Page - 42 - in Clean Water Using Solar and Wind - Outside the Power Grid

42 Clean Water Using Solar and Wind: Outside the Power Grid Table 3.1 The top two countries in terms of renewable energy total capacity or generation. Type of Electric Power 1st Country 2nd Country Renewable power excl. hydropower China United States Renewable power capacity per capita (excl. hydropower) Denmark Germany Solar PV capacity China Germany Solar PV capacity per capita Germany Italy Wind power capacity China United States Wind power capacity per capita Denmark Sweden Source: Data from REN21 (2017a). Resources for energy are traded all over the world. This is dramatically illustrated on the website published by the British Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, https://resourcetrade. earth/. To generate traditional electricity requires international trade in coal, natural gas, petroleum and uranium. Now we see new competitors that cannot be traded internationally: wind and sunlight. Unlike commodity fuels, metals and other materials, which can be extracted in one place and transported for use somewhere else, including internationally, wind and sunlight are immaterial and are typically used where they are. Both wind power and solar power are nevertheless becoming steadily more significant contributors to electricity generation. 3.8 JOB SKILLS TO MOUNT AND OPERATE SMALL UNITS The time needed to mount solar panels and additional equipment is very short compared to all other energy production types. While it takes several years to complete a large thermal power plant (nuclear- or coal-fired), a solar panel system for a small application can be finished in weeks, or even days. Most of the mounting work can be performed Renewables promise an end to energy security being closely related to geopolitics. Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book-pdf/520710/wio9781780409443.pdf by IWA Publishing user