100%, 99%, 80%, 70% — How Much Can/Should The World Be Powered By Renewable Energy?

February 24th, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

How much can/should the world be powered by renewable energy? Or how about your country or region? A number of studies have tackled this question, and I recently realized that we hadn’t stuck them all together in one easy-to-find place. So, I created this page specifically for that purpose: 70%, 80%, 99.9%, 100% Renewables — Study Central.

Keep that page bookmarked — it will be updated with new major studies on this topic as they are produced. (I’ll also stick it in our sidebar on the right so that it’s super easy to access for CleanTechnica readers — I know, I love you.)

Image Credit: Solar panel, wind turbine & globe via Shutterstock

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Tags: clean energy potential, renewable energy potential, world clean energy, world renewable energy

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

Damir Agic

WORLD MASTER PLAN / NOTICE
After a study in the USA and a global master calculation from AGDA PROJECTMANAGER ( it was generated the some result ) only … read more :
http://www.agda-ev.org/03-01.html
JMin2020

I look forward to the updates Zach.
http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/ Neil Blanchard

A conservative estimate of how much renewable energy we *could* gather is 1600% of the entire world’s energy needs!

We are surrounded by renewable energy, and there is a sustainable abundance. We already know how to gather far more energy than we could possibly need. Germany is well on their way to this – and they only get about as much sun as *Alaska*! If they can do it, then certainly the USA can do it, and with a intelligent mix of sources, renewable energy can meet 100% of need virtually any where!

Neil
- Ross Chandler
  
  1600% is an underestimate. Only a small part of the Sahara is needed to power all our energy needs and there’s also include geothermal, wind, wave and tidal.
  - http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/ Neil Blanchard
    
    Right – solar alone around the world *could* supply 11,000X more energy than the entire world uses, but we cannot gather all of that or even 1% of it. Given our ability to gather all the energy from various renewable source, and realistic ability to implement them – is how the 16X factor was estimated.
    
    The bottom line is we can certainly get 100% of the energy we need from renewable sources.
    
    Neil
    - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      Studies regarding total renewable energy potential have now been added (thanks to Hans for providing most of the links): http://cleantechnica.com/70-80-99-9-100-renewables-study-central/
    - Ross Chandler
      
      Agreed.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  I wish someone would produce a study showing something like this. Not sure why it hasn’t been done. (Or has it?)
  - Hans
    
    Why do you think no (scientific) studies have been carried out on the global renewable energy potential?
    
    There have been many studies, and updates are carried out regularly. on the worldwide potential of renewable energy. Just a handful of the many reports and articles on the subject:
    
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421506003326
    
    http://www.ecofys.com/files/files/report_role_potential_renewable_energy_efficiency_global_energy_supply.pdf
    
    http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/research/researchPrograms/Energy/Home-GEA.en.html
    
    http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2004-0309-123617/full.pdf
    
    http://eeg.tuwien.ac.at/eeg.tuwien.ac.at_pages/research/downloads/PR_242_Potentials_and_prospects_for_RE_at_global_scale__Resch_et_al_(2008).pdf
    
    http://www.ewea.org/press-releases/detail/?tx_ttnewstt_news=1905&cHash=57e94c2e1175425be0852b78526d34e7
    
    http://www.nrel.gov/gis/re_potential.html (just USA)
    
    http://scholar.google.de/scholar?start=20&q=global+renewable+energy+potential+&hl=de&as_sdt=0
    Even GW Bush used “the google”.
    - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      Sorry, I made that comment late last night and seemed to be out of my mind when i did. Thanks for the note.
James Wimberley

You miss out 120%. That’s for the massive carbon sequestration required
by Hansen’s 350 ppm of CO2 objective. He may be wrong. but it’s a
serious analysis and proposal. 80% renewable is not. As a matter of
logic, to stabilise the climate we must at least go carbon-neutral. So 100% renewable is the floor, not the ceiling.
- Marshall Harris
  
  You sir get a thumbs up. I agree 100%… maybe 120%. lol
Ross Chandler

With much melting and sea level rise already locked in we’re going to have to go above 100% of our immediate energy needs to power terraforming efforts to fix CO2 out of the atmosphere and/or increase the earth’s albedo.
- agelbert
  
  Agreed. That’s where rapid carbon sequestering from the fastest growing angiosperm on the planet (Lemna minor) which can double its mass in a single day and be fertilized with animal feces (it actually cleans the water) and needs no pesticides comes in. While it is true that algae grows faster, algae is more climate finicky and requires more controlled conditions so I hope Lemna minor comes in to its own in the coming years. Full info on it here:
  http://www.doomsteaddiner.org/forum/index.php?topic=478.150
  Note: You need to scroll past some comments to get to the article by me (Agelbert).
agelbert

Thanks Zachary,
I posted a link to your story at the Doomstead Diner in the hope that some of the doom and gloomers will come over and read your excellent and thorough information and research on the reality that renewables can, should and will replace fossil and nuclear fuels if Homo SAP is to survive as a dues paying member of the biosphere along with all the other life forms here.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Thanks! doom & gloom can certainly get addictive. i also try to pull people out of the trenches a little bit when i can.