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My research question is ‘Could Europe be powered by renewable energy?’ This science in society question falls in the research area of science that has an effect on the environment. The effects of climate change are quickly escalating due to excess greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that are trapping in excess heat from the sun. A way to reduce emissions and save our planet would be to would be to change our energy sources and switch to renewable energy sources. We are currently using non-renewable energy sources to power the earth such as coal, oil and natural gas. Theses will eventually run out as it takes thousands of years for the earth top reproduce them, while used they also emit toxic and hazardous gases into the atmosphere affecting humans, wildlife and the atmosphere balance of gases. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal do not release emissions and will not run out. They are better for our health and the atmosphere.
Renewable energy sources do not release greenhouse gases, they create many jobs and help to lower bills in developing countries¹⁰. Renewable energy does not run out and could even be more reliable than fossil fuels as its supply is not affected by war, trade disputes, strikes, and political instabilities. Countries can also tap from other countries on a larger scale. Once built, the majority of renewable energy types have lower cost price than fossil fuels, this balances out the high installation cost at the beginning³. In the majority of cases maintenance requirements for renewable energy technologies are lower than fossil fuels, this is because they include few to no moving parts such as solar panels and do not rely on combustible fuel sources to work. Renewables emit little to no pollutants into our atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels that do and as a result, lead to health issues such as respiratory and heart diseases. Using renewable energy lowers our chances of illness, keeps us healthy and contributes to a healthy atmosphere⁶. Using a super grid all of Europe can be powered by renewable energy and if one area is lacking energy one-day they can get energy and get it from elsewhere through the cross border energy network.
As stated in the pros there is a higher upfront cost than traditional energy sources. It’s also very expensive to install. The weather shifts every day so some days we may not be able to produce as much energy as other days. There will be a need for energy and even though here storage solutions they can be expensive however as time goes on they are becoming more affordable⁶. Large dams disrupt river ecosystems and they harm wildlife. Many people dislike wind turbines because of the way they look and the sounds they produce. Wind turbines are also dangerous to bats and birds as they travel around them¹⁰. Burning wood for bioenergy reduces the number of trees and results in habitat loss for animals. As trees produce O₂ and stip CO₂ out of the air if there are less there would be more CO₂ in our atmosphere and that escalates the effect of climate change.
On the 12th of December 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed to combat global climate change and hasten and increase actions and investments needed for a sustainable and low carbon future. The Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the effects of climate change by sustaining a global temperature in this century below 2°C.
The EU’s use of renewable energy reached 17.5% in 2017 and is on track for its 2020 goal of 20%. Each country has its own renewable energy goal ranging from 10%-49%, with 11 nations already surpassing its goal. The Renewable energy leaders of the EU are Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Since 2012, more than half of Swedens’ renewable energy comes from mostly Hydroelectric power and biofuels.
Luxembourg and The Netherlands are the countries in the EU with the lowest renewable energy consumption at 6.4% and 6.6% sequentially. Though the Netherlands has invested into many offshore wind turbines, they are still the second farthest away from their goal.
For Europe to achieve its climate change goals, emissions from the power sector would need to fall to negative zero or at least zero, and to accomplish this we will require low carbon solutions such as nuclear, bioenergy or carbon capture²; Scientists say that cutting down trees for biomass can escalate the effect of climate change, as deliberately using wood will increase carbon in the atmosphere and warming from decades to centuries¹⁵. When natural matter breaks down, carbon is slowly released so either way the carbon will end up into our atmosphere and this is why it is said that bioenergy is okay to use.
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