Opportunities, barriers and issues with renewable energy development - A discussion

Energy has come to be known as a 'strategic commodity' and any uncertainty about its supply can threaten the functioning of the economy, particularly in developing economies. Every society requires energy to meet the basic needs. A sustainable socioeconomic development needs secure energy supplies in an affordable rate which have low environmental impacts and low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However 85% of primary energy demand is met by conventional fossil fuel combustion, which is responsible for 56.6% of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Renewable energy (RE) forms play an important role in providing sustainable and clean energy mitigating climate change. In a present scenario, with technological advancements, broaden understanding of renewable energy knowledge and positive support from governments with favorable promoting policies, RE forms are developing meeting energy demands in a cleaner way. This paper focuses on the opportunities, barriers and related issues with the RE developments. These, if taken cared positively, will lead to a sustainable social and economic development