Environmental impacts and risk factors of renewable energy paradigm—a review

The transition to a low carbon society is dependent on renewable energy-based electrification. Nevertheless, energy programs have resulted in growing societal polarization in several regions. Therefore, around the globe, government and legislative authorities at the local, regional, national, and in...

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Published in:Environmental science and pollution research international 2020-09, Vol.27 (27), p.33516-33526
Main Authors: Nazir, Muhammad Shahzad, Ali, Ziad M., Bilal, Muhammad, Sohail, Hafiz M., Iqbal, Hafiz M. N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative energy sources
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Biomass
Biomass energy production
Burning
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Electrification
Energy
Energy conservation
Energy resources
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Environmental impact
Environmental science
Renewable energy sources
Renewable resources
Review Article
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Solar energy
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Wind
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Summary:The transition to a low carbon society is dependent on renewable energy-based electrification. Nevertheless, energy programs have resulted in growing societal polarization in several regions. Therefore, around the globe, government and legislative authorities at the local, regional, national, and international levels are highly concerned about the environmental impacts and risk factors that influence the energy paradigm. Thus, to minimize and/or limit the environmental insecurity issues, the world needs swift and effective actions to secure the climate for a better tomorrow. Moreover, there is a dire need to look for new energy alternatives, along with reducing the complete dependence on petro-based energy sources. Keeping this burning issue in mind, herein, an effort has been made to present the potential of several renewable energy sources, including wind-based renewable energy, solar-based renewable energy, hydro-based renewable energy, and biomass-based renewable energy. Following a brief introduction of energy-related problems and opportunities, a comparative overview is given to renewable vs. non-renewable energy sources. Then, several renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass, along with the worldwide energy capacity of each energy source are given with suitable examples and statistics. Finally, risk factors, concluding remarks, and future guidelines are discussed towards the end.
ISSN:0944-1344
1614-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11356-020-09751-8