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People worldwide need electricity, and renewable energy sources can provide it. While imperfect, they can replace energy from dirty fossil fuels and reduce global warming emissions.
Wind and solar systems are “dispatchable,” meaning they can meet electricity demand relatively short-term, whereas traditional generating plants require significant backup capacity. They also typically cost less and can be built more rapidly than gas-fired power plants.
Solar Energy
Solar energy uses photovoltaic cells (PV) to convert sunlight into electricity. PV cells are made of semiconductor materials that convert the sun’s rays into electricity by applying voltage and current. The technology is constantly improving, reducing the cost per peak kilowatt-hour. The biggest advantage of solar power is that it doesn’t emit air pollutants or greenhouse gases. This makes it a desirable substitute for fossil fuels, which generate large levels of both. For the sake of future generations, it’s critical to adopt sustainable energy sources, which also promote a clean environment.
Renewables are becoming increasingly common, with wind power accounting for over 12 percent of energy generation. Large offshore wind farms and residential rooftop solar panels that can sell electricity back to the grid are only two examples of these technologies. One of the main advantages of renewable energy systems is that it uses a seemingly limitless source of natural “fuels.” It can help increase a nation’s energy security and reduce its vulnerability to fuel price increases, price spikes, and disruptions in production. In addition, renewables can provide a diversified portfolio of generation assets and reduce dependence on any single form of technology or fuel.
Wind Energy
In addition to helping prevent climate impacts, renewables can create a more resilient power system. Reducing dependence on conventional sources of electricity, which can be prone to market shocks and have high carbon emissions, can help reduce customer costs and increase their reliability. Wind energy uses turbines to convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Modern commercial wind turbines consist of a rotor or blade and a nacelle that houses an electrical generator atop a tall tower. These systems can be stand-alone, or they can be connected to a larger electrical grid. Homeowners who connect their plans to the grid can reduce the amount of conventional power they consume and sell back any excess electricity to their utility provider. Those who want to generate their energy can do a load analysis of the appliances and other devices they use, including their peak demand times, to determine how much power they need to operate them at optimum efficiency. They can also look for ways to reduce their demand, such as installing low-flow toilets or using efficient light bulbs.
Increasing distributed solar and wind technology is an excellent way for people to become renewable community champions. Many companies that build wind projects set up community funds for their operating areas. These funds can support local education, youth clubs, restoration efforts, and more. Some even offer lease payments to landowners who agree to host wind turbines on their properties.
Biomass Energy
Biomass energy is a form of renewable energy made from converting organic material to fuel. The energy is produced without increasing greenhouse gas levels. It can be sourced from various sources, including wood products in forested areas, crop wastes and residue, manure, sewage sludge, landfill gases, etc. Biomass is used for both thermal and liquid biofuel applications.
Burning biomass to generate electricity does not increase greenhouse gas levels and uses a fraction of the land required to grow fossil fuels, reducing environmental impacts. Biomass is also an energy source that does not depend on imports, resulting in more economic stability for countries that use it. To harvest the lumber required for biomass fuel, logging companies clear massive amounts of trees, altering an area’s topography and contaminating the natural habitat of animals and plants. This practice is a major factor in the growing concern over global warming.
Using biomass to produce energy reduces this dependency and can be a sustainable solution for future generations by utilizing materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. For example, poop from farm animals (mostly cows) is converted to methane through an anaerobic digester, much like your stomach. This methane can then be burned to produce electricity. This method reduces the noise, smell, vermin, and decline in property value associated with landfill sites.
Renewable Energy Sources
Energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources is considered clean energy because it produces far fewer air pollutants and greenhouse gases than coal and oil-based power plants. Renewables can also be regarded as green because they use natural resources that are constantly replenished. Sunlight, for example, is a free resource that can be harnessed with solar panels to produce electricity. Wind can be captured with turbines, like the old-fashioned ones that powered millstones to grind flour. The heat of the Earth can be extracted with geothermal or biomass technologies.
Power generation and grid support are the most common on-grid applications for these renewable energies. The power generation applications involve converting those resources into electricity to run equipment that serves homes, businesses and industries. Grid-support renewable energy plants can be constructed near transmission lines to remedy high resistance in the lines, which would otherwise incur expensive losses.
Off-grid uses for renewables may include power and heat for remote villages, islands or tourist facilities, industrial and military plants, houses, clinics, schools and stores. These renewables can also power communication stations, navigational aids and road signals. Most of these renewables draw on existing resources and require minimal land use.
