It seems like all over the world, people are waking up to the dangers of climate change and the importance of taking advantage of renewable resources and sustainable energy. But some countries are doing a little bit of a better job leading the way in this area. These countries are providing a great example for other countries to follow when it comes to solar energy and other renewable energy sources.
Who are some of the leaders internationally in terms of renewable energy? Take a look at what some of these countries are doing:
- 1. Iceland – Close to 50 countries have pledged to make their energy production 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, which is amazing, but Iceland is way ahead of them. Iceland already has nearly 100 percent of energy derived from renewable resources, generating the most clean energy per person on the planet. And while solar energy gets all the headlines, all electricity and home heating in Iceland comes from geothermal or hydroelectric power plants.
- 2. Sweden – Not far away, Sweden is also a leader in the movement toward making all energy clean energy. Sweden has been working toward completely eliminating fossil fuel use in the country since 2015 and has been making major investments in solar power, wind power and sustainable energy technologies like smart grids and energy storage.
- 3. Denmark– While it’s the Dutch who are famous for their windmills, Denmark is no slouch when it comes to wind power, which they used to cover close to 40 percent of their total electricity needs in 2014. They hope this renewable source will get them 100 percent fossil-fuel-free by the year 2050.
- 4. and 5. Nicaragua and Costa Rica – Getting a little bit closer to the equator, it may surprise you to know that these two central American countries are among the worlds’ leaders in renewable energy. Why? These countries have access to some tremendous natural sustainable resources thanks to the many volcanoes within their borders. Nicaragua’s goal is to be 90 percent sustainable energy-powered by 2020, while Costa Rica is shooting for 100 percent by 2021.
- 6. United Kingdom – The U.K. is taking advantage of their legendary wind by putting up a huge number of wind farms for energy purposes, and the country now uses wind more than coal to generate electricity. Scotland, in particular, can supply every home with power just from wind, while Ireland generated enough wind-power for over 1.25 million homes in a single day in 2015.
- 7. United States – Americans will be pleased to hear that the U.S. does make the list of countries leading the way in renewable energy, with the second highest number of installed wind energy structures behind China and one of the largest solar PV capacities in the world as well. It remains to be seen if the current administration will take advantage of the United States’ renewable energy capacity, but there is the potential to reduce emissions by over 75 percent in the next two decades without a negative effect on the cost of electricity.