Renewable Energy Technologies:
Trends and Challenges
Gabriel Oliveira
Nº9
2ºGPSI
Inglês
Renewable Energy Technologies: Trends
and Challenges
What is Renewable Energy Technologies: Trends and
Challenges:
Renewable energy refers to power derived from natural resources that are
continually replenished, such as sunlight, wind, water, and organic matter. These
sources offer sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, emitting little or no greenhouse
gases.
Key Renewable Energy Technologies
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
Converts sunlight directly into electricity using solar panels.
Widely adopted in rooftops, solar farms, and urban infrastructures.
Costs have dropped by over 80% since 2010.
Solar Thermal
Uses solar heat for water or space heating and in industrial processes.
Includes Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems that generate electricity from
high-temperature solar heat.
Wind Power
Uses wind turbines to generate electricity.
Can be onshore (land-based) or offshore (sea-based), with offshore wind
seeing rapid growth in Europe, China, and the US.
Hydropower
Generates electricity from the movement of water.
Includes both large dams and small hydro systems (low-impact options).
Biomass and Biogas
Converts organic material like crop waste, wood, or animal manure into
energy or fuel (like biogas or bioethanol).
Used in rural and urban contexts alike.
Geothermal Energy
Taps into heat from beneath the Earth’s surface.
Reliable and constant, especially effective in volcanic regions (e.g., Iceland,
Indonesia, US).
Current Trends in Renewable Energy
Decentralization
Rise of distributed generation, where consumers also become producers
(prosumers).
Growth of microgrids and community energy projects.
Energy Storage
Battery storage (especially lithium-ion) is becoming critical to manage the
variability of solar and wind.
Emerging storage technologies include solid-state batteries and green
hydrogen.
Digital Integration
Use of AI, IoT, and blockchain to optimize energy production, distribution,
and consumption.
Examples: smart meters, predictive maintenance of wind turbines, real-time
energy pricing.
Green Hydrogen
Produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity.
A clean fuel for heavy industry, shipping, and aviation.
Offshore Energy Expansion
Offshore wind is gaining momentum due to stronger and more consistent
wind patterns at sea.
Major investments by the UK, China, Germany, and the US.
Cost Competitiveness
Renewables are now the cheapest form of new electricity generation in many
regions.
Key Challenges
Intermittency
Solar and wind are not constant.
Requires robust storage and flexible grid systems to ensure reliability.
Grid Infrastructure
Many existing grids are outdated and designed for centralized fossil-fuel
generation.
Modernization is needed for integration of decentralized, variable
renewables.
Policy and Regulation
Inconsistent government policies and continued fossil fuel subsidies hinder
the full adoption of renewables.
Environmental and Social Impacts
Although cleaner, renewables also pose challenges: land use (solar farms,
wind turbines), displacement, and waste management (e.g., solar panel
recycling).
Supply Chain Dependencies
Heavy reliance on critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth
elements—often sourced from geopolitically sensitive regions.
Financing
Despite declining costs, large-scale renewable projects still require significant
upfront investment, posing barriers for developing countries.
Webgrafia
https://www.irena.org
https://www.iea.org
https://www.energy.gov/eere
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/archive/energy/
https://about.bnef.com
https://www.ren21.net
https://cleantechnica.com
