Renewables Flashcards
What are some benefits of renewables?
- Cleaner fuel for climate change mitigation
- local air pollution - Easier to create a decentralised energy source (smaller generators)
- security of supply
- grid resilience
- accessibility for heating and cooking - Higher revenues after initial capital cost
- Job revenues
What are the three factors driving lower carbon emissions?
- Fuel efficiency
- Fuel mix
- GDP
What is the largest source of RES?
Hydro
What target has China surpassed?
2020 solar PV
What does SHS stand for?
Solar home systems
Which technologies make up 80% of capacity growth?
Solar and wind
What are the barriers for increasing deployment of renewables?
- Fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies (failure to incorporate social and environmental subsidies)
- Inconsistent pricing structures (market barriers)
- Energy tariffs are not fully cost reflective
- Public acceptance (e.g. noise pollution from wind power)
- Regulatory and policy barriers
What are the three general categories to support renewable production?
- Fix the quantity (RO) or fix the price (FiT)
- Fiscal incentives
- Public investments, loans and grants
What is one of the main support mechanisms in the UK for large scale renewable electricity projects?
RO’s.
- Target for electricity supply is set
- Electricity generators are obligated to purchase a given % of supply from renewable supply
- Targets restricted over time
What is a problem with FiTs?
Promotes high cost supply
What is the biggest differentiating factor between price adn quantity based mechanisms to encourage RES?
Treatment of risk and uncertainty is weighed on producers differently in each case
What is increasingly replacing the government set tariffs?
Competitive auctions with long term power purchase agreements
What are FiT schemes designed to promote the uptake of?
Small-scale renewable and low carbon electricity generation technologies
