Renewable Energy is a bit of a buzzword floating around today. Environmentalists, in particular, seem to talk a lot about renewable energy. But, just what does it mean to employ renewable energy, and how reasonable is it to use renewable energy in our everyday lives? Let’s take a look at the facts.
What Exactly is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is energy that comes from a source that is easily replenished. Much of the world’s electricity today is generated from the use of coal or crude oil.
While both are technically “renewable” because the earth does continue to create them, they are not renewable in any practical sense because it takes millions of years to make coal and oil. We use it up far more quickly than the earth can create it.
True renewable energy is that which is readily replenished on its own. Energy sources like wind and sun are great examples of renewable energy. The earth creates more wind and more sun regularly and without any real intervention from man. We can generate power by simply harvesting what is already available to us.
Why Renewable Energy?
The world is turning to renewable energy for two primary reasons. The first is the most obvious. Those energy sources that are not readily renewable, such as oil and coal, will eventually run out. Renewable sources, like solar power energy, can provide energy for the rest of eternity because we will always have more of them.
The second reason renewable energy is becoming so popular is that it is clean. The methods used to extract coal and oil are harmful to the environment, and the use of coal and oil is also harmful to the environment. Renewable power sources like wind and sun produce no carbon emissions, so they’re safer for the earth.
Renewable energy has taken off more slowly than many people had hoped. Many renewable energy systems, like solar panels, are expensive to install, and can cost more to generate power than traditional sources, especially until their capital costs are paid off. This has made it difficult both for families and for utility companies to justify the cost.
Though it is expensive today, renewable energy sources like wind and sun are definitely the wave of the future. As costs for installation and generation come down, you can expect to see more of the sun, the wind and other renewable energy sources powering your everyday life.
So.. what is renewable energy? It’s an energy source that is readily available and will never run out while man is still occupying the earth!
