There are many different types of renewable energy resources. Unfortunately, this can make deciding which is best for you or your business a bit confusing. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the more popular options. We’ll also examine some of the environmental concerns related to each.
The first is hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity is the source of green energy that doesn’t need to be replenished. Hydroelectric power can be used both on-grid and off-grid. On-grid uses the power stored in dams; while off-grid relies on the power flowing from the dams to the places you want it to go. There are two major difficulties with hydroelectricity. First, there are currently limitations on the amount of hydroelectric energy that can be produced; second, the pollutants created by damming the water can damage sensitive aquatic systems and natural habitats.
The next type of renewable energy to discuss is heating. Many people rely on heating their homes; this includes wood, gas, and oil furnaces. While heating is a convenient way to provide heat, most people only utilize a small portion of their natural gas, oil, or wood storage and burning capacity. Aside from being expensive to use, heating fuel is one of the primary components of our environment’s carbon footprint.
Lastly, we’ll discuss the use of wind and sunlight. While both of these sources of renewable energy are more difficult to access than hydroelectricity and heating fuel, they offer a very reliable source of energy. Wind is capable of providing steady energy; however, the wind resource itself is extremely fragile, frequently being damaged by high winds or lightning storms.
However, one of the greatest environmental impacts of our dependence on fossil fuels is associated with global warming. Fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This gas is the greatest factor for the accelerating climate change; increasing atmospheric temperatures causes the melt down of ice caps and glaciers, expanding the ocean’s coastal areas, and changing the world’s weather patterns. These emissions cause a great deal of damage to the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in the accelerating threat of climate change. While it may not seem like much, switching to renewable energy sources, even if they are slightly more expensive, will drastically reduce the Earth’s carbon footprint.
Geothermal energy, or the utilization of heat from the Earth, is gaining popularity as a cost-effective renewable source of energy. Geothermal plants utilize ground source heat pumps to draw power directly from the ground. When using geothermal, the temperature in the Earth’s crust is naturally controlled. In order to extract heat from the Earth, geothermal wells are drilled into the ground, and tubes filled with water are placed into them. As well as generating electricity, the water absorbed by the ground acts to cool off any hot surface areas, keeping the temperature in the soil consistent.
Ocean Geothermal Energy is a form of geothermal energy that has been around since the 17th century. The primary use of this energy comes from the ocean floor. Boats can be brought into the water to lay down nets, which traps trapped geothermal energy. Once harvested, these energy sources can then be utilized to produce electricity. Currently, researchers are working on ways to unlock the source of this renewable energy, so it is possible to use the ocean’s warmth to generate electricity without impacting the environment to an extreme extent.
Solar Energy is one of the best types of renewable energy resources that we have available to us. With the proper set of equipment and installation, it is possible to harness solar energy, which is essentially the energy given off by the sun. It is a very reliable source of energy, but because of its reliance on the sun, it has some of the same drawbacks that other fossil fuels have. Currently, there are many plans being developed to increase the effectiveness of solar energy sources and make them more widely available.