Worldwide Development of Wind Energy and CO2 Emission Reduction

Abstract

One of the most considerable issues in the global society is reducing CO2 emissions of industrial activities and its consequences. Therefore, exploitation of clean energy sources is one of the requirements of the international community. In this regard, the researchers investigated the impact of renewable energy utilization to achieve the low carbon economy and concluded that it can significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of transportation and industry sectors. Wind power offers a sustainable option in the pursuit of renewable energies. In this article, the development of wind energy in the world and leading countries is investigated. It is found that by the end of 2017, the utilization of wind resources has prevented at least 600 and up to 1100 million tones CO2 emissions. Also, if the current rate of wind energy development continues, up to 2100 million tones CO2 will be avoided by the year 2030. Eventually economic analyses illustrated that utilization of wind energy in 2030 can reduce up to 210 billion dollar in global energy costs and more than 300 billion cubic meters natural gas equivalent of fossil fuels resources.