The saying that "misfortune never comes alone" is also the title of a French short silent film from 1903. One could say the same about the climate crisis, which is closely linked to the environmental and energy crises. The three crises have a mutual influence on each other like the parties in an insoluble triangular drama.
We will need three times more electricity in 2050 if the world is to successfully navigate a green transition and reach climate targets. In order to generate enough electricity, we must set aside sufficient land to produce the energy we need. However, appropriating land to produce energy damages ecosystems, which in turn exacerbates climate change.
How can we prevent this drama from unfolding on our planet?
NTNU has collaborated with the Grenoble Institute of Technology on a new study to conduct a systematic survey of the land use of all energy solutions. We have analyzed 870 power plants worldwide, including solar power, wind power, hydropower and nuclear power. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
One finding of the study was that hydropower is the most land-efficient renewable energy source worldwide. This challenges common opinion that solar power is the most energy-dense renewable energy source.
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