Alternative Energy 1

Running Head: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Alternative Energy in Developing Countries

Jamie M. Mears
Glen Allen High School

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Introduction
From torches to solar panels, our societys energy sources have seen significant
enhancements over time. The clean energy race has transformed how we think of the term
"energy," and we will continue to improve our ecological footprint to become a more sustainable
world. With over seven billion people on the planet, there will always be an inevitable increase in
the demand of the world's natural resources. Several natural resources such as oil, water, coal,
phosphorous, and other rare earth elements are already under severe pressure from current rates
of consumption. Humanitys rise in the overuse of natural resources has occured, nations around
the world to take initiative in their global renewable energy standings. So who has emerged as
the winner of the alternative energy race over the course of the last fifty years? Through
significant research regarding the performance of different nations throughout this global energy
race, highly industrialized nations are losing their advancements in the energy movement.
Developed countries need to cut ties with old ways and look to developing nations as a model for
future energy standards.

Developed Nations
The average American consumes the energy equivalent of seven metric tons of oil every
year (Sun, 2013). The amount of energy consumed by Americans has increased over the years,
and the technologies available have changed accordingly, raising the standards of living for those
in the United States. Unfortunately, the problems associated with limited fossil fuels and the
consequences of overusing them have also continued to grow. Energy will remain a focus of our
national consciousness, with a growing emphasis on sustainability and energy independence. A

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comprehensive study by the U.S. Department of Energys National Renewable Energy
Laboratory shows that the United States can generate up to 80 percent of its electricity from
renewable energy by 2050 (Renewable Energy). Similarly, the Renewable Electricity Futures
Study (REFS) found that an 80 percent renewables future is feasible for the U.S. with currently
available technologies, including wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, concentrating solar power,
biopower, geothermal, and hydropower (Renewable Energy). The REFS also demonstrates that a
high renewables scenario can meet electricity demand across the country every hour of every
day, year-round (Renewable Energy). Although developed nations have recently seen great
advancements in the field of alternative energy, and have established an outstanding path for
their future towards energy independence, many developing nations have already taken these
steps and are far ahead in the global renewable energy race. According to the 2015 UNEP Global
Trends in Renewable Energy Investments, developing countries are taking the lead in the clean
energy race, followed closely behind by large, developed nations such as China, Japan, and the
United States (Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment, 2016). Although residents of
developing nations have been deprived of many luxurious technologies that many citizens of
developed nations take for granted, alternative energy sources are just one example of how these
excessively dominant nations are falling behind on a global scale.
There are other developed countries outside of the United States who are also struggling
to keep up in the global renewable energy race. In Australia, there are substantial opportunities
for renewable energy sources across the country. However, a lack of clear federal policy has led
to a drop in renewable energy investment (The Australian Renewable Energy Race, 2014).
Governmental policy also has a significant impact on alternative energy in industrialized nations.
The Australian Federal Government is seeking to weaken the Renewable Energy Target.

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Consequently, investments in renewable energy in 2014 dropped by 70 percent compared to the
previous year (The Australian Renewable Energy Race, 2014). Australias shift to competitive
low emissions technology is fundamental to the countrys long-term wealth creation and healthy
future. As other states step back, South Australia has maintained and increased emissions
reduction and renewable energy targets as well as positive policy settings encouraging renewable
energy (The Australian Renewable Energy Race, 2014). This places South Australia in the best
position to reap the benefits of the global shift to cleaner energy.

Developing Nations
Due to the drastic shift in the global alternative energy standings between both developed
and developing countries, these powerful nations must be able to look towards smaller,
developing nations and learn from their outstanding alternative energy accomplishments. Low
economic statuses still prove to be one of the strongest factors in determining a nations
investment in renewable energy. The Climatescope 2014 Report testified that some of the
worlds poorest countries are already renewable energy leaders and concluded that large-scale
clean energy development makes basic economic sense in many Climatescope countries
(Pantsios, 2014). Developing nations are winning the renewable energy race due to their low
economic status and inability to invest in expensive natural resources. According to Anastasia
Pantsios of Ecowatch, on average, developing countries invest in renewables twice as fast as
industrialized nations (Pantsios, 2014). The discrepancies between renewable energy in
developed and underdeveloped countries will hopefully work towards improving the overall
economic statuses of developing nations. Dilip Ahuja and Marika Tatsutani are two well-known
researchers in this particular field. Together, they published a paper which analyzes several

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different historic energy trends around the world and defends the main renewable energy
differences between developed and underdeveloped countries (Ahuja, 2009). In many
underdeveloped nations, it is extremely difficult to worry about long-term sustainability while
many citizens are simply trying to survive with the few resources to which they have limited
access (Ahuja, 2009). Renewable energy resources are the best way for developing nations to
solve this problem because they provide their citizens with the energy they need to survive, while
saving the country both time and money. To effectively analyze renewable energy resources on a
global scale, one must understand the physical and economic differences between industrialized
and third-world countries, and the particular needs and strengths of all nations.

Economic Status
One of the most influential factors regarding developing nations upper hand in the global
energy race is a result of their overall economic status compared to stronger, more developed
countries. Kevin Bullis discusses how the plummeting cost of renewable energy sources, such as
solar panels in many countries, has dropped so low that now it is cheaper than the leading fossil
fuels (Bullis, 2012). The global economy has witnessed one of the largest transitions in history
over the last few decades: from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. For example, the
British company Eight19 is known for creating sensible payment plans in order to provide solar
energy systems, specifically in developing nations (Bullis, 2012). In 2012, Eight19 was awarded
the Climate Week Award for Best Initiative for a Small/Medium-Sized Business, as
recognition for their work with solar technologies (Eight19 Wins Climate Week Award, 2012).
These solar technologies are currently delivering clean and affordable electricity for remote
rural communities in four African countries so far (Eight19, 2012). Many companies like

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Eight19 have completely changed the alternative energy market, due to their ability to reach out
to poorer nations. As a result, these lower-income countries can now afford these new solar
technologies, and now have extra money to spend on even newer uses of alternative energy, such
as battery-powered vehicles.
In the last decade, America has acknowledged their low standing in the global energy
race. Since Obama took office in 2009, wind energy has tripled and solar energy has increased
30 fold (Utech, 2015). With this drastic increase, more jobs have also been createdwellpaying jobs that cannot be shipped overseas (Utech, 2015). For example, with more than 20% of
Indias population currently coping without access to electricity, the government has promised to
provide all households with constant power supply before the next national election in 2019
(Leach, 2015). As a response, it is estimated that India could reach 145GW of solar by 2024.
This good news has further positive implications: as solar power rapidly becomes a mainstream
energy option, the industry could create over 670,000 new, clean-energy jobs in India (Leach,
2015). This increased number of energy jobs in developing nations would not only mend the
nations ecological footprint, but it would ultimately improve the low economic statuses of these
nations.

Technological Innovations
The lack of fossil fuels, caused by an extreme over-dependence on natural resources by
large, industrial nations, has led to a rise in various renewable energy sources and other
technological innovations. Due to several impressive novelties, the global economy has
witnessed one of the most monumental transitions in history over the last few decades: from

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fossil fuels to alternative energy sources (Bullis, 2012). Almost as drastic as the evolution from
farming to factories in the late 1700s, this transition has saved these nations millions of dollars to
date. Falling technology costs and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are both plausible
explanations behind this new growth in developing countries (King, 2015). As citizens have
become more educated about the ecological footprint they leave on our planet, many have been
furiously working towards total energy independence. Consequently, Jeff Spross explains how
many developing countries are prepared to completely erase any trace of fossil fuels from their
countrys energy market (Spross, 2014). Mainly in Africa and Asia, these nations have become
some of the strongest alternative energy capitals in the world. In fact, developing countries
renewable energy capacity increased by 143 percent between 2008 and 2013 (Spross, 2014).
As the use of fossil fuels decreases, these technological innovations will still continue to grow
and develop with time.
In addition to common examples of wind and solar energy, recent developments in
hydropower and geothermal energy have emerged as two main sources of renewable energy
around the world, especially for developing nations. Hydropower is a primary energy source not
only for developing countries, but also for industrialized ones. Norway, for example, gets nearly
100 percent of its electricity from hydropower (Henrikson, 2013). Alternative energy resources
related to water are significantly influenced by the geography and developmental history of the
area because hydropower is renewable only as long as the rivers run. For example, Venezuela
and Zambia are currently having power crises because most of their electricity comes from
hydropower and they are in a drought (Henrikson, 2013). The water level behind the dams is too
low to generate enough power. Situations like this will arise more frequently in a changing
climate. Many countries in Africa rely heavily on a single big dammany of which were built in

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the colonial era. Hydropower has even proven a bigger share of electricity generation than solar
and wind in many countries, and new hydropower dams are being built almost exclusively in
developing countries. Solar and wind, however, are growing quite rapidlyespecially in China
and Indiaand do not have nearly as many environmental and social drawbacks as big dams.

Substantial Environmental Effects

After years of creating technologies to erase our years of our dependence on natural
resources, these technological innovations have led to a sufficient decrease in harmful,
environmental effects. Samuel Fankhauser and other scientists conducted a study to determine
the winners of the green race through combining patent data with international trade and
output data (Fankhauser, 2013). This study defines green competitiveness as the idea of
countries competing for market share in an emerging green economy, which is rooted in our
understanding of the organic, bottom-up dynamics of national and sectoral innovation systems
(Fankhauser, 2013). Through an in-depth analysis of the renewable energy market in eight
different countries around the world, the researchers were able to discover why some nations are
further ahead than others. Fankhauser concluded that each of the eight countries they study have
areas of green competitiveness, and also appear to have areas of weakness (Fankhauser, 2013).
Either way, it is likely that the green race could change the global competitive landscape. In
many cases, the countries that currently enjoy a comparative advantage are not the leading green
innovatorssome of them could even lose their competitive edge. At the end of the day,
however, it is extremely difficult to collect sensitive data regarding renewable energy in
extremely low-developed nations. Therefore, researchers in this particular study acknowledged
the fact that the eight countries [they] stud[ied] account for almost two-thirds of the global

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economic output, but data constraints meant [they] also had to leave out many important
economies, both present and emerging (Fankhauser, 2013). Regardless of these statistical errors,
the main priority of these technological innovations is to prevent harmful environmental effects,
which is why so many nations have taken great care in diminishing their dangerous ecological
footprints.

Global Resolutions
Amidst the heated argument regarding the true winner of the renewable energy race, most
will agree that in the least, economic status does play a major role in the energy race, along with
population, geographic location, and other minor factors. For example, a team of researchers
from Middle Tennessee State University compiled a report ten years ago, yet a significant
amount of its information about the worlds renewable energy sources is still relevant today.
Foroudastan and Dees describe developing countries as a golden opportunity for solar energy
expansions (Foroudastan, 2006). Many underdeveloped countries, especially in northern and
central Africa, are closer to the Earths equator than some of the worlds most developed nations.
Therefore, the reduced electric expenses triggered by augmented solar energy in developing
nations would provide a serious boost to their struggling economies.
Additionally, in their journal Renewable Energy in Developing and Developed Nations:
Outlooks to 2040 Nicole Vandaele and Dr. Wendell Porter conducted a study at the University
of Florida to determine how we could use current renewable energy data to estimate total energy
demands in 2040. The four nations they chose to study were the United States, a developed
country, and Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa, which are underdeveloped countries. These

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countries were chosen because they accurately reflect varying stages of economic development,
current electricity generation situations, and potential for renewable energy technologies
(Vandaele, 2015). The ultimate goal of the study was to determine the required capacity
installations per year until 2040 in order to generate nearly 100% of electricity with renewable
sources (Vandaele, 2015). At the conclusion of this study, they learned that the most efficient
way to transform our world to an anti-natural resource society by 2040 is to teach both
developing and developed nations to work together to achieve maximum results in the global
renewable energy race. For years, passionate residents of large, industrial nations have donated
millions of dollars to the improvement of weaker, developing nations. Now, unindustrialized
nations have an opportunity to give back by helping developed nations acquire the same
alternative energy sources that are now considered normal in their own countries.
Collaboration between nations in the renewable energy race should be highly encouraged
across the planet. According to an article regarding the UNs role in the Global Action Agenda
towards total independence on renewable energy:
By bringing together leaders from government, finance, business and civil society, we
can establish partnerships that will make sustainable energy for all a reality. The scale of
the global energy transition is too large for governments to lead alone. Private investment
and business engagement will be essential to success. Civil society organizations must
help effect and sustain change. Increasingly, such partnerships will be central to the UNs
work across the breadth of the organization (Pathways for Concerted Action toward
Sustainable Energy for All, 2012).

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Sustainable energy is a call to action for our collective future. By working together, we can
achieve a broad-based transformation of the worlds energy systems over the next 20 years and
build a better world for our children and for generations yet to come.
History of Global Energy Trends
Energy trends have constantly fluctuated throughout history. Developed nations are as
large and powerful as they are today partly because they entered their Industrial Revolution in
the 1800s, far before any third-world country. This global inconsistency has resulted in these
powerful nations being extremely dependent on natural resourcesbecause that is how they
decided to spend their money during the Industrial Revolution. If the renewable energy resources
we have today were available at that time, then their money would have been spent differently on
more affordable, cost-efficient sources of clean energy. In the case of water-based renewable
energy sources, the United States began its dam-building phase earlier than most countries. The
big U.S. hydropower dams were built between the Great Depression and the 1970s, and the rest
of the world followed with the construction of dams starting in the 1960s and through today. The
World Bank was a major funder, taking its cue from the U.S. experience. Now, developed nations
are frozen in a time period of natural resources, and are unable to make the total transition
from natural to renewable energy resources.
It is believed by some that developing countries have finally reached their Industrial
Revolution in the last few decades, much later than the United States and other developed
nations, due to their lower economic statuses. This progression in their nations history has led
developing nations to invest more in renewable energy than developed nations. In other words,
many third-world countries have completely skipped the Industrial Revolution that many
developed nations went through during the mid-1800s. One of the biggest, global legislations for

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developments in alternative energy was developed at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference
in Paris, France. The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement, a global agreement on the
reduction of climate change, the text of which represented a consensus of the representatives of
the 196 parties in attendance (Utech, 2015). According to the organizing committee, the expected
key result was an agreement to set a goal of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees
Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. The agreement also calls for zero net anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century (Utech, 2015).
Passing extensions to renewable energy credits is the best step the United States could take after
Paris. It would signal continued momentum to low-carbon energy solutions here in the United
States, and around the world.

Future Energy Trends

As the world has become more aware of the harmful effects of natural resources, many
have attempted to work towards total energy independence.
The bill ended up in the trash, and the U.S. has not made it clear how it will meet its
emission goals. In response, the U.S. has taken some actions at the federal level to curb
emissions, including new nationwide fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks.
Individual states also have laws designed to lower their emissions in the coming decades.
California has the most ambitious plan: Starting in 2013, the state will cap greenhouse
gas emissions from factories and power plants, and, eventually, emissions from vehicles.
But even with all those state and federal actions taken together, the World Resources
Institute figures that the U.S. cannot achieve a 17 percent reduction in emissions by 2020.

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New federal lawsfor example, one that puts a tax on carbon emissionswould need to
fill the gap, and prospects for that are not good (What Countries, 2011).
As enthusiastic as a nation can be about their current path towards total energy independence,
many alternative energy sources are facing significant structural and economic challenges. For
example, water-related alternative energy sources such as big dams have the potential to uproot
people from their homes, destroy rivers and fish habitat, and cause geopolitical tensions. They
are expensive, a magnet for corruption, and a safety risk in geologically unstable terrain such as
the Himalayas. Their reliability in the future of a warming world is questionable. That being said,
governments are still vigorously pursuing them in Ethiopia, China, Brazil, Cambodia, India, and
more. In fact, some regions are in a new dam-building boom. The United States, on the other
hand, generated roughly 6 percent of electricity in 2015 from hydropower. That is the same now
as wind, solar, and geothermal combined (What is the U.S. electricity generation by energy
source, 2016). There is a push, however, from the federal government to install turbines in dams,
and also in canals and distribution pipes that do not currently have them (Profita, 2015). In
Portland, Oregon, they have already begun a project in which Lucid Energy has installed a
series of small hydroelectric generators inside a pipe that carries drinking water to the city, and
anticipates to generate $2 million worth of renewable energy over the next 20 years (Profita,
2015). The future of hydropower and other forms of alternative energy in the United States are
more of the small-scale developments, but will continue to grow exponentially.

Conclusion

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As the use of fossil fuels used in todays society declines, the global clean energy forecast
continues to look promising for years to come. Renewable energy is reliable and plentiful and
will potentially be very cheap once technology and infrastructure improve; however, the benefits
of renewables stretch far beyond solely reducing carbon emissions. Nonrenewable energy, such
as coal and petroleum, will always require costly explorations and potentially dangerous mining
and drilling, and they will become even more expensive as supplies continue to dwindle and
demand increases. After much debate, developing countries have assumed the lead in the global
race towards total dependence on renewable energy due to their low economic status, resulting in
the inability to invest in large amounts of natural resources to provide for their nation's
population. With this information and research, stronger, more developed nations can
acknowledge their weaknesses and continue to press onward in the alternative energy race.
It is something of an uncomfortable fact that civilized society is almost completely reliant
upon fossil fuels for nearly every aspect of its existence. There ample reasons to move toward the
use of renewable energy both now and in the future. However, the most powerful of these
arguments is simply that one day, there will no longer be an option. Across the next several
generations, fossil fuels will be left in the dust. The question now is whether society wants to
transition away from fossil fuels on its own terms, or be forced into it by desperate necessity
sometime in the near future.

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