Renewable Energy Sources in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: a Perspective of Civilization Development

Abstract

Every emergence and development of industrial revolution in the history of human civilization is based on the extensive utilization of different energy sources. More than fifty years, the discussion of limited energy sources and sustainable development has acknowledged huge importance from the environmentalists. This study expanded the horizon of the debate about primary and renewable energy, analyzed the trend of renewable energy sources driven by the fourth industrial revolution. In this context, the study discussed the aspects of The Paris Agreement 2015, the responses to climate change and sustainable growth. Results indicated that primary energy sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, hydroelectricity and nuclear energy, are the major energy sources which boosted up past industrial revolutions and hold the largest share of energy at present; whereas the share of renewable energy sources, especially the wind and solar sources which is going to be accelerated by the fourth industrial revolution, will be risen to high record in the future. The fourth industrial revolution, which has surged directly driven by artificial intelligent technologies, is going to speed up the utilization of renewable energy sources, and the clean, non-polluting, renewable energy is going to take the place of primary one sooner or later.