THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF GREEN ENERGY - PART 1

Nowadays, it has become more than necessary to limit the risks associated with climate change. Keeping global warming below the two-degree mark implies a radical shift from investment to clean energy (OECD, 2016). In the next sections, we will be discussing further analyzing the economic benefits of green energy produced from renewable energies, namely solar, hydro, wind, geothermal or biomass energy in Quebec.

THE REAL QUESTION IS: what are the economic benefits of green energies?

In fact, these energies have many economic benefits, although they are more visible in the long term. In the short term, some energies may seem expensive to put in place, but in the long run, there is huge economic and environmental benefit.

• Green energies will generate jobs in the future and will be a source of good investment. To date, several investors have decided to get involved in development projects, which leads to lowering the cost of renewable energy.

Interesting fact - The two cheapest energies at the moment are solar and wind energy.

In fact, when the cost of capital is down, investors are less afraid to invest and so there are contracts created to sell the electricity produced. In addition, the advantageous policies of some countries, such as the free land concession or network connection supported, are able to lighten the bill of developers, which encourages them to invest in this industry.

• On the other hand, construction costs are also more affordable thanks to the development of real industrial platforms, which reduce the costs associated with the space occupied (BFM BUSINESS, 2017). As a result, renewable energy costs continue to decline as investors become more involved in development projects.

• There are renewable energies that are inexhaustible, such as solar photovoltaic energy which is an electrical energy produced from solar radiation. The energy produced by a photovoltaic solar power plant is called renewable because its source is considered inexhaustible on the human time scale. This type of energy is experiencing significant global growth, particularly in the United States and Ontario through financial support programs for photovoltaic facilities.

On the other hand, it is Quebec that can benefit from the cheapest kWh rate in North America. (Yes, we are lucky) This energy is not yet very developed, but it is constantly increasing (Ecosolaris, 2017).

Love. Olivia D.

Sources :
BFM BUSINESS. (2017). Pourquoi les coûts des énergies renouvelables ne cessent de diminuer. Repéré en ligne à http://bfmbusiness.bfmtv.com/entreprise/pourquoi-le-cout-des-energies-renouvelables-ne-cesse-de-diminuer-1047537.html Consulté le 24 avril 2017.

Ecosolaris. (2017). Les avantages de l’énergie solaire pour votre chauffage au Québec. Repéré en ligne à http://www.ecosolaris.ca/fr/a_propos/a-propos-energie-solaire-chauffage.php Consulté le 24 avril 2017.

OCDE. (2016). Lignes directrices pour l'investissement dans une infrastructure énergétique propre: Faciliter l'accès aux énergies propres en faveur du développement et de la croissance verte. OCDE, Paris. Repéré à http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org.res.banq.qc.ca/docserver/download/2014062e.pdf?expires=1493772298&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=E1E5284F2474AFAB6EB682FBCD989AF6 Consulté le 2 mai 2017.

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