Large-scale investments in wind, solar and hydropower could double the electricity generated globally from these sources by 2050 — with only modest environmental costs.

Thomas Gibon of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim and his colleagues compared the environmental impacts of low-carbon and fossil-fuel-based power generation over the entire life cycle of these installations.

They found pollution from the construction of renewable-energy infrastructure is ultimately small compared with direct emissions from gas- and coal-fired power plants, even if a large amount of carbon from these plants is later captured and stored.

Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA http://doi.org/v8d (2014)