The Sustainable growth use of renewable energy based on spatial energy planning: Lithuanian case
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Atsinaujinanti energija; Darnus vystymasis; Vertinimo principai; IIorinė nauda; Renewable energy; Sustainable development; Evaluation principles; External benefits.
ENThe article summarizes the results of research, identifying the main challenges to increasing sustainable use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES)-technologies. The main obstacle to the widespread use of RES is the failure to address the key issue – to measure the benefits to the society - reduction of pollution, energy supply for the future generations, huge and never-ending potential of energy resources, such as solar and wind energy, when introducing RES-technologies. There are also controversial phenomena, especially in the heat sector. Unreasonably huge role is assigned to biomass in usage projections of RES. Huge disproportion of used RES technologies is a serious challenge to the sustainable development of energy and threat to forests and their ecosystems. The aim of the research is to apply the methodological approach enabling assessment of external benefit of the use of renewable energy sources, which is usually not assessed for individual projects. External conditions and current infrastructure for RES technologies are different, thus spatial planning, such as urban energy development plans, is the most appropriate tool for the external benefit assessment Regional programs may be appropriate tools for reducing renewable energy adaptation costs, increasing competitiveness in the market, promoting social development and should be the main form for combination of different types of RES and consolidation of investment funds.The sustainable growth of renewable energy is based on the formulated methodology, which enables to achieve maximal benefit with minimal support for beneficiaries as well as for the state. Modified levelized cost of energy method enables analysis of economic benefit for the selected project investor, as well as relates the achieved results to macroeconomic indicators using external parameters. Combination of different types of RES may create large external effect and make a significant impact not only on individual consumer of RES, but on the whole society as well. The main output of the research is background for the support policy to encourage investors, which may be created on the basis of external benefits. [From the publication]
