EU countries the share of electric energy produced from non-conventional renewable sources came to 12,1% in Denmark, 13,1% in Finland, 4% in Hungary, 2,8% in Greece, 2,8% in Italy, 2,8% in Spain, 14,2% in Germany, a total of 87.6 billion kW·h, including small hydroelectric stations – 20.7 billion kW·h, wind power stations – 39.5, thermal power stations using biomass and biogas – 23.8, solar panels – 3.5, and geothermal – 0.1.

The positive experience of the EU countries indicates that among the many factors affecting the scale and future of utilizing renewable energy sources, the most important consideration is the government financial support of the country. One of the main directions of the Kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions is large-scale deployment of green energy sources.

The Future of Renewable Energy

In 2010 in the EU countries the share of renewable energy (including conventional hydro power stations) comprised 22 per cent, a large proportion of which coming from non-conventional sources; and by the year 2020 the European Union is expected to raise its energy consumption from non-conventional sources to 20 per cent.

If this project comes to life, it is going to be the largest in the world. The electric energy will be transmitted to Europe via a cable that is to be installed in the Mediterranean Sea.

Solar Power Station in Sahara

The projected use of non-conventional renewable energy sources in 2020

Energy source	Minimum scenario		Maximum scenario
	mln tonne of oil equivalent	share in gross renewable energy, %	mln tonne of oil equivalent	share in gross renewable energy, %
Biomass	243	45	561	42
Solar power	109	20	355	26
Wind power	85	16	215	16
Geothermal power	40	7	91	7
Small hydropower	48	9	69	5
Ocean power	14	3	54	4
Total	539	100	1345	100
Share of gross world’s demand in primary energy sources, %		3–4		8–12

In Japan the contribution of non-conventional renewables to the electricity production was 1.2% in 2000, 3% in 2010, with a target of 10% for the year 2030.

By 2020 Russia plans to increase its share of non-conventional renewable sources to 4.5%, and China – to 16%.

Some of the Reasons for Developing Renewable Energy

In many countries, especially in those dependent on the import of conventional energy sources, a strong motivation for the development of renewable energy is ensuring secure energy supply.

The cost of many technologies related to utilizing renewables and that of the energy generation is steadily decreasing due to the advancements made in the sector and economy of scale.

Non-conventional renewables are becoming more and more competitive in such areas of the energy industry as electricity generation, heat supply, and autonomous energy supply systems.

By the middle of the twentieth century non-conventional renewables may become one of the most important energy resources. Their contribution to the energy balance of many countries might come to 40–50%.

Combining Conventional and Non-conventional Energy Sources

Since many alternative energy sources are unstable in terms of their energy potential (caused by changes in wind speed, solar intensity, river flow, etc.), they are used in energy combination systems along with conventional energy sources. In addition to these, in local heat and electricity supply systems renewables are used in conjunction with various types of thermal and electric energy storage as well as hydrogen-based storages. This increases the efficiency of renewable energy sources and allows for stable energy supply to consumers. In the future, alternative energy source may become a primary source of water-based hydrogen production.

Source (Russian language): http://energetika.in.ua

About KEP

KEP (KharkovEnergoPribor Ltd.) produces high voltage testing equipment, including portable testing instruments and cable test vans, for the world’s leading power engineering companies. The KEP’s product range includes solutions for cable tracing, cable diagnostics and fault locating, testing high voltage instruments and safety gear, and oil dielectric testing.

We at KEP believe that our main task is to translate the customer’s requirements into the top-quality product, combining cutting-edge technology with fundamental high voltage testing principles.

Alexei Tiatiushkin

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KharkovEnergoPribor Ltd.

marketing@keppowertesting.uk

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