More use of clean energy

The Energy from renewable resources as the sun and the wind is gaining more space in the world. Fearing to lose the fight against the increase in global temperature and the advance of climate change, countries have focused their actions on reducing the use of fossil fuels, considered as the main pollutants of the environment.

The report Trends Global investment in renewable energy 2019, published last week by the United Nations Organizations (UN), reveals that in the last decade (2010-2019) the capacity of renewable energy quadrupled, from 414 GW to 1,650 GW. In addition, these generated 12.9% of the world's electricity in 2018, above the 11.6% recorded in 2017. With this transformation, 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided ( CO2) to the environment.

Carlos Páez, professor of the faculty of Environmental Engineering of the National Polytechnic School, explains that it is necessary to move towards clean energies to stop the consequences of climate change, which are currently being lived with examples such as extreme weather events.

Countries that have historically been the most polluting should have more responsibilities, says Páez. The report shows that China, which is the main generator of greenhouse gases in the world, has been the largest investor in renewable energy capacity during this decade, with a balance of USD 758 billion between 2010 and the first half of 2019. This is followed by U.S, with USD 356 billion, and Japan with USD 202 billion.

In this investigation, in which the large plants are excluded hydroelectric, it is shown that solar energy has been the most potentiated. Solar capacity increased 26 times compared to 2009, from 25 GW to an estimated 663 GW.

Marcelo Pozo, professor of the Department of Automation and Industrial Control of the EPN, explains that the wind and solar energies have not had boom in Ecuador. Within the renewable, hydroelectric power has been privileged in the country.

The generation of hydroelectric power reached in 2018 the highest percentage of the last decade in Ecuador. 81% of the resource was produced with the incorporation of the five plants. Large hydroelectric power generation systems have been identified as responsible for causing damage to the rivers and their biodiversity. Well says that if a deep analysis is done, all energies can have some impact.

In the case of solar, for example, the panels are constructed with silicon. Its production requires a plant that consumes energy, which is not always obtained from renewable sources. In the case of wind, the blades and all the equipment for their operation are built in different parts of the world, where it is not certain what type of energy they use. Therefore, explains Pozo, these processes must be required to demonstrate that they have a green footprint from the beginning.

María José Ayala, innovation officer and Sustainability from the San Francisco University of Quito, explains that you cannot define the best way to obtain renewable energy, since you have to analyze the life cycle and where this technology is going to be installed. In Ecuador there are large solar plants in places like Salinas de Ibarra, Machala and Manta. Wind energy is also produced in Loja.

Ayala says that, although a large part of the electricity in the country corresponds to renewable sources, the energy balance is still dependent on fossil fuels. According to the latest National Energy Balance presented by the Government in 2017, 88% of the energy in the country came from oil. The one obtained from water, sun and wind accounted for 6%

Experts agree that the challenge to Ecuador is to transform the transport sector. This is considered the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the field of energy. In addition, the creation of regulations and laws that encourage the use of renewable energy should be encouraged.

Pozo says that the future of renewable energy is "going down to the micro and mini." Therefore, in EPN, as in other parts of the world, research is being carried out for the construction of microcentrals, which can be installed in streams and do not cause the same problems associated with large hydroelectric plants.