One of the biggest advantages of renewable energy is that, when used wisely, it can be completely free. Most of the world’s non-renewable energy comes from burning fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal. Even though these sources of energy have been considered to be ‘fossil fuels’, they are actually non-renewable. Once they’re burned up, they have to be replaced with something else. However, most of the world’s non-renewable energy comes from the burning up of non-renewable resources like in the process of coal-burning, oil burning, and natural gas production.
Among the various types of renewable energy, hydro energy is one of the most promising. Many countries throughout the world depend on hydroelectricity as a major source of their electricity. One of the main advantages of hydro energy is that, even when non-renewable resources of coal and oil become less plentiful each year, hydro energy remains plentiful. As of this writing, most of the world’s hydroelectricity is coming from dams, although a few small dams have been built along the ocean’s coasts as well.
The movement of tectonic plates on the earth’s surface produces hydroelectric power. This occurs when water is pumped to a higher elevation, either to supply homes or for other uses. This movement of tectonic plates has caused many earthquakes in the past. There have also been changes to our current limitations when it comes to using hydroelectric power as a source of energy. Currently, there are some limitations on the amount of electricity a dam can produce and how much hydroelectric power the entire planet can use.
Solar energy production is another form of renewable energy production that uses photovoltaic cells (PV) to harvest the sun’s light and convert it into electricity. These cells are placed near sunlight in order to harness its power. Although these cells are quite expensive, they are much more efficient than windmills and other types of wind generators. The cost of materials needed to make a solar energy system is typically much lower than those needed to make a windmill.
Biomass energy is created by breaking down organic matter and converting it into fuel. Some biomass energy systems include burning wood, turning vegetable oil into biodiesel, and turning waste cellulose into usable gas. Although this type of renewable energy production is considered to be clean, the process requires a large amount of fossil fuel. In addition, biofuels are generally expensive to produce. This means that the costs of storing up biofuel in large amounts have become a significant energy loss for major energy producing countries such as the United States.
The main disadvantage of solar energy is the inability to harness the full power of the sun. Photovoltaic panels are still not efficient enough to capture the full quantity of sunlight that hits the earth. If we want to use renewable energy to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, then we need to replace the use of fossil fuels with plants and other types of biomass energy. Even though it takes a long time to develop these alternative energies, they will have a far greater impact on the world’s health than do fossil fuels. They will also substantially decrease the amount of pollutants released into the air.
Wind power is another option that can be used to greatly reduce carbon emissions. It is currently the fastest growing source of electricity in the world. If it were used in massive quantities, then we could significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Although the technology to harness wind power is improving all the time, it still has some significant limitations. One of the biggest limitations is the amount of sunlight the system can harness.
Hydroelectric power is yet another option for reducing carbon emissions. Unfortunately, dams built to produce hydropower do so at tremendous cost. It is currently the most costly way to produce electricity, but it is one of the most efficient when it comes to producing moving water. If we can build large dams with the proper technology, it is believed that hydroelectricity can be a viable option for the future. It will require a lot more effort than building wind turbines and solar energy generators, but the results will be much greater. Once we start relying on these types of renewable energy sources for our electricity, we will see dramatic changes in our environment.