Renewable energy

 

Mountains play as key role in providing renewable energy, especially through hydropower, solar power, wind power and biogas for downstream cities and remote mountain communities.

Hydropower currently provides around a fifth of all electricity worldwide, and some countries rely almost exclusively on mountain regions for hydropower generation In Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Peru, at least 95 percent of hydropower is generated in mountain regions.

Solar power can also be efficiently produced in mountains and other cold regions - contrary to popular belief. The Himalayas and Tropical Andes are particularly promising locations for the development of solar energy, where installations could produce approximately 20 percent more energy than they could at sea level. In Nepal, for example, almost all remote airports and telecommunication facilities are powered by solar energy; solar cookers are widely used in the mountain regions of China and India.

Wind power is a vast, but largely untapped source of potential sustainable energy in mountains. Even at lower elevations, the terrain and topography of mountains can create wind corridors with high wind speeds that are ideally suited for wind turbine development.

Sustainable energy brings benefits to human health, the mountain environment and global climate. Reduced dependency on firewood, for example, can lead to fewer respiratory diseases, improved water and soil conservation, and less black carbon (soot) in the atmosphere – one of the most widespread short-lived climate pollutants.  However, many sustainable energy sources in mountains remain unused or underutilized.

Forum Carpaticum 2018

Forum Carpaticum 2018

event

The Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative that occurs every two years. The fifth Forum Carpaticum will cover a wide range of topics related to sustainability in the Carpathians, including land cover and land-use change, renewable energy, climate change vulnerability assessment and...

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World Mountain Forum 2018 Kyrgyzstan

World Mountain Forum 2018 Kyrgyzstan

peak to peak

Issue 119 – Month 9 – Year 2018

The September 2018 issue of Peak to Peak starts with the preparations of the World Mountain Forum 2018 the fourth in the series of World Mountain Forums (WMF) which will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in October. The newsletter continues with stories from...

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IPROMO 2018: Bio economy in the mountains

IPROMO 2018: Bio economy in the mountains

peak to peak

Issue 117 – Month 7 – Year 2018

The July 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) that was held from 18 June to 2 July 2018 in Ormea and Pieve Tesino,...

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IPROMO 2018: Bioeconomy in mountain areas

IPROMO 2018: Bioeconomy in mountain areas

news

The bioeconomy of the world’s mountains will be under discussion at the 2018 International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) in Ormea and Pieve Tesino, Italy, from 18 June to 2 July. Some 37 technical officers and researchers from more than 20 countries will...

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Mountain session, SDG 15 Expert Group Meeting

Mountain session, SDG 15 Expert Group Meeting

peak to peak

Issue 116 – Month 6 – Year 2018

The June 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 on Life on Land that was held in New York on 15 May 2018. The newsletter continues with stories about...

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MP Steering Committee meets in Rome

MP Steering Committee meets in Rome

peak to peak

Issue 115 – Month 5 – Year 2018

The May 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee meeting held in Rome, Italy, on 23–24 April. The newsletter continues with stories about the 2018 International Mountain Day theme; the baseline data...

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