Opinion – Claudio Bernardes: Renewable energy is a necessity, not an option

Most of the energy consumed in cities is used for electricity, heating and cooling buildings, industrial activities or the transport of people and goods. Regardless of the source, energy is an important factor for development.

Most of these activities take place in or around cities, which are responsible for a large part of a country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and therefore the main engines of global economic growth.

To run their activities, cities need an uninterrupted supply of energy, and consume approximately 75% of global primary energy.

According to the World Resources Institute, 66.4% of all energy consumed in the world’s cities is distributed among industrial activities (31.9%), residences (27.5%) and transport (19.7%).

Achieving bold targets for renewable energy consumption in cities is therefore imperative, and city governments are increasingly recognizing the potential of clean, renewable energy to help create environmentally sound cities.

According to a report by REN21 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century), the possibilities and strategies for municipal governments to increase the consumption of renewable energy —and thereby achieve their climate and energy goals—depend on a variety of factors.

A decisive variable for a city’s ability to advance in the deployment and use of renewable energy is the degree of regulatory and financial power that federal governments grant to municipal governments. Furthermore, the ability of cities to expand their consumption of renewable energy is greatly affected by market rules, regulations on energy production, and policies defined by higher levels of government, in addition to the degree of economic dependence on fossil fuels.

Also according to the REN21 report, globally, at least 834 cities in 72 countries, covering 558 million people, have adopted a renewable energy target in at least one sector by the end of 2020. Altogether, these cities had a total of 1,088 targets, 653 of which are oriented towards the use of 100% renewable energy in municipal operations.

While target-setting for renewable energy has focused heavily on energy production, several cities plan to transition to renewable energy in various areas, such as heating and transportation systems, with increased use of batteries or hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Immediate adoption of policies and targets for renewable energy adoption is urgent. If current global urban sprawl trends continue, energy use in cities will more than triple, from 240 exajoules in 2005 to 730 exajoules in 2050. Just to give you an idea of ​​these figures, total electricity consumption across Brazil in 2020 was approximately 1.7 exajoule.

Currently, there are technologies developed so that cities can opt for different types of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity, tidal energy, photovoltaic solar panels and wind energy.

Once municipalities identify available renewable energy options, they must consider specific city and community priorities, and their alignment with economic development and resilience initiatives.

Finally, cities must face the political and financial challenges, which involve the financing model of the initial cost of installing renewable energy systems, and establish ways to ensure that access to this energy and its benefits are equitably distributed across the world. community.