Nonrenewable energy, such as coal and petroleum, require costly
explorations and potentially dangerous mining and drilling, and they
will become more expensive as supplies dwindle and demand increases.
Renewable energy produces only minute levels of carbon emissions and
therefore helps combat climate change caused by fossil fuel usage.
The sun's heat also drives the winds, whose energy, is captured with wind turbines. Then, the winds and the sun's heat cause water to evaporate. When this water vapor turns into rain or snow and flows downhill into rivers or streams, its energy can be captured using hydroelectric power.
Along with the rain and snow, sunlight causes plants to grow. The organic matter that makes up those plants is known as biomass. Biomass can be used to produce electricity, transportation fuels, or chemicals. The use of biomass for any of these purposes is called bioenergy.
Hydrogen also can be found in many organic compounds, as well as water. It's the most abundant element on the Earth. But it doesn't occur naturally as a gas. It's always combined with other elements, such as with oxygen to make water. Once separated from another element, hydrogen can be burned as a fuel or converted into electricity.
Not all renewable energy resources come from the sun. Geothermal energy taps the Earth's internal heat for a variety of uses, including electric power production, and the heating and cooling of buildings. And the energy of the ocean's tides come from the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun upon the Earth.
In fact, ocean energy comes from a number of sources. In addition to tidal energy, there's the energy of the ocean's waves, which are driven by both the tides and the winds. The sun also warms the surface of the ocean more than the ocean depths, creating a temperature difference that can be used as an energy source. All these forms of ocean energy can be used to produce electricity.
Renewable energy is reliable and plentiful and will potentially be very
cheap once technology and infrastructure improve. It includes solar,
wind, geothermal, hydropower and tidal energy, plus biofuels that are
grown and harvested without fossil fuels. Nonrenewable energy, such as
coal and petroleum, require costly explorations and potentially
dangerous mining and drilling, and they will become more expensive as
supplies dwindle and demand increases. Renewable energy produces only
minute levels of carbon emissions and therefore helps combat climate
change caused by fossil fuel usage.
Renewable How?
Renewable energy sources are so named because, aside from geothermal and tidal energies, they are replenished constantly by sunlight. Uneven solar heating of the Earth's surface causes wind. Sunlight also fuels the water cycle, which is harnessed through hydropower, including hydroelectric dams and less invasive systems that harness streams or ocean currents. Biofuels are grown using sunlight. Geothermal energy is considered renewable because radioactive decay in the Earth's core, which isn't expected to cool down any time soon, produces it. The gravitational pull of the sun and moon causes the tides.Accessibility
Coal, natural gas and oil reserves are finite and hidden. An unknown and limited amount of each resource is buried deep underground or under the ocean. As more is harvested, finding new sources becomes more difficult and more expensive, and exploiting them becomes more challenging and sometimes dangerous as well. Marginal reserves, such as oil sands, require the burning of huge amounts of natural gas to refine them into usable oil (see References 1). Drilling under the ocean floor can lead to catastrophic accidents, such as the British Petroleum oil spill of 2010 (see References 2). Renewable energy, by contrast, is as easy to find as wind or sunlight.Reliability, Stability and Safety
The daily price of oil depends on many factors, including political stability in historically volatile regions. Political strife has caused energy crises, including those that occurred in 1973 and 1979 (see References 3). Renewable energy can be locally produced and therefore is not vulnerable to distant political upheavals. Many of the safety concerns surrounding fossil fuels, such as explosions on oil platforms and collapsing coal mines, do not exist with renewable energy.Pollution
Renewable energy is far cleaner than fossil fuels. Coal mining and petroleum exploration and refinement produce solid toxic wastes, such as mercury and other heavy metals. The burning of coal to produce electricity uses large quantities of water, often discharges arsenic and lead into surface waters and releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury into the air (see References 4). Gasoline and other petroleum products cause similar pollution. These pollutants cause respiratory illnesses and death in humans, produce acid rain that damages buildings and destroys fragile ecosystems, and deplete the ozone layer.Climate Change
Strong consensus in the scientific community states that climate change and global warming are occurring and are caused by human production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Climate change may also damage agriculture, cause widespread extinctions, imperil clean water supplies and aid the spread of tropical diseases
Types of Renewable Energy
Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun. Sunlight, or solar energy, can be used directly for heating and lighting homes and other buildings, for generating electricity, and for hot water heating, solar cooling, and a variety of commercial and industrial uses.The sun's heat also drives the winds, whose energy, is captured with wind turbines. Then, the winds and the sun's heat cause water to evaporate. When this water vapor turns into rain or snow and flows downhill into rivers or streams, its energy can be captured using hydroelectric power.
Along with the rain and snow, sunlight causes plants to grow. The organic matter that makes up those plants is known as biomass. Biomass can be used to produce electricity, transportation fuels, or chemicals. The use of biomass for any of these purposes is called bioenergy.
Hydrogen also can be found in many organic compounds, as well as water. It's the most abundant element on the Earth. But it doesn't occur naturally as a gas. It's always combined with other elements, such as with oxygen to make water. Once separated from another element, hydrogen can be burned as a fuel or converted into electricity.
Not all renewable energy resources come from the sun. Geothermal energy taps the Earth's internal heat for a variety of uses, including electric power production, and the heating and cooling of buildings. And the energy of the ocean's tides come from the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun upon the Earth.
In fact, ocean energy comes from a number of sources. In addition to tidal energy, there's the energy of the ocean's waves, which are driven by both the tides and the winds. The sun also warms the surface of the ocean more than the ocean depths, creating a temperature difference that can be used as an energy source. All these forms of ocean energy can be used to produce electricity.
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