| Abstract [eng] |
The use of renewable energy sources (hereinafter referred to as RES) in energy production is gaining momentum all over the world. Different countries of the world, members of the United Nations organization or various national unions, understanding and aiming to reduce the increasing negative impact of human activities on global climate change and natural resources, have signed agreements, memoranda, protocols or other common agreements that oblige these countries to reduce the negative human impact on the global scale and stimulate sustainable energy supply. The most recent agreement of this kind, named "Paris Agreement", was signed December 12, 2015 at the United Nations Conference in Paris. The Agreement sets out clear guidelines for all countries, that financial and economic resources must be diverted from fossil-fuel using polluting technologies to environmentally-friendly, clean energy, high-efficiency, low-carbon emission technologies. Therefore, in most countries there are subsidies that encourage the development and use of RES for both energy recovery and other areas. Lithuania is not exception, - according to the Ministry of Energy, the target set by the European Commission for Member States was reached in Lithuanian already in 2014, as set out in the Law on Renewable Energy Sources (2011) - to ensure that the share of renewable energy in relation to the country's total final energy consumption in 2020 would amount to at least 23%, as during this period in Lithuania this indicator already reached 23.8%. However, as shown by the practical experience of using RES both in Lithuania and in other countries developing RES, energy from most renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and other RES still cannot provide reliable energy supply, as it is highly dependent on various external factors, and does not address all environmental, social and economic problems, yet sometimes even exacerbates them. Therefore, the reckless development of RES can have negative consequences in the environmental, social, economic and other spheres that influence the development of each country, including Lithuania. |
