Renewable energy in developing countries

Discuss About The Energy Sustainability In A Developing Country.

Renewable energy commonly used in the developing countries include geothermal, solar, biomass, wind power as well as hydroelectric energy (Rybár et al., 2015). I believe the use of this kind of energy by the developing countries could be beneficial to their developments and it could be possible to sustain it to achieve economic growth (Quaschning, 2016). Renewable energy sustainability in a developing country is a critical topic of discussion which should be evaluated keenly. Development is great achievement the countries can have for their economic growth. It is important, therefore, that the country chooses developments that it can easily sustain. Developing countries that use renewable energy include Costa Rica, China, India, Thailand as well as Argentina.

Sustainable developments are the developments that ensure the current wants of the populations are met but does not at one point compromise the ability of the generations to meet their needs. This means that developments should be made without destroying the environment. Currently, in the developing countries, an approximate population of around 40% in most cases the low and middle-income earners have challenges accessing the modern energy thus rely on the traditional energy sources (Callaway et al., 2015). The major problem when dealing with renewable energy sustainability is the reduced energy generation together with increased consumption of energy. This is because in cases of climate changes the impacts are felt by the whole population hence important to creating a sustainable energy use. Thus renewable energy consumption in these developing countries could be sustainable if measures are well taken.

Renewable energy has a steady supply that is sustainable as it is not affected by as many factors that affect fossil fuels. As the name suggests the energy source is renewable hence it is a sustainable source of energy. This means that the resource cannot be depleted over its lifetime at whatever usage rate. In Costa Rica, an energy source is not a problem thus the cost incurred will be fixed (Ellabban et al., 2014). It is helpful for the country as they reduce their reliance on fossil fuels because of the steady supply the renewable source provides to the country (Carley & Christie, 2017). This is evident as a 99% of the power used in the country comes from the renewable sources. Furthermore, citizens in this country have fully embraced the ideal idea of using bio-energy, solar panels and the wind turbines. More to this the country expects a fossil-free system power before the year 2015 which means that the renewable source will be sustainable to push the country through the economic activities. Unlike the fossil fuels source of energy renewable energy source faces little disputes due to trade, wars, instabilities in politics as well as increases in the energy prices. Interruption with the renewable energy source does not affect a wide geographical location which ensures that in other parts economic activities continue normally. On the other hand, renewable energy could be unreliable due to changes in the atmospheric conditions. Occurrences of the changes will affect the generation of renewable energy which is a challenge.

Sustainable developments in developing countries

Renewable energy provision is capable to provide power to houses, businesses as well as vehicles without having to use the fossil fuels produced as major energy sources. For instance, China is the current fastest developing countries and which has become the biggest producer of renewable energy in the world. The consumption of fossil fuels in the country has reduced. For this reason, the renewable energy is in a position to effectively reduce emissions of gases produced in the process of producing the non-renewable energy in the country (Inglesi-Lotz, 2016). This is because in the case of solar and wind electricity provide a means through which electricity can still be distributed in the traditional manner thus there is zero emission. Furthermore, the waste obtained from producing the fossil fuels is dumped in the landfills which the environment cannot sustain. There is declined fertility of the lands that are close to the landfills hence reducing the productivity of the lands in return. This kind of energy seems to contribute highly to the unsustainable environment as compared to the renewable energy use. They play a great role in causing the rate of global warming to increase whose effects are felt through climate changes as well as the degradation of the quality of air.

Furthermore, production of renewable energy does not have the carbon emission which is friendly to the environment. Countries with carbon emissions are obligated to buy carbon credits from other countries so that they can deposit their waste in that country. Therefore, countries such as Argentina agricultural productivity as there are able to reduce the use of fossil fuels which in turn will reduce both land and air pollution to the environment (Larcher & Tarascon, 2015). Purchasing of carbon credits for those producing fossils fuel is expensive thus they end up realizing the waste to the surrounding environment. Thus, it is more sustainable to the environment when using the renewable energy sources.

The use of renewable energy in the economy has ensured positive health impacts on the population. In the rural and remote areas of India, women use the traditional means such as cow dung, wood to cook and heat their house. Due to the embracement of the renewable energy consumption the rate of carbon monoxide intake has reduced. Thus, it ensures the health status of the country is well maintained. In comparison to the use of non-clean technologies, renewable energy source do not cause pollution to the environment. Although some of the renewable sources such as the biofuels and the geothermal emit some gasses its emission is lower compared to the emissions from the natural gas plants. A research conducted by clean energy and climate change office in the United States showed that a large population of the American spend an estimated $362 to $887 every year in health due to the emission related to the fossil fuels (Pearce, 2014).

Benefits of renewable energy in developing countries

Furthermore, it is more sustainable in reducing poverty in developing countries such as India as it is more labour intensive. The country requires that the rate of unemployment is at its lowest to ensure developments and increased production. Provision of energy ensures the creation of businesses and thus employment. Furthermore, renewable provides energy used in cooking, lighting up rooms and heat. Fossil fuel technologies, on the other hand, are capital intensified meaning the rate of unemployment is still high thus the production may be a little lower. For instance, solar panel installation requires labour to ensure its effective functioning creating an employment opportunity for every unit of electricity required in the country. Furthermore, it has supported a high population in the United States wherein 2016 a total of more than 100,000 individual were fully employed in the wind energy industry (Darmani et al., 2014). In addition, a total of 500 factories have been started as suppliers and manufacturers of equipment needed for energy sourcing.

Installation of the accessories the cost of maintenance is as minimal as zero charges. Thus the consumer will reap benefits from it while the service of electricity transmission is cheap to the population (Twidell & Weir, 2015). India is considering shifting to the use of solar energy as a way to counter increased demands of power (Huenteler et al., 2016). As a developing country, the demand cannot be met with the poor infrastructure of the country and high use of fossil fuels. This shows the continuity and full support of the industry which makes it sustainable. Furthermore, wind energy sourcing does not cause any emission to pollute the air as well as water which could pose a risk to the health of the people use and living close to the wind turbines. However, due to the manufacturing of the accessories used in the energy production the sustainability of the environment could be affected in one way. Consequently due to the low-efficiency level of the renewable energy generation investors in the industry may fear that they may lack profits in time (Luthra et al., 2015). It could cause the renewable energy to be unsustainable.

Renewable energy offers an affordable electricity across the country which will in the future foresee stabilization of the energy prices. The prices will remain stable for as long as the production of the renewable energy is been done. However, for this to happen it is necessary for the facilities in charge for the production to have an upfront investment which allows them to operate at a very low cost which is then transferred to the affordability aspect (Doppelt, 2017). Furthermore, the environment is not facing any struggles as the production of the energy continues. This is because as the cost of technologies is declining thus the pressure on the natural resources is not as high as it is expected when the cost could be high. For instance, the cost of installing a solar panel declined with a more than 70 percent in the year 2010-2017. A similar decline in the cost of wind energy generation happened with a 66% drop in the years 2009-2016 (Diouf & Pode, 2015).  The maturity of the markets is obtained and the manufacturing companies enjoy the economies of scale in production. It is an indication that the demand and supply of the energy resource are at an equilibrium level. Thus a sustainable renewable energy use in the developing countries. However, it a challenge to generate enough power using the renewable resources which means countries will in a way still depend on the fossil fuels (Zamfir et al., 2016).

Renewable energy and positive health impacts

Sustainability of the renewable energy is more advantageous presently and more especially the future. The fact that this kind of energy is clean then the environment is not at risk of pollution and thus the sustainability level of the environment will keep it safe (Goosen et al., 2016). The supply of energy is predictable thus making it easy for them to deliver the service to the final consumer. It is because of this that stability in the energy prices is obtained. The cost of the renewable energy is dependent on the installation prices paid by the consumer. However, the fossil fuels prices are volatile depending on the inflation level in the country and the resources available for its production. Inflation levels more especially in the United States are increasing and declining to maintain stability in the economic growth. Thus the sustainability of the renewable energy by the consumer is high as compared to the sustainability of the fossil fuels in the country.

 Renewable energy is sustainable if the government in the developing countries took upon itself to finance the construction of the renewable energy facilities. The population of the country would in return be very healthy. It reduces the budget expenditure the government would spend on medication. Diseases such as cancer, heart diseases due to the gas emissions that take place. For this reason, therefore, renewable energy is more sustainable in a developing country to enhance the productivity of the population (Pueyo, 2018). Furthermore, remote areas in a developing country are common making it conducive for the generation of the energy in those parts. Thus the sharing of the energy generated will be equal among the local towns hence motivating provision of power to those places that are socially and economically struggling. Provision of power to this areas will help create increased opportunities which will increase the development of the country. This is because the country will be in a position to utilize the available resources to ensure optimal productivity. However, for the government to completely install the facilities it requires a large amount of capital (Bocken, 2015). This requires a careful maintenance, planning as well as implementation.

In conclusion, sustainability of renewable energy in a developing country is more likely to occur if it is well managed. Renewable energy in the country will ensure that it assists in the developmental growth of the economy which is the main objective of the country. It is, therefore, clear that renewable energy can be sustainable but not without some challenges that come along with it. The cost involved in the construction of the facilities is very high which could discourage the government from investing in many renewable energy facilities around the country. Furthermore, the energy is not fully reliable as the source is not guaranteed to be present at all times. Even with the disadvantages, I believe that renewable energy in a developing country can be sustainable to bring developments.

References

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