There are many different types of renewable energy that can be used to power a home or a business. Simply put, it is energy production that makes use of non-renewable resources. For example, the Earth’s supply of oil, coal, and other natural fossil fuels will continually be depleted. In addition, using and obtaining renewable energy produces little to no carbon emissions and pollution, which can lead to global climate change.
The first type of energy made from the sun is solar energy. As most people know, sunlight is the source of the worlds first energy. If people could harvest this natural source of energy, they would greatly reduce their current limitations to electricity production. For this reason, many countries have devoted considerable amounts of research to harnessing the sun’s rays and converting them into usable electricity. Several companies currently exist that are devoted to developing solar energy into an easily implemented alternative source of energy for homes, businesses, and governments.
Another common form of clean energy is wind energy. Windmills have been around for centuries, but only in the past decades have residential generators were developed to make them commercially viable. Wind turbines are used to convert wind energy into electricity. Unlike solar panels, wind turbines do not create harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, windmills have been found to be much cleaner than traditional methods of generating electricity.
The third option is hydro energy. Much like wind turbines, tidal energy is being harvested as an available and viable alternative source of electricity. The advantage of tidal energy, or tidal power, lies in the following:
First, wind and solar energy do not affect the environment negatively. Second, tidal energy has very low maintenance costs. Third, unlike fossil fuels, renewable sources of energy can be easily replaced when depleted. Fourth, while the cost of operating a turbine is more expensive than burning coal or oil to generate electricity, it can still be dramatically less expensive than using solar power or wind power for that matter.
Geothermal power is also becoming increasingly popular throughout the united states. Geothermal plants use the earth’s temperature to extract natural heat and use it to generate electricity. This type of renewable energy involves the use of ground temperatures to trap heat underground. While this process does not result in harmful greenhouse gas emissions, geothermal plants are considered to be potentially dangerous to the environment due to the large amount of water needed to release heat.
Finally, there is hydrogen energy. This renewable energy source consists of combustible gasses such as propane, natural gas, or ethanol being burned together to produce energy. These gasses are separated from their hydrogen atoms by means of a catalyst. When these gasses are burned together, they release much cleaner emissions than traditional fuel sources. In addition, researchers have discovered that using hydrogen in this way can reduce the amount of pollutants produced by burning coal or oil.
Although it seems like renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, would have the easiest time becoming widely adopted, they are actually lagging behind in the United States. As a result, even many states such as Texas are now beginning to take fossil fuel extraction to an extreme level. Other countries such as India are starting to take notice as well. Regardless, while nonrenewable energy sources, such as coal and oil will still be around for the foreseeable future, we have come a long way since the 1970s when the exhaustion of fossil fuel began.
On the other hand, if you want to move away from conventional energy, you should definitely consider hydroelectric power. Although not much has been said about how to convert your house to run on water, but you can certainly expect to save a lot on your utility bills. Hydroelectric power has been around for quite some time but it has only recently become a popular choice among homeowners. One of the reasons that it hasn’t taken off yet is because not many people know much about its potential as an alternative form of energy. In fact, most people don’t even know it exists!
The reason for this is mostly due to the lack of education. Most people aren’t aware that there are two primary sources of renewable energy, and that they are the sun and the wind. However, many of them have discovered that they can greatly benefit from using both at once. There is no doubt that the sun is the largest source of renewable energy, but unfortunately, its rays are not available everywhere, so most homeowners would be better off using wind power as well.
When you start researching about generating electricity with solar and wind power, you will soon discover that hydro energy is your best option. Aside from being the largest source of renewable energy, it also provides the lowest maintenance and upkeep. You can either use a small residential wind turbine or a large commercial turbine. If you choose to use a small turbine, you should invest in one that produces less than six kilowatts. However, since you can generate electricity at a higher level with bigger turbines, you shouldn’t buy any hydro-turbines that produce more than ten in per day.