Electricity Industry as a Partner in Sustainable Development - Coursework Example

A Report on Electricity Industry as a Partner in Sustainable Development Abstract Dating back to the 1992 World Summit, steady progress has been evident in the electricity sector with respect to sustainable development (Beurskens and Hekkenberg, 2010). Doucet (2000) posits that a sustainable world will ensure every individual has access to electricity. Many electricity companies have voluntarily adopted various practices aimed at environmental, social as well as economic scopes of sustainable development in many countries around the globe. In the contemporary world, Ecofys et al. (2011) argues that the electricity sector has been presented with numerous opportunities to augment their efforts huge thanks to the technological advances as well as a society that boasts well interconnectivity. The paper documents the progress and challenges faced by the electricity sector in ensuring a world full of sustainable development. A Report on Electricity Industry as a Partner in Sustainable Development Energy, electricity to be precise, is central to sustainable development. As much as it has impacts on the environment, electricity is also responsible for powering the social and economic progress of the community and nation as well (Ecofys et al., 2011). This section highlights the major progress achieved as well as the challenges faced by the electricity sector in the hunt for sustainable development. Recent past has seen a change in public policies that govern electric power (Renewables, 2010). The energy policy that used to be a national matter has become international with various bodies including international non-governmental organizations and governments through the opinion of the public bringing the policies under scrutiny. This has resulted in the emergence of the global energy mix concept. In essence, sustainable development entails the preservation of alternatives for the next generations in environmental, economic and social dimensions (Renewables, 2010). In the electricity sector, sustainable development involves conservation of resources, maximization of the power’s contribution to social and economic development while at the same time minimizing the impacts on the environment. Different sources of energy have varying characteristics of sustainability. These sources include natural gas, coal, nuclear, oil and other renewable sources of energy, including hydropower (Ecofys et al., 2011). Each of these sources has its challenges with respect to sustainable development but both can sustainably be managed. In order to adhere to the current policy of developing sustainably without risking the future generations’ lives, it is advisable that a country or region uses different energy sources rather than rely on a single source for its electricity supply; hence a suitable well-balanced energy mix is necessary for sustainable development. The production and use of electricity comes with a number of consequences. However, the past three decades have seen the sector develop relevant experience in handling these consequences and in return achieving significant reduction in impacts on the environment without compromising the supply of electricity and its growth as well (European Commission, 2005). In order to minimize electricity losses, it is necessary that well-made distribution and transmission channels be installed. This will also help in attracting and or pooling demand and supply and in turn maximize the power system’s efficiency as well as reduce the power generation’s impacts on the environment. Environmental impacts of electricity include greenhouse gas emissions, airborne pollutant emissions, landfills, intake of cooling water and waste discharges, changes in land uses as well as injury to the plant and animal populations. It is expected that the world’s population will be much higher come 2050. This expansion together with economic growth will of course increase the energy consumed today by a far large margin as well as the emissions of carbon dioxide thus contributing to climate change. An IEA report revealed that the emissions of carbon dioxide from the electricity industry between 1990 and 1998 increased by 20% in the whole world (International Energy Agency, 2000). Most of the emissions are as a result of efforts directed towards economic and social growth and development and as such, any measure taken to address this carbon dioxide challenge should by all means not compromise the genuine goals and or aspirations set for common good of the region and or country. As a result, it is essential to endorse and make haste the development as well as the global employment of technologies that emit low and zero carbon to the environment. Examples of energy systems emitting low carbon include fuel cells, coal gasification and biomass while technologies emitting zero carbon include nuclear, wind, hydro, geothermal and solar technologies (Hansson, Berndes, Johnsson and Kjarstad, 2009). According to Hansson et al. (2009), a combination of these low and zero carbon-emitting technologies, carbon sequestration techniques as well as other carbon storage technologies will be essential in meeting the augmenting demand in production of electricity without worrying about greenhouse emissions. Origins of the electric power’s pollutants at both regional and local levels are generating plants that use oil, natural gas and coal. These pose the threat of airborne pollution although a host of other activities in the sector can have adverse effects on other areas such as the use of land, quality of water as well as the disposal of solid waste. Recent times have seen power generation plants that use nuclear, gas or oil utilizes combined cycle power plants (European Commission, 2005). These power plants are highly efficient and they also have reduced impacts on the environment with the only necessary control being for the emission of nitrogen oxide. Thanh and Tam (1992) argue that the main challenge faced by coal-powered generation is controlling the emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, as well as mercury emissions with minimal or no impacts on the plant’s efficiency and cost of investment. This challenge, especially for sulphur and nitrogen oxides can be addressed with the help of the available technologies, such as flue gas desulphurization, selective catalytic reduction and electrostatic precipitation technologies; but some developing countries are unable to afford them due to their high costs of deployment (European Commission, 2005). A country or region that directs its efforts towards sustainable development has the chance or rather the capability to bring together social development, economic growth and environmental protection to the country or region in question. According to Del Río (2005), “sustainability not only attempts to deliver economic growth and environmental protection simultaneously, but it also challenges norms of social equity among the nations and citizens of our common planet.” (1243). On the other hand, electricity access and availability can transform the lives of the users from almost every perspective. For instance, industrial competition, healthcare access and provision, creation of employment as well as domestic comfort, control of environmental pollution and growth in income of people and the country as a whole. It is in this way that electricity is a great contributor to the welfare of the community. Conclusion Today, many countries across the globe have realized that access to electricity by all citizens is rightful and as such have established public monopolies charged with the duty of providing and or supplying citizens with electricity equally and charged at equal rates. References Beurskens, L. W. M., & Hekkenberg, M. (2010). Renewable Energy Projections. published in the national renewable energy action plans of the European member states. ECN/European Energy Agency. Del Río, P. (2005). A European-wide harmonized tradable green certificate scheme for renewable electricity: is it really so beneficial? In Energy Policy, 33. 1239-1250. Doucet, G. (2000). Energy for tomorrow - The world energy council calls for global action. IAEA Bulletin. Ecofys et al. (2011). Financing renewable energy in the european energy market, Final report. European Commission (2005). The support of electricity from renewable energy sources. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament. Hansson, J., Berndes, G., Johnsson, F., & Kjarstad, J. (2009). Co-firing biomass with coal for electricity generation - an assessment of the potential in EU 27. Energy Policy, 37. 1444–1455. International Energy Agency (2000). Hydropower and the Environment: Present Context and Guidelines for Future Action. I, II and III. Renewables (2010). Global Status Report. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century. Thanh, N. C., & Tam, D. M. (1992). Environmental Protection and Development: How to Achieve a Balance in Environmental Impact Assessment for Developing Countries, Oxford: Butterworth - Heineman Ltd, 8. Read More