Renewable energy is defined as energy produced from natural sources that is replenished at a faster rate than it is used. Sunlight and wind are two examples of such continually replenishing sources. Renewable energy sources abound and are all around us.
Coal, oil, and gas, on the other hand, are non-renewable resources that develop over hundreds of millions of years. When fossil fuels are used to generate energy, they emit dangerous greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
Renewable energy produces much less emissions than burning fossil fuels. Transitioning away from fossil fuels, which now account for the majority of emissions, and toward renewable energy is critical for tackling the climate catastrophe.
Renewables are now less expensive in most nations and provide three times as many employment as fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy Sources
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the most plentiful of all energy resources and may be used even in overcast conditions.Solar technologies have the potential to provide heat, cooling, natural lighting, power, and fuel for a wide range of uses. Solar technologies use photovoltaic panels or mirrors to concentrate solar radiation to turn sunlight into electrical energy.
Although not all nations have equal access to solar energy, direct solar energy may make a major contribution to the energy mix in any country.
Solar panel production costs have dropped drastically in the previous decade, making them not only accessible but often the cheapest type of power.
Wind Energy
Wind energy captures the kinetic energy of flowing air by employing enormous wind turbines placed on land (onshore) or in sea- or freshwater (offshore). Wind energy has been utilized for millennia, but onshore and offshore wind energy technologies have improved over the past several years to optimize the power generated – with higher turbines and greater rotor diameters.
Though average wind speeds vary substantially by location, the world’s technological potential for wind energy surpasses worldwide electricity output, and adequate potential exists in most parts of the globe to permit considerable wind energy deployment.
Many places of the globe have tremendous wind speeds, yet the ideal sites for producing wind power are frequently distant ones. Offshore wind power has huge promise.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy makes use of the thermal energy available in the Earth’s interior. Wells or other methods are used to harvest heat from geothermal sources.Hydrothermal reservoirs are naturally sufficiently hot and permeable reservoirs, while enhanced geothermal systems are suitably hot reservoirs that have been improved by hydraulic stimulation.Fluids of varied temperatures may be utilized to create energy once they reach the surface.
Hydropower
Hydropower captures the energy of transporting water from higher to lower heights. It may be produced by reservoirs and rivers. Reservoir hydropower facilities use stored water in a reservoir, while run-of-river hydropower plants use energy from the river’s available flow.
Hydropower reservoirs often provide numerous functions, including drinking water, irrigation water, flood and drought management, navigation services, and electricity delivery.
It is dependent on relatively steady rainfall patterns and may be harmed by climate-induced droughts or changes in ecosystems that affect rainfall patterns.The infrastructure required to generate hydropower may potentially have a negative influence on ecosystems.