Joshua S Hill reports for Renew Economy
Wind energy could supply more than one-third of global electric power demand by 2040 and could, in turn, save up to four million lives a year, according to a new study from professional services network KPMG and commissioned by wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
The new study – entitled The socioeconomic impacts of wind energy in the context of the energy transition– was published last week in an effort to highlight the wider benefits of wind energy adoption around the world.
The report concludes that accelerating the uptake of wind energy would not only reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but would slash pollution, save lives, and preserve vital water resources.
It says wind energy is a key to achieving an effective energy transition away from fossil fuels and that wind energy’s power supply could be nine times greater than it is currently – growing from supplying 4% of global electric power today to 34% by 2040.
In turn, wind energy could provide around 23% of the carbon emission reductions necessary in 2050 – 5.6 billion tons of CO2, or equivalent to the annual emissions of the 80 most polluting cities.
On top of that, however, there are a myriad of secondary benefits that wind energy could have on the world.
For example, the report found that wind power could save up to 16 billion cubic meters of water in 2030 – around 15% of the Dead Sea water, for example – and that in Europe alone, it would avoid the use of 1,571 million m3 (the equivalent consumption of 13 million EU households).
The wind industry would also be in a position to employ three times more people than it does today – with an industry workforce growing from 1.1 million to 3 million people, including both direct and indirect jobs.
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