Importance of Renewable Energy Sources in Developing Countries

Understanding the magnitude of energy in the role of a nation’s development is one of the most significant responsibility of the Government of a country. The main challenges of a developing nation’s energy infrastructure are the source’s availability, and it’s cost and nature of preservation. The need for a source of energy, which is not only available in plenty, but also efficiently priced and, most importantly, environment-friendly are the need of the hour, and renewable energy justifies all the criteria.

The use of fossil fuel was started with the scarcity of biomass as a fuel. It ran out quickly and were expensive. With the discovery of fossil fuels, we saw advanced nations adapt to use these fuels, which were available to them.

The Comparison Between Renewable Energy and Fossil Fuels

By definition, renewable energy is energy from a source that does not get exhausted even when used repeatedly. It replaces itself naturally, which means it is ideally available in abundance to be used in a continuous manner. As the civilization evolved, human soon realized the importance of finding other means of energy, apart from fossil fuel, which is exhaustible and harmful to nature.

Fossil fuels are energy sources which is extracted from coal, natural gas, oil, etc. Though these fuels were useful, they proved to be unfeasible as they cause pollution and global warming. Gases such as hydrocarbons mixture known as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide emitted by such fuels, erode the planet’s ozone layer and are also a reason for other breathing and respiratory diseases.

The primary reason to put renewable energy on the most effective energy resource as it is never-ending, but fossil fuel is a limited resource and will completely dry off one day! Fossil fuel pollution control costs can sap the revenue, while renewable energy does not have any problem of such sort.

Renewable energy in its production source is more ideal in terms of natural sources, such as sun and gravitational pull yield wind, and wave power. Even debris from landscaping like grass clippings or branches can produce energy from biomass processes that mimic natural decomposition. While on one hand, fossil fuels were being feared as harmful for health, they were also going to be a cause for an economic tension that was on the rise, globally.

Renewable energy is different from fossil fuels because of their variety and possibility of use anywhere and at any scale. While fossil fuel energy production needs a massive infrastructure.

Importance of Renewable Energy in Developing Countries                                    

Studies showed that almost 40% of the population still relied on old fashioned methods of fossil fuel as they could not afford the highly-priced new renewable fuels. Now one may think, how renewable energy is costly? As a matter of fact, renewable energy is not costly, but the infrastructure demands certain engineering process that creates an initial cost. This is the cause of the vast disparity in the economies between the developing and developed countries. This is the reason it has become is crucial to change our practice of fossil fuel usage, to make the environment healthier, cleaner, and one that creates more and better jobs.

While the price of fossil fuels is mounting, we are able to control and decrease the cost of energy through renewable energy in a more sustainable manner. It is also cleaner and safer for the planet as it emits low-carbon. The disadvantages of other fuels have become the advantage of investing in renewable energy.

Biomass fuels are still available at a cheaper rate, and hence they are preferred over fossil fuels in some geographical locations. Several developing nations are not yet able to adapt to the latest techniques of renewable energy because they are not accessible to them, and the old-fashioned ways are still economical. As deposits are unevenly distributed worldwide, frequently in less politically stable nations, the companies can suffer from flow interruptions and price spikes.

Non-renewable energy sources such as crude oil and coal are still the primary source of energy in developing countries. Most of them import these fossil fuels from other countries that produce them. At this rate of consumption, these un-renewable sources of energy such as coal mines and oil wells, will soon dry out. So it is essential to know for a fact that fossil fuels are at the risk of rapidly getting over. This will also burden the availability and the cost of other fuels and cause economic turmoil as a chain reaction. The pollution caused by fossil gases has always been known, and the world is now more aware of the health hazards caused by it. An alternative source of energy is now imminent.

Renewable energy could resolve this to a large extend.

The Future of Renewable Energy

There are different types of renewable energy, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, tidal, etc. However, solar energy seems very reasonable due to its availability in most developing countries. It topped the other forms, thanks to a more efficient PV Electric Technology. Countries such as the United States, China & India are among the leading countries in solar energy. 

By the virtue of solar energy, renewable energy is predicted to rise by 50% between the years of 2019 and 2024. The prediction says that Solar Energy will be accountable for 60% of the growth that is forecasted. (IEA Fuel Report October 2019)

Production and distribution of energy for the purpose of heat and electricity, which is self-generated has not been looked into seriously. If we could install PV Energy systems in commercial buildings and houses, the supply of electricity can be met independently, leaving room for surplus energy.

Technology and the costing related problems around the installation of renewable energy can be resolved by collaborating with developed nations. An increase in manufacture and a decrease in consumption of energy should be promoted to see a growth in income, wealth, and living standards. This will give developing countries a chance to be equal with developed countries. Industries and corporates should show responsibility for cleaner energy.  This also opens the gates of these emerging nations to learn technology and provide job opportunities. 

Renewable energies received a massive support from the international community in the Paris Accord which was signed at the World Climate Summit that was held in the French capital in December 2015.

Seeing the urgency to deal with the evils of greenhouse-gas-emissions, the United Nations, in 2016, called for the Paris Agreement (French: Accord de Paris), which is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its primary purpose was to address the threat of greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance. It consists of 197 countries. Its outlook is very positive and ambitious as The United Nations (UN) aims at providing electricity for everyone by 2030.

The Importance of Renewable Energy in Agriculture

Agriculture is a sector that needs a lot of energy support. Especially for the developing countries this is still a prevailing issue. Renewable energy can be an excellent substitute for energy to help agriculture and related services.

Technology that covers solar heat radiations into heat energy is called solar thermal.  The temperature collectors are mostly of two types, which are passive and active. The passive temperature collectors heat the water upto 90°, and active temperature collectors are capable of producing steam up to 800°. The solar thermal technology can be used for food drying, water heating, cooking, solar greenhouse, space heating, and under-ground soil heating.

The technology that converts solar light radiations into electrical energy is known as Solar Photovoltaics or Solar PV. Solar PV electricity mainly used for farm machinery, water pumping, lighting in agriculture production.

Wind Power potential is more useful in geographic structure with continuous wind blow at the rate of 7 to 9 meter/second exists; it gets better. Sind and Baluchistan provinces are the most prominent zones with wind power production. Wind power can generate electricity by wind turbines, which can be used for running farm machinery, pumps, air-conditioners, and Poultry equipment. The wind power system can be segregated as small, medium, and large. Small and medium systems are mostly upto 200KW and can be installed at farms where wind speed is available. Wind turbines, wind pumps can be directly run by the revolution of turbine blades.

Bio-energy can be found through a different form of fuel such as biogas, bio-ethanol, Bio-diesel, and these are good sources that can be used for running farm machinery, pumps, tractors, cooking in the agro-food chain.

The Importance of Renewable Energy for Developing Country

We are clear about the sustainable advantages of renewable energy, and that there is an obvious need to upgrade the electrical infrastructure of emerging countries. Renewable energy is not just a ‘Source of Energy’ that is clean but an opportunity to eliminate poverty in developing nations by providing jobs. The Government’s efforts in the form of subsidies and other norms and policies may have loopholes in the services and may always be debatable. 

Wind Up

At the end of the discussion, we can say that fossil fuel is feasible to support as of now. Though eventually, it will disappear, making the world pull pollution, and there is no other way but to think of other sources of energy. And when it comes to the point of the second choice, nothing can beat renewable energy. However, as individuals, if we are to take a pledge to change our lifestyles and be more responsible towards our planet, renewable energy becomes our only source of energy.