A Sustainable Path for Renewable Energy Technologies

The transition from fossil-energy systems to renewable energy is a necessary step in addressing the issue of climate change. However, the solution to climate change cannot be achieved in isolation from the surrounding natural environment and societies. Chap. 2 provides a more detailed examination of three planetary boundaries that are strongly interlinked and that also relate closely to renewable energy production: climate change, biosphere integrity (biodiversity loss), and land system change. The chapter provides a general overview of the concept of the carbon budget and the Earth’s annual biocapacity, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity to humanity and the impacts of land use resulting from energy production. The chapter also presents a case example of how to measure the biodiversity footprint of a large-scale energy project. Furthermore, the principles of social sustainability and the measures of a good life are introduced, with particular emphasis on the importance of considering the social aspects of large-scale energy projects. The chapter also highlights the importance and means of social participation and how power relations influence energy policy decision making. Finally, basic economic tools to evaluate the economic feasibility of renewable energy projects are presented. Energy engineers should have a solid foundational understanding of these different aspects of energy projects in their everyday work in designing and building sustainable energy systems for a de-carbonized, sustainable, and just future.