Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper


Vol.07, Issue 04, 2001

Page Number: 345-353

RENEWANE ENERGY - CLEAN BUT NOT ALWAYS AFFORDABLE

S. Venkannah and Y. Calleecharan

Abstract

The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmopshere is responsible for problems such as global warming up, rise in the level of the sea, wind pattern changes, etc. It is high time that all countries put the required effort to reduce the CO2 emission to save the planet. One method to reduce the emission of CO2 is to maximize the use of renewable energy such as tidal, wind, hydro and solar energy. In tropical countries, solar energy can contribute a lot to the development of the country as well as decreasing the dependency on imported fuel such as petroleum and natural gas. But the equipment associated with renewable sources of energy is quite expensive as compared to equipment used with other fuels. This high initial cost tend to inhibit investment in renewable energy sources.