Background/Objectives

There is growing importance of using alternating energy in power generation. This is not only due to climate change and environmental impact-related concerns but also because of our growing need for power and the need to meet our growing power demand using fuels that are not hydrocarbon-based. In fact, due to our heavy dependence on energy by both financially affluent and economically weak segments of society, and the need for clean energy, one of the sustainability objectives designed by the United Nations Organization (UNO) is Affordable and Clean Energy. Energy, which is key to fulfillment of our day-to-work, is also instrumental in meeting other sustainability objectives as identified by UNO – No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life below Water, Life on Land, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Partnerships for the Goals. Due to the overlapping of many work areas in such individual sustainability goals, which are time, cost, and manpower intensive, it is important that duplication of efforts be reduced and the association between these objectives established. Since energy is key to any developmental work, this work shows how greater use of renewable energy should be the next-generation sustainability goal and its implementation will achieve other sustainability goals and objectives.

Objectives. There are three key objectives of this work. They are listed below.

1. Identify the key objectives for our society - social, technical, environmental, and economic developments, as outlined in UNO's 17 Sustainability Goals.
2. Identify how such sustainability goals may have overlapping work areas.
3. Develop a framework that maps different objectives of sustainability goals and lists the benefits of using renewable energy as a foundation for achieving these goals.

Approach/Activities

1. This work focuses on the key objectives of 17 sustainability goals and their underlying objectives.
2. Performs a mapping of such objectives to identify the most critical objectives that may impact the majority of the 17 sustainability goals.
3. Identifies how the use of renewable energy is an enabler that will support the achievement of such critical sustainability objectives for the world.
4. List actionable work that needs to be done using renewable energy resources that will help society achieve such a critical objective.
5. Recognize the potential benefits of implementing such actionable work with or without the use of assistive technology.

Results/Lessons Learned

Some preliminary results of such analysis show that many of the key target areas discussed under sustainability goals may have cross-linkages to other sustainability target areas. For example, sustainable industrialization is covered under building a resilient infrastructure, however, as power is key to running industries, having a sustainable power generation and distribution system (covered under Affordable and Clean Energy) is an enabler for building a resilient infrastructure sustainability goal. This not only establishes the importance of renewable energy, but the overall direct and indirect impacts it can create in the world. Financial and other social impacts are currently under study.