Renewable Technology in Mitigating Global Warming in the Residential Sector
According to findings reported in figure 6, the commercial and residential sector accounted for at least 12% of the greenhouse emissions in the US in 2017. To reduce the emission levels, renewable technologies have been adopted as a means of mitigation. This section reviews existing renewable technologies in the residential sector and the benefits and challenges of adopting them.
2.3.3.1 Existent Renewable Technology Solutions in Residential Areas
Baek and Lee (2019) highlight that a common view held in developed countries is that buildings account for a significant proportion of greenhouse emissions. One of the applications in residential buildings that contribute to greenhouse emissions is heating (Mattinen et al., 2014). The researchers further revealed that either air or ground source heat pumps that were deployed in residential buildings led to a higher increase in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to boilers that operated using natural gas. Secondly, electricity generation also consumes high energy levels within the buildings (Enteria et al., 2015). The researchers reported that in the Philippines, the residential sector accounted for a large percentage of the electricity (248.1 kwh per capita = 18.8%) consumed in the country.
Subsequently, since heating and electricity operations are highly important in the residential sector, diverse strategies have been proposed over the years to both reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and to ensure high energy efficiency. Baek and Lee (2019) observe that a core solution in this regard involves the development of high-performance buildings that utilize renewable energy systems (RES) and related technologies. The US Department of Energy reports similar findings, revealing that technologies such as small solar electric systems, electric wind systems, micro-hydropower systems, and hybrid solar and wind systems are some of the common solutions that can be utilized in the US to reduce existing electricity use.