A Comprehensive Review of Green Energy Technologies: Towards Sustainable Clean Energy Transition and Global Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

Abstract

The present paper seeks to showcase the significant potential of alternative energy technologies in driving clean energy transition. Renewable energy sources, including hydro, geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind energy, are developed and marketed as low- or non-carbon alternatives to conventional energy sources. However, the high upfront costs of these energy resources, coupled with their intermittency, are demerits that must be dealt with. Since certain nuclear technologies generate significantly less waste than coal and oil, nuclear energy is occasionally regarded as a green energy source, though the primary source of nuclear energy, namely uranium, is a finite resource. The main goal of developing green energy technologies is to provide energy in a sustainable manner while cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of energy production.