Eco-Economic Strategies for Increasing Sustainability in the Energy Sector. Case Study: Solar Energy

INTRODUCTION / 7

CHAPTER I BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY - THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT OF THE ENERGY SECTOR / 9
1.1 The role of global environmental governance in creating a sustainable energy sector / 9
1.2 Eco-efficient strategic options at the microeconomic level / 12
1.3 Eco-economic strategic options for the energy sector / 15
1.4 Sustainable business practices. Examples of good practice / 17

CHAPTER II WORLD ENERGY TRENDS AND DIAGNOSIS ANALYSIS / 19
2.1 Developments in the conventional energy sector worldwide / 19
Energy consumption in Romania / 25
2.2 SWOT analysis of the conventional energy sector / 48
2.3 The evolution of renewable energy worldwide / 49
2.4 SWOT analysis of the renewable energy sector / 51

CHAPTER III BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GREEN ECONOMY - RENEWABLE ENERGY. STUDY OF: SOLAR ENERGY CASE / 54
3.1 Business financing opportunities in the field of solar energy / 54
3.2 Technological innovation for renewable energy / 59
3.3 The evolution of solar energy worldwide / 62
3.4 Examples of good practices - solar parks / 68

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF ROMANIAN PERCEPTION ON RENEWABLE ENERGY, DETAILED ANALYSIS ON SUSTAINABILITY OF SOLAR ENERGY AND INFLUENCES ON THE ENVIRONMENT / 70
4.1 Questionnaire construction methodology / 70
4.2 Results and interpretation of the answers from the questionnaire / 71
4.3 Electricity obtained through alternative resources and distribution of the renewable energy mix / 109

CHAPTER V IDENTIFICATION OF STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS OF ACTION TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FOR SOLAR ENERGY / 115
5.1 SWOT analysis of solar energy / 115
5.2 Strategic options for the development of the solar industry / 116

CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS / 121

BIBLIOGRAPHY / 125
Webography / 141

The relationship between renewable energy and sustainability can be seen as a hierarchy of objectives and constraints that involve both global and regional or local considerations.
The starting point of the topic was that the mitigation of dangerous anthropogenic climate change will be a strong driving force behind the increased use of renewable energy technologies worldwide. To the extent that climate change stabilization levels (eg, a maximum atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration of 550 ppm CO2eq or a maximum temperature rise of 2 ° C from the global pre-industrial average) are accepted, there is a implicit recognition of the principle of sustainability.
Renewable energies are expected to play a central role in most greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, which must be technically feasible and economically efficient so that any cost burden is met. minimized and the acceptance of these technologies to be the majority.
Knowledge of technological capabilities and models for optimal mitigation pathways is therefore important. However, energy technologies, costs, economic benefits and energy policies depend on the societies and the natural environment in which they are integrated.
Spatial and cultural variations are therefore another important factor in the coherent approach to the sustainability strategy. Challenges and solutions for sustainability depend essentially on geographical establishment (eg solar radiation), socio-economic conditions (eg induction of energy demand), inequalities within and between societies, fragmented institutions and existing infrastructure (e.g. electrical networks), but also of a varied understanding of the connotation of sustainability (Lele and Norgaard, 1996).
These issues emphasize the need to assess both the social and environmental impact of renewable resource technologies, to ensure that their implementation is maintained in line with the general objectives of sustainability.
In the last two decades, progress has also been made towards developing a uniform set of energy indicators for sustainable development, addressing the general themes of the economy, society and the environment (Vera and Langlois, 2007). For renewable energy technologies, quantitative indicators include the price of electricity generated, GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions during the complete life cycle of the technology, the availability of renewable resources, energy conversion efficiency, land requirements and water consumption (Evans et al., 2009).
The analysis developed in this research sheds light on the perception of the phenomenon of widespread use of renewable energy, especially solar energy, emphasizing the degree of knowledge of the phenomenon, not just economic concepts and policies created at European or national level.