The major part of the present demand on Energy is satisfied with fossil energy (Oil , Coal and natural Gas) because of their ample, steady and comparatively cheap availability, their easy storage and easy distribution. The technical potential of Renewable energy in total would allow enlarging its contribution to the still rising worldwide demand on energy. But in many to most cases, the cost, especially the investment cost of the relevant energy technologies, are noticeably higher than the present cost to provide electricity, heat and fuels for the transportation sector by making use of fossil fuels.
Before industrialization renewable energy had been the only source of energy available:
- Firewood to provide heat;
- Biomass for food, for horses and other animals for hauling transportation vehicles;
- Wind for propulsion of sailing boats;
- Wind and water power to run mills.
The onset of industrialization (about 300 to 200 years ago) caused an extraordinarily fast rise of the demand on energy and a severe shortage of firewood in many countries. Fossil fuels soon became the dominant source of primary energy. The abundant and steady availability of fossil fuels and especially their low cost satisfied the newly arising additional demand on energy to provide any required fast rising amount of
- Heat,
- Electric power and
- Fuels for propulsion in the transportation sector.
At present, renewable energy can be used to provide only a rather limited amount of secondary energy. A more extended use of renewable energy at present is mainly handicapped by:
- Restricted availability (e.g. hydro power, biomass),
- Strongly fluctuating and intermittent availability of Hydro River and wind power and of sunlight,
- Comparatively high investment cost and cost of energy provided (e.g. sunlight, geothermal energy).
On the other side, it is of utmost importance to fight climate change caused by further greenhouse warming due to the increasing content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the exuberant burning of fossil fuels. All these implications should be regarded as a challenge for proper R&D of renewable energy technologies making best uses of:
- Interdisciplinary science and technology and
- Nano sciences and nano technologies for design and production of new materials
To achieve economically attractive solutions like e.g. photovoltaics, storage of electric energy in batteries, production of hydrogen par example via solar catalytic water splitting, fuel cells, conversion of Hydrogen together with Carbon dioxide CO2 extracted from the atmosphere to a synthetic hydrocarbon fuel.
Before industrialization renewable energy had been the only source of energy available:
- Firewood to provide heat;
- Biomass for food, for horses and other animals for hauling transportation vehicles;
- Wind for propulsion of sailing boats;
- Wind and water power to run mills.
The onset of industrialization (about 300 to 200 years ago) caused an extraordinarily fast rise of the demand on energy and a severe shortage of firewood in many countries. Fossil fuels soon became the dominant source of primary energy. The abundant and steady availability of fossil fuels and especially their low cost satisfied the newly arising additional demand on energy to provide any required fast rising amount of
- Heat,
- Electric power and
- Fuels for propulsion in the transportation sector.
At present, renewable energy can be used to provide only a rather limited amount of secondary energy. A more extended use of renewable energy at present is mainly handicapped by:
- Restricted availability (e.g. hydro power, biomass),
- Strongly fluctuating and intermittent availability of Hydro River and wind power and of sunlight,
- Comparatively high investment cost and cost of energy provided (e.g. sunlight, geothermal energy).
On the other side, it is of utmost importance to fight climate change caused by further greenhouse warming due to the increasing content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the exuberant burning of fossil fuels. All these implications should be regarded as a challenge for proper R&D of renewable energy technologies making best uses of:
- Interdisciplinary science and technology and
- Nano sciences and nano technologies for design and production of new materials
To achieve economically attractive solutions like e.g. photovoltaics, storage of electric energy in batteries, production of hydrogen par example via solar catalytic water splitting, fuel cells, conversion of Hydrogen together with Carbon dioxide CO2 extracted from the atmosphere to a synthetic hydrocarbon fuel.
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