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 great improvements
over time. The clean energy race has transformed how we think of the term "energy," and we will
continue to improve our environment to become more sustainable. With over seven billion
people on the planet, there will always be an inevitable increase in the demand on 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. As a result
of humanitys rise in the overuse of natural resources, nations around the world have taken
initiative in the global renewable energy race. So who has emerged as the winner of the energy
race over the course of the last fifty years? Through much research regarding the performance of
different nations throughout this global energy race, many believe that large, developed nations
are losing their advancements in the energy movement. But what caused this drastic shift in
global energy leadership between developed and developing nations around the world? In this
review, the widespread energy investments made by developed nations compared to the steadily
declining economic statuses of developing nations are investigated to determine how and why a
winner has ultimately emerged from the global race towards total dependence on renewable
energy.
Developed Nations
The average American consumes the energy equivalent of seven metric tons of oil every
year. The amount of energy consumed by Americans has increased over the years, and
technology available to Americans has changed accordingly, raising the standard of living of
those in the United States. However, the problems associated with limited fossil fuel resources
and the consequences of using them have also continued to grow. Energy will remain a focus of

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our national consciousness, with a growing emphasis on sustainability and energy independence.
A comprehensive study by the US Department of Energys National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) shows that the U.S. can generate most of its electricity from renewable
energy by 2050. The Renewable Electricity Futures Study found that an 80 percent renewables
future is feasible with currently available technologies, including wind turbines, solar
photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, biopower, geothermal, and hydropower. The study also
demonstrates that a high renewables scenario can meet electricity demand across the country
every hour of every day, year-round. However, according to the 2015 UNEP Global Trends in
Renewable Energy Investments, many 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.
Developing Nations
The Who will Win the Green Race? In Search of Environmental Competitiveness and
Innovation journal aims to determine the winners of the green race through combining patent
data with international trade and output data. 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. One of the most difficult aspects of research in
this particular field is the difficult task of defining green competitiveness on a global scale. This
study does an excellent job of defining 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). At the end of the day, it is extremely difficult to collect sensitive data
regarding renewable energy in extremely low-developed nations. Therefore, researchers in this

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particular study acknowledged the fact that the eight countries [they] stud[ied] account for
almost two-thirds of the global economic output, but data constraints meant [they] also had to
leave out many important economies, both present and emerging (Fankhauser, 2013).
The article Developing Countries Invest in Renewables Twice the Pace of Industrialized
Nations analyzes the discrepancies between renewable energy in developed and underdeveloped
countries. The article focuses on the Climatescope 2014 Report, which reported that some of the
worlds poorest countries are already renewable energy leaders (Pantsios, 2014). The report
concludes that large-scale clean energy development makes basic economic sense in many
Climatescope countries (Pantsios, 2014). This opinion supports the argument that developing
nations are winning the renewable energy race due to their low economic status and inability to
invest in expensive natural resources. Dilip Ahuja and Marika Tatsutani are also well-known
researchers in this field. Together, they wrote a paper which does an excellent job breaking down
several different historic energy trends around the world, as well as renewable energy differences
between developed and underdeveloped countries. Ahuja and Tatsutani argue that a major
problem in underdeveloped nations is that it is extremely difficult to worry about long-term
sustainability while many citizens are simply trying to survive with little resources to which they
have access. In order to analyze renewable energy resources on a global scale, it is important to
understand the differences between industrialized and underdeveloped countries, and the
particular needs and strengths of all countries (Ahuja, 2009).
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. In his article In the Developing World, Solar is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels, Bullis

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discusses how the dropping price 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. Thanks to
several large, technological innovations, 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 company Eight19 is known for creating sensible payment plans in order to
provide solar energy systems, specifically in developing nations (Bullis, 2012). Many companies
like Eight19 have completely changed the alternative energy market, due to their ability to reach
out to poorer nations such as the ones discussed in this artifact.
Researchers Do Agree
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 solar energy in developing countries as a golden opportunity in
many cases (Foroudastan, 2006). This is because many underdeveloped countries, especially in
northern and central Africa, are closer to the Earths equator than some of the worlds most
developed nations. Therefore, solar energy in developing nations would provide a serious boost
in their economy due to the reduced electric expenses over time. Additionally, the journal
Renewable Energy in Developing and Developed Nations: Outlooks to 2040 was written by
two researchers at the University of Florida, Nicole Vandaele and Dr. Wendell Porter. These
researchers conducted a study in order to see how we could use current renewable energy data in
order to estimate total energy demands in 2040. The four nations that they chose to study were

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the United States (developed) compared to Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa (underdeveloped).
These countries were chosen because they 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 completely transfer our world to an anti-natural resource society by 2040, both
developing and developed nations should work together in order to achieve maximum results in
the renewable energy race around the world.
Conclusion
As the use of fossil fuels used in todays society declines, the clean energy forecast
continues to look promising for years to come. 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 this weakness and continue to press onward in the energy
race.

Reference List
Ahuja, D., & Tatsutani, M. (2009). Sustainable energy for developing countries. SAPIENS.
Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society, (2.1). Retrieved from
https://sapiens.revues.org/823

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Bullis, K. (2012). In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels-Technology
Review. Technology Review. Retrieved from
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/426718/in-the-developing-world-solar-is-cheaperthan-fossil-fuels/
Fankhauser, S., Bowen, A., Calel, R., Dechezleprtre, A., Grover, D., Rydge, J., & Sato, M.
(2013). Who will win the green race? In search of environmental competitiveness and
innovation. Global Environmental Change, 23(5), 902-913. Retrieved from
http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0959378013000812/1-s2.0-S0959378013000812-main.pdf?
_tid=3e3d62e6-dff1-11e5-9ebf00000aacb361&acdnat=1456866473_db4f9563b64da07cd9595981d2efb1b1
Foroudastan, S. D., & Dees, O. (2006). Solar power and sustainability in developing countries.
In Proceedings of the international conference on renewable energy for developing
countries. Retrieved from
http://www.udc.edu/docs/cere/Solar%20Power%20and%20Sustainability%20in
%20Developing%20Countries.pdf
Pantsios, A. (2014) Developing Countries Invest in Renewables Twice the Pace of Industrialized
Nations. Ecowatch. Retrieved from
http://ecowatch.com/2014/10/29/developing-countries-invest-renewable-energy/
Vandaele, N., & Porter, W. (2015) Renewable Energy in Developing and Developed Nations:
Outlooks to 2040. Retrieved from
http://warrington.ufl.edu/centers/purc/purcdocs/papers/1501_Vandaele_Renewable
%20Energy%20in%20Developing%20and%20Developed%20Nations.pdf