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Variable Renewable Energy for Sustainability: Promise and Paradox

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Affordable and Clean Energy

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Run-of-river (RoR) hydropower; Solar photovoltaics (PV) power; Tidal power; Wind power

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Renewable energy sources (RESs), including variable renewable energy (VRE), are crucial technologies for decarbonizing the global energy sector and addressing climate change (Sinsel et al. 2020). VRE is a generic term for power generation using non-dispatchable (variable) energy sources. VRE is most commonly used in reference to solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind power, although run-of-river (RoR) hydropower, as well as tidal and wave power fall within this category. Non-dispatchable variable renewable energy sources cannot be turned on or off when needed and the generator is not controlled by the system operator (Bawazir and Cetin 2020). VRE systems are therefore dependent on location, season, time of day, and weather conditions (Edenhofer et al. 2013). Dispatchable(controllable) renewable energy sources include geothermal power, hydroelectricity from dams, or biomass....

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Correspondence to Evan N. Shenkin .

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Shenkin, E.N. (2020). Variable Renewable Energy for Sustainability: Promise and Paradox. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Affordable and Clean Energy. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_34-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_34-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0

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