Renewable energies, the alternative to fossil fuels

Today, there are two main sources of energy: renewable energy and non-renewable energy. Global warming is forcing a change in the way electricity is produced and consumed. This has led to a boom in renewable energies and a slowdown in non-renewable energies. Definition, differences, advantages and disadvantages… find out all the details about these two all-conquering energy sources.

We can easily say that the society in which we live and evolve is an energy-intensive society. In other words, we are extremely dependent on energy. Energy is essential for human activities. Apart from nuclear energy, we classify energy into two categories: renewable and non-renewable energy. This classification into two is based on time. The former comes from natural elements and is constantly renewable. There are five different sources of renewable energy: solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, biomass and geothermal energy.

The second is an energy source that can only be replenished on a geological time scale. Non-renewable energy is only available in limited quantities and cannot be replenished. Coal, gas, oil and nuclear energy are sources of non-renewable energy, also known as fossil fuels. Fossil energy is defined as all carbon-rich fuels – essentially hydrocarbons – produced by the methanisation of living organisms that have been dead and buried in the earth for several million years, sometimes up to 650 million years. These are oil, peat, coal and natural gas. So we cannot confuse them by saying that they are not natural elements, but that the means of extraction are extremely polluting.

The first and main difference between fossil energies and renewable energies is that the former come from a non-renewable and limited resource on a human scale, while the latter come from an inexhaustible and unlimited source on Earth on a human scale.

The second difference is the source of each of these energies. Each comes from different elements, which in turn are constituted differently. Fossil or non-renewable energy comes from what is known as fossil fuel, the chemical composition of which is very rich in carbon. Fossil fuel is stored underground in the form of hydrocarbons. Renewable energy comes from one of the five elements of the earth: sun, wind, water, land. They are now seen as a greener alternative to fossil fuels. More and more energy suppliers are committing to the energy transition, policies are becoming more restrictive and industry has to turn to renewable energy.

Fossil fuels currently account for more than three quarters of global primary energy consumption, in transport, industry and housing. They also account for a large majority (more than two thirds) of electricity production, despite the continuing increase in the share of renewables. This dominant position is expected to continue for several decades (see infographic on the evolution of the energy mix over time).

Coal remains the main source of electricity production, thanks to its abundance and low cost. However, as it emits a lot of greenhouse gases, its development risks being slowed down if the international community intensifies its efforts to combat global warming by putting a ‘price on carbon’. Nevertheless, it is an energy source that is often essential for the growth of large, densely populated emerging countries such as China, India, Indonesia and South Africa. A number of techniques can be used to reduce polluting emissions from coal use and thus move towards ‘clean coal’, but this process will be long and costly to implement.

As for oil and gas, they have been at the centre of global geopolitics for forty years. This has a strong influence on the evolution of the price of a barrel of oil.

With the exception of hydropower, which has been produced for a long time and ensures the production of significant amounts of electricity, renewables currently represent a very small part of the global electricity mix: less than 5%, with hydropower accounting for more than 16% and fossil fuels for more than two thirds.

Their growth is strong, but it will take a long time for them to rival traditional energies, especially fossil fuels, in terms of quantity.

The challenge of the 21st century is clear: we must fight global warming. This fight involves many changes in the way we think, produce and consume our energy. Today we are aware of the urgency and change must happen now to ensure a greener and more liveable future for future generations. To put it another way, simply to secure the future for generations to come.

To achieve this change, we have two solutions or strategies: energy sobriety or a shift to less polluting energy sources, green energy.

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to use more renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Wind and solar energy offer infinite amounts of energy, unlike fossil fuels, whose reserves will eventually run out. Moreover, unlike burning fossil fuels in power plants, generating electricity from renewable energy sources produces little or no greenhouse gases.

The EU is at the forefront of renewable energy technology, and many EU countries already produce a large proportion of their electricity from renewable sources.

Using more energy from renewable sources not only reduces our emissions, it also means we spend less money on imports of coal, oil and gas from outside the EU. In 2018, almost 19% of the EU’s energy came from renewable sources.

The target is to increase the share of renewables to 25% by 2022 and at least 32% by 2030.