
Chapter 1
The Rising Sun in a Developing World
Wolfgang Palz
World Council for Renewable Energy
1.1 Electric Power, a Pillar of Modern Society
1.1.1 Electricity in Today’s Life
We are so used to the electricity around us that we could hardly
imagine a life without it. Powering communications, lighting,
appliances and industrial processes, electricity is everywhere. Even
in heating and transport sectors, electricity is making inroads:
electric heat pumps and electric or hybrid automobiles combining
a combustion engine and an electric motor are currently attracting
enormous interest.
It is true, however, that without electric power we would not go
back to