What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that are naturally replenishing, but are flow-limited. This means they are virtually inexhaustible in collection and duration, to an extent, but limited in the amount of energy that comes from each unit of the resource. Some common forms of renewable energy include those from biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, and solar sources.
Renewable energy sources allow us to live without the dependence of fossil fuel technology, collection, or emissions. By shifting the support of industry from coal, petroleum, and natural gas to cleaner alternatives, we would not be losing jobs, but instead creating more safe, stable careers. We can also invest in addition education and technical application of renewable energy to give support in the field.
Solar Panels
Solar panel technology and popularity has seen a dramatic increase over the past few decades, both commercially and privately. A solar panel works by absorbing light cast from the sun and this energy creates an electrical charge from the internal electrical field in the cell. By forming a continuous intake of sunlight, electricity is able to flow. This system works as long the panel has light to absorb, which can be difficult in some areas of the world during certain or all times of the year, making solar panel placement a sometimes challenging process.
Hydropower
Hydropower is not the first time mankind has relied on the movement of a body of water. Now, we just apply some more brainpower on the concept. Hydropower is created by moving water that turns the blades of a turbine to spin a generator to produce electricity, the same way a wind turbine would generate energy. Hydropower electricity is currently the leading form of renewable energy for the United States. Because this process utilizes the flow of water, these plants must be set on an body of water that has a reliable, constant stream of water, which limits the prospects of this source.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
The concept of hydrogen fuel cells is relatively dated, as we have been studying the mechanics for nearly 100 years, but with the rapid development of the internal combustion engine and fossil fuels in the early 1900's, the study was pushed to the side. Now, with the technology still being in the developmental phase for everyday life, many people do not know of the benefits hydrogen fuel cells have. Firstly, hydrogen fuel cells harness the energy of hydrogen and oxygen, and the only end products are energy and water (H2O), meaning it is a clean generation of electricity. Also, the inputs needed, hydrogen and oxygen, can be supplied by a simple division of water, needing only electricity to split the molecule. Some vehicles are being developed with this technology, and NASA has used hydrogen fuel cells since the Gemini project in the 1960's. The downside to this method of renewable energy is the lack of knowledge, as most projects are in research or developmental phases, or the general absence of backing for renewable energy projects around the world.
Additional Resources: