Promoting Alternative Energy Programs in Developed Countries: A Review

Yasir A. Alturki, Noureddine Khelifa, Mohamed A. El-Kady

Ministry of Water and Electricity, Riyadh, KSA.
SEC Chair in Power System Reliability and Security, Electrical Engineering Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA.

DOI: 10.4236/epe.2013.52014                

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the promoting programs of solar and wind energies in different countries including Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, USA, Australia, China and India with an emphasis on Germany as a notable example. The success of each program is discussed in detail. The results of the investigation conducted in the paper have shown that some renewable energy laws have proven to be extremely successful. Among such laws, is the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in Germany, which guaranteed 20 years of stable prices for green power and has already brought many homeowners and businesses to install photovoltaic modules and to feed their electricity into the national grid. By the year 2010, the clean production of electricity by renewable energies in Germany has risen to around 202,000 GWh. In addition, about 70 million tons of CO₂ emissions in 2009 were avoided through the use of renewable energies in electricity generation in Germany.

Keywords

Renewable Energy; Resource Management; Environment; Cost Assessment

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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