Unspecified-renewables refer to a group of emerging green energy sources that are not traditionally classified under the common renewable categories such as wind, solar, nuclear, hydro or biofuels. These could include innovative technologies such as tidal or wave energy, fuel cells, and other experimental sources of renewable energy. Even though these sources are not specified, they fall under the umbrella of renewable energy due to their low-carbon characteristics and sustainable nature.
Generation of electricity from unspecified-renewables typically involves conversion of energy from these resources into electrical energy. The specific procedures differ widely, as they are determined by the nature of the resource utilized. Regardless, what is consistent is their ability to create electricity while reducing carbon emissions, presenting an attractive and sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuel sources. With an average carbon intensity fluctuating between 11 and 230 gCO2eq/kWh, it is clear that unspecified-renewables remain significantly less polluting than fossil fuels whose values range from 490 to 820 gCO2eq/kWh.
Unspecified-renewables, while not constituting the majority of global electric supply yet, manage to contribute a significant amount in some regions. In Costa Rica for instance, it boasts of accounting for 12% of the total electricity generation. For Guadeloupe and Czechia, these emerging sources contribute to 6% and 3% respectively of their total electricity production. Even in regions with advanced energy infrastructures like Taiwan, unspecified-renewables are slowly making their mark with a 1% share of total electricity generation. Notably, this early stage of implementation could partly explain why some countries like Norway have yet to report electricity production from these sources.
The extensive benefits of tapping into unspecified-renewables are clear. Just like their more well-known counterparts - wind, nuclear, and solar - these sources produce significantly less carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels. This positions them favorably in our collective pursuit for sustainable energy options that limit negative environmental impacts. Additionally, being a sector in its infancy, continuous innovation in this area presents exciting possibilities for even more sustainable and efficient electricity generation techniques to emerge in the future.
Country/Region | Watts / person | % | TWh |
---|---|---|---|
Costa Rica | 33.0 W | 12.2% | 1.5 TWh |
Guadeloupe | 28.3 W | 5.9% | 0.1 TWh |
Czechia | 25.7 W | 3.2% | 2.4 TWh |
Republic of China (Taiwan) | 16.6 W | 1.2% | 3.5 TWh |
Norway | 9.3 W | 0.3% | 0.4 TWh |
Slovakia | 9.0 W | 1.5% | 0.4 TWh |
Croatia | 6.7 W | 1.3% | 0.2 TWh |
South Korea | 2.6 W | 0.2% | 1.2 TWh |
Spain | 1.7 W | 0.3% | 0.7 TWh |
Germany | 1.4 W | 0.2% | 1.0 TWh |
Estonia | 0.9 W | 0.1% | 0.0 TWh |
Hungary | 0.7 W | 0.1% | 0.1 TWh |
Netherlands | 0.5 W | 0.1% | 0.1 TWh |
Finland | 0.4 W | 0.0% | 0.0 TWh |
South Africa | 0.2 W | 0.0% | 0.1 TWh |
India | 0.0 W | 0.0% | 0.2 TWh |
United Kingdom | 0.0 W | 0.0% | 0.0 TWh |
EU | 0.0 W | 0.0% | 0.0 TWh |
People's Republic of China | 0.0 W | 0.0% | 0.0 TWh |