Rising energy demand and efforts to address climate change require a significant increase in low-carbon electricity generation. Yet, concern has been raised that rapid investment in some novel technologies could cause a new set of environmental problems.
This is a summary of the key findings of the International Resource Panel (IRP) report Green Energy Choices: The Benefits, Risks and Trade-Offs of Low-Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production which aims to support policy-makers in making choices about the technologies, infrastructures and energy sources. It does so through an analysis of the mainstream commercially available renewable and non-renewable power generation technologies3, analysing their GHG mitigation potential, but also tradeoffs in terms of: Environmental impacts (impacts on ecosystems, eutrophication and acidification, etc.) Human health impacts (particulates and toxicity) Resource use implications (iron, copper, aluminium, cement, energy, water and land).
The report provides a comprehensive comparison of a range of technologies, including coal and gas with and without CO2 capture and storage (CCS), photovoltaic power, concentrated solar power, hydropower, geothermal, and wind power. It takes a life-cycle perspective, covering the production of the equipment and fuel, the operation of the power plants and their dismantling.
The work of the IRP represents the first in-depth international comparative assessment of the environmental, health and resource impacts of these different energy technologies, and is the work of an international scientific and technical experts team.