Conclusion

Renewable resources have more than enough potential to meet our needs, particularly in terms of electrical energy. What's more, there are a large number of conversion solutions and many niches to exploit. The competitiveness of new technologies improves as experience is gained and cumulative production increases (see [ , figure 1]) and it is reasonable to assume that no further subsidies will be needed by 2020 for most of today's fast-growing energy sources (wind power, photovoltaics, biomass, etc.).

It's important to remember that respect for the environment and security of supply depend on the diversity and complementarity of different resources, and on the decentralization of production facilities. Except in the case of countries that have not yet invested in electricity grids, it is still very worthwhile to be interconnected to better pool resources...