• Instructions on calculating Vector for Indicator 8

• General Discussion

• Examples

1. Total renewable energy consumption:

• in 1990 =  ___________

• in             =  ___________

2. Total primary energy consumption:

• in 1990 =  ___________

• in             =  ___________

3. The renewable energy fraction

= (#1 / #2)

= Y =  ___________

Calculating the vector value:
 

• The 1995 global renewable energy fraction of 8.64% equals the vector value of "1," and the sustainability goal of 95% renewable energy in each country is "0." 

• The unit vector therefore equals 0.9500 minus 0.0864 = 0.8636, meaning that each renewable energy percentage point (0.01) equals 1.000 ÷ 0.8636 = 1.1579.

• The center, the "0" sustainability objective, 95% renewable energy = X = 0.9500.

• The "1" circle equals the 1990 (1997 prelim; get 1990 data) value = 8.64% renewable energy.

• Country's renewable energy fraction this year = Y =   ___________

• Hence the 0 to 1 segment, the unit vector, equals 0.9500 minus 0.0864 = Z = 0.8636.

• Since no country can have a value of less than zero percent renewable energy, the zero level of renewable energy consumption converts to a vector value of (0.950 - 0.000) ÷ 0.8636 = 1.1004.

Formula: (X - Y) ¸ Z.
 

• Actual calculation of the vector:

= (X - Y) / Z 

= (0.9500 - ) / 0.8636 

=                                          in 

• Optional vector calculation for 1990:

= (X - Y) / Z

= (0.9500 - ) / 0.8636 

=                                          in 1990.

Vector:

• 1 : 1990 renewable energy as a fraction of world primary energy 
• 0 : 95% of country's primary energy consumption is renewable 

Global use of renewable energy is growing faster than the use of fossil fuels and electricity. Globally, windpower capacity is increasing by 25% per year. The use of photovoltaic cells-semiconductor devices that turn solar radiation directly into electricity-is expanding nearly as fast as windpower. Fossil fuels and nuclear power-heavily subsidised and politically favored for decades-still generate a large fraction (79.6%, according to Worldwatch data) of the world's electricity. Yet the market is changing, as is both political and popular support, and renewable costs are falling rapidly and therefore competitive without counting the multiple benefits of clean, environmentally superior power. India, Germany, and Denmark are now leading the world in installed windpower capacity.

This indicator includes renewable fuels in addition to renewable electric generation (see above table). The global average renewable energy fraction equaled 8.64% in 1995.^, The objective of this indicator is to measure the use of renewable energy as a fraction of total net primary use in each country. This includes biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal, bagasse, and animal and vegetal wastes as well as modern biofuels and waste-to-energy. Hydro-electricity, new renewable electric powerplants such as PV, windpower, solar thermal electric, tidal, and geothermal. The sustainability target is to reach 95% renewable energy consumption in each country, and each country's indicator is measured against this goal.
 

¨ Includes modern biofuels, geothermal, wind, photo-voltaics, solar thermal, waste-to-energy, etc.

Examples:
 

Cameroon uses 278 PJ of total primary energy, of which 222 PJ is "renewable," principally biomass fuels in the residential and rural sectors. The renewable energy fraction is simply 222 PJ ÷ 278 PJ = 0.7986, or 79.86%. Cameroon's 1995 vector becomes the 0.950 (95.0%) target value minus Cameroon's renewable energy fraction of 0.7986 equals 0.950 - 0.7986 = 0.1514; divide 0.1514 by 0.8636 = 0.1753, a value quite close to the sustainability objective. 

Japan's primary energy production totaled 23.387 EJ in 1997. Renewable energy production totaled 1.001 EJ, yielding a renewable energy fraction of 0.0428, or 4.28%, which is well below the global average of 8.64%, the "1" vector value. Japan's vector value for 1997 equals 0.9500 minus Japan's renewable energy fraction of 0.0428 divided by 0.8636 = 0.9072 ÷ 0.8636 = 1.0504. 

Thirty-seven percent of Brazil's rural households have access to electric power. The vector is 1.000 - 0.370 = 0.630.