Wind and solar farms are the best way to maximize the benefits of renewable energy investments
The best way to maximize the benefits of renewable energy per dollars invested is to install wind and solar farms where most of the electricity comes from burning coal — such as India — rather than a place where clean energy is already the norm — such as California, according to a new study from the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE), conducted by the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.
CleanTechnica noted that the study emphasized on siting efforts of new renewable energy projects in the U.S., which used a “similar analysis to determine that it is a more efficient use of capital to build new clean energy facilities in the Midwest, which still relies heavily on coal for its electricity, than to build more renewable energy capacity in places like California, which already sources much of its electricity from wind, solar, hydro, and other clean energy sources.”
One of the key takeaways from the Harvard study is its findings on health outcomes from “adding more renewables on the local population,” which is useful data in estimating the benefits of building renewable energy and determining where it can make the most impact.
According to CleanTechnica, the study found that “the climate and health benefits achieved per megawatt of renewable energy changed dramatically based on the country in which that company was operating. One wind company that operates mostly in India saves about 250 lives for every 1,000 additional megawatts of wind energy it installs per year. Another wind company operating mostly in North America and Europe saves just 25 lives with that same amount of annual wind energy installed.”
Furthermore, the study said that informed investors can play a critical role in meeting many of the United Nations’ outlined Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), given both their global reach, and their ability to shape markets and develop new technologies. Enhancing investor participation is recognized as an important pathway toward achieving the SDGs, since investors from both the private and public sectors can unleash capital and resources to enhance progress on many SDGs, such as clean water access, clean energy, more efficient transportation, improved health, zero hunger, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.
