Charting a Sustainable Path for Renewable Energy Development

This 2014 policy report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the water-energy nexus, specifically focusing on the sustainability of hydropower and bioenergy. It analyzes the environmental and social trade-offs of these energy sources, provides a detailed case study of Sweden's hydropower experience, and offers strategic recommendations for development assistance organizations supporting private sector bioenergy projects in developing countries.

• Global energy demand is projected to increase by 40 per cent by 2035, driven by a 26 per cent population growth and an average global economic growth of 3.5 per cent. While renewable energy will grow fastest, fossil fuels are expected to continue dominating the energy mix, potentially causing global warming targets to be missed by a substantial margin.
• Hydropower is a critical component of the global energy mix, accounting for over 16 per cent of world electricity production and nearly 85 per cent of total renewable electricity production. It is uniquely valued for its ability to provide energy storage and back-up power to stabilize grids using intermittent sources like wind and solar.
• Hydropower development carries significant environmental and social risks. Environmental impacts include the transformation of aquatic systems from lotic to lentic, silica retention in seas, and the potential emission of greenhouse gases like methane. Socially, dam construction has led to the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and the creation of habitats for diseases such as malaria.
• In Sweden, hydropower provides approximately 45 per cent of electricity generation and 14 per cent of total energy production. However, historical development has caused severe negative impacts for the indigenous sami population, including loss of traditional cultural areas and livelihood opportunities.
• Bioenergy production can have substantial water impacts, with global aggregated averages for water consumption in bioenergy and food production often being hundreds of times higher than other primary energy types. Impacts are site-specific and can include reduced river basin runoff due to plant evapotranspiration.
• To ensure sustainable bioenergy projects, especially those involving private sector actors in developing countries, development assistance organizations should require recipients to demonstrate financial models that incorporate Environmental and Social Health Impact Assessments (ESHIA) and governance management systems prior to receiving support.

APA

G., B., I., B., C., B., J., G., F., K., A., L., G., O., & J., S. (2014). Charting a Sustainable Path for Renewable Energy Development. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SWH-2014-Hydropower-Bioenergy.pdf

Chicago

G., Berndes,, Björklund, I., Borg, C., Granit, J., Källström, F., Lindström, A., Olsson, G., and Sandström, J. Charting a Sustainable Path for Renewable Energy Development. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SWH-2014-Hydropower-Bioenergy.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{g2014charting, author = {G., Berndes, and I., Björklund, and C., Borg, and J., Granit, and F., Källström, and A., Lindström, and G., Olsson, and J., Sandström,}, title = {{Charting a Sustainable Path for Renewable Energy Development}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SWH-2014-Hydropower-Bioenergy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }