RENEWABLE ENERGY OR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

RENEWABLE ENERGY OR ENERGY EFFICIENCY?

What is “Net Zero” or “Zero Carbon” and Why It Matters

The world population is constantly increasing. According to the data of the United Nations Population Fund, the world population in 2022 is approximately 8 billion. This number was around 6 billion just 22 years ago in 2000. In other words, we are talking about an increase of 33% in 22 years. Of course, this is not a problem as long as the resources are sufficient and used efficiently, but one thing to be noted is that, according to the data of Our World in Data, human beings living in a total area of 149 million km2, which constitute 30% of the total land area of the Earth. It is capable of farming on an area of approximately 50 million km2, excluding unproductive soils, bushes, glaciers, forests and natural environments. That is 10% of the total area. In addition, 74% of the population has access to safe clean water, which is only 1% of the World's water. In other words, in parallel with the increasing population, water, food and shelter crises have already started to occur in addition to energy. Today, 25% of the population is 0-14 years old, 10% is 65+ years old and 65% is 15-64 years old. I wanted to share this distribution in order to draw attention to the age range of the people responsible for energy consumption, which I will mention in the future. At least 5 billion people are at the center of energy consumption and are able to control consumption.

In its simplest form, net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. In other words, if the amount we add to the atmosphere is not more than the intake, we provide this balance. This is important because as carbon emissions in the atmosphere increase, the environment becomes unhealthy and the Earth warms. This warming will cause negativities such as melting glaciers, rising water levels, decreasing fresh water resources, difficulties in agriculture, floods, storms, increased humidity in the air, drought, pollution of the oceans, increased methane gas, extinction of some animal and plant species and health problems that humanity will face. As of today, the first thing that all 5 billion people, without exception, should pay attention to, is to reduce their energy consumption first and then turn their energy resources into green energy.

The Role of Renewables in Energy Production

The part of the basic energy met by renewable energy in the World is still around 14%. On the other hand, only 28% of electricity generation comes from renewable sources. Current electricity production in 2022 in the world is 28,500 TWh. This was at 15,500 TWh in 2000. Production is increasing in parallel with the population, and unfortunately, about 35% of electricity production is made by coal, 22% by gas, 15% by hydropower, 9% by nuclear energy and the remainder by wind, solar, other renewables and fuel oil. No need to mention importance of reducing fossil fuel consumption, because its risks and consequences need to be considered very separately. In addition, dozens of measures that can be taken, such as hydrogen production and fuelcell technologies, need to be determined and implemented by country leaders rather than individuals. In this article, I would like to draw attention to what we can do more individually.

As technology develops, the energy consumed per person also increases. Of course, I am not against population growth or the development of technology that makes our lives easier, but rules, plans and practices are insufficient. I find the measures regarding the more efficient use of current energy consumption insufficient. Let's do our best to increase the share of renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions, protect the atmosphere and the environment, but why do we neglect to use energy efficiently? This is not big or small, even the unbalanced speed-braking of a driver is a waste of energy.?

What is Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency can simply be said to achieve the same performance using less energy. In order to better understand this, it is useful to understand which energy sources we use in which areas. We can list energy sources as nuclear energy, fossil energy and renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy is obtained as a result of nuclear reaction. Nuclear power plants use radioactive materials as fuel to obtain heat energy and produce electricity from this energy. Although it is supported by reasons such as partially reducing foreign dependency, it still has serious risks for the environment. Fossil fuels consist of oil, gas and coal. The most well-known among renewable energy sources are wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal. We use these resources in households, buildings, industry and transportation. For all we use 40% oil, 10% coal, 15% natural gas, 20% electricity, 15% biofuels and others.

How to Use Energy Efficiently

Of course, this depends on the geography and climate, but the main focus is on preventing energy waste, then acquiring energy-saving technologies and equipment, and making green energy transformation simultaneously. In this regard, help can be obtained from LEED and similar internationally accredited institutions. Of course, the methods vary depending on whether we want to achieve efficiency in industry, households, buildings or transport. If we take commercial and public buildings as an example, let's evaluate what measures we can take.

1. First of all, analysis should be done for due diligence. The energy consumption elements of the building are determined and separated according to energy sources. For example, in a building, energy is mainly used for lighting, heating and cooling. As an energy source, gas, coal, fuel oil etc. can come after electricity. At this stage, when we group energy consumption according to needs, it is aimed to achieve the same efficiency with less energy by targeting what we use the energy for more. In fact, there is another important measure here, which is to do the same work in a shorter time and to be in the building less. However, waste energy is one of the first things to be eliminated.

2. Assuming that the most energy is used for cooling in the building, a lower cost, more environmentally friendly and higher calorie energy source can be preferred. If the energy source is electricity and there is no other alternative for the source, then it can be aimed to replace the equipment used in cooling with a new technology with a high energy efficiency model. Of course, since we need to focus on green energy, it should be aimed to replace electricity with a renewable energy source. It may bring an additional cost at first, but in the medium term, it will be a right step for both the environment and the business.

3. Design and technological applications in buildings are among other measures that can be taken. For example, the Empire State Building in New York in the United States has reduced its energy consumption by 38% with energy-efficient technology and designs. With 6,500 new windows, new auto control systems, internet-based energy management systems, led lights and cooling facility modernization, it saved 2.4 million USD in the first year and protected the atmosphere from 4 metric tons of carbon. With this change, it received LEED Gold Certification.

4. The measurement was made, the energy source was arranged and the equipment was renewed, the design was changed, new types of automation systems were integrated, but it was not finished. After everything is completed, the performance of the conversion should be monitored with automatic on-off switches, level detection devices, warning systems, monitoring software and similar products. Finally, everything that has been done should be explained in detail to all stakeholders. This is very important for the spread of social responsibility and for people to embrace such projects.

This goal should never be given up, because future generations will see and evaluate what we have done or not done for them. Don't we want to be remembered well? In addition, countries support such practices. The financial resources required by these transformations can be given under very special conditions, sometimes with a long grace period and sometimes entirely as a grant. For example, there is a tax credit application in America. According to this practice, companies can deduct some of their renewable energy investments from taxes, which positively affects and encourages the return times of projects. While there are all these opportunities, it is best to act early and take our place among those who do this job voluntarily.

What to Do as an Individual

I think we should reach every area we can influence, starting from the region we live in, and bring the measures that can be taken to save energy to the agenda. We should talk about this at every opportunity. We should examine and share the examples made. In other words, almost everyone says that renewable energy is great, we should do it at the first opportunity and we support it wholeheartedly, some say that the fuel cell is very successful and hydrogen will save us. Others say that we should plant more trees, it will benefit the atmosphere. But unfortunately, very few people say that we should consume less energy, stop waste energy and start the green energy transformation individually. Because they think what effect it will have if I do it alone.

As individuals, we should closely follow the changes in the world and adapt ourselves to the developments. A person cannot manage the work that he does not know and cannot measure. Let's first research, learn, then measure and optimize. Personally, I try to draw attention to these at every opportunity, I often buy second-hand clothes and some tools, I take part in renewable energy projects, I provide consultancy on a global scale on structural transformations of energy companies within the scope of decarbonization targets. I'm getting ready to start work on a few technologies related to energy efficiency soon. Some of my friends are laughing saying that your second-hand clothes will save the world, but I'm doing something on my own. Let's use this energy efficiently first and then we will turn into renewable energy anyway, we have to! But energy efficiency will save us time. I think you should ask yourself, what am I doing about it?

Ali Murat YESILYURT

Florida, 2022