Renewable energy sources

The renewable sources of energy derived from solar radiation are: hydropower, biomass, wind power, solar heat, solar thermal and photovoltaic electricity, geothermal energy and ambient heat for heat pumps.

The potential of these sources is sufficient to meet the energy demand of today and of the foreseeable future. However, with the exception of hydropower and some biomass technologies, their practical application results in high cost compared to the cost of fossil fuels today. The technologies to utilise these sources are basically developed and, in some cases, successfully applied. More R&D is needed to reduce their cost and to improve their reliability. The highest potential is in the area of bioenergy and solar energy.