Renewable energy refers to the power that is harnessed from fuel that is both cheaper and easier on the environment. It is considered renewable because it can either produced through the use of bacteria or plants, both of which can be controlled. In addition, other types of renewable energy sources are available from elements that the earth has to offer such as the sun, wind and water.
Less Damage on the Environment
It is important to switch to the utilization of renewable energy because the use of non-renewable energy has resulted in far more damage to the planet than any other form of human activity has ever done. Fossil fuels, for so long the mainstay of electricity generation, have become the cause of major pollution of the earthÂ’s atmosphere. This in turn, has led to the degradation of the ozone layer, which in turn, has greatly impacted global warming.
Alternative Energy Usage
It is important to find out what it takes to make use of alternative energy sources and renewable energy, in particular. The sun, wind and water provide renewable energy and these are found in abundance and are constantly being renewed as well. In addition, such sources of energy are clean and non-polluting, and are available almost everywhere.
Renewable Energy Reduces Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Making use of renewable energy can help in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and it will also help to greatly reduce pollution from chemicals, thermal and radioactive contaminants. We can ill afford to neglect these benefits, and it only requires a change in the way we view it along with strong objectives to make full use of clean and non-polluting energy sources.
Solar Energy, Hydro Energy and More
Solar energy is a good example of renewable energy and so too is hydro energy. In addition, other examples of renewable sources of energy include biomass and geothermal energy. Biomass includes firewood, bio-degradable waste and animal dung while geothermal energy is obtained from hot and dry rocks, hot water springs, and magma as well as from natural geysers. Ocean thermal energy is renewable and obtainable by tapping all kinds of waves including tidal waves.
Consumption Levels
In the recent past, the consumption of energy from renewable sources totaled about 18 percent of total energy consumption, of which 13 percent was used in heating. Three percent was obtained from hydroelectricity and approximately 2.4 percent of energy was obtained from new renewable sources. These included biomass, solar, wind, small hydro and bio-fuels as well as geothermal sources.
Growth and Locations
Wind power is growing at a staggering 30 percent per year and about 157,900 megawatts in the year 2009. It is being widely used in different continents including North America, Asia and Europe. Solar thermal power generating stations are widely being used in Spain and in the US, of which the largest are located in the Mojave Desert, USA.
Large and Small Scale Usage
No doubt, a vast majority of projects using energy that is renewable involves large scale production. However, smaller off grid applications is also becoming popular, and are widely used in rural as well as in remote areas. Kenya is an example of a country that utilizes small scale solar energy, and it does in fact have the greatest concentration of home solar energy systems.
The bottom line is that renewable energy is the energy that we can find in abundance from using the sun, wind, geothermal heat and tides. This form of energy is derived from completely natural processes and is always being replenished in different forms, be it from the sun or deep down inside Mother Earth. Each different source has its own characteristics that affect how, and also where, these energy sources can be used.
|
|