Renewable Energy Sources

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources To The Future Of The Planet

Most, if not all nations, rely on natural gas, oil and coal to have sufficient sources of energy.

Unfortunately, the dependence to fossil fuels is presenting a serious threat.

As we know, fossil fuels are quickly depleting and the time will come that they will be gone or very expensive to get those that still exist. Fossil fuels also lead to pollution in soil, water and air. In fact, it is the major contributor of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

For this reason, we need to look for alternatives. Renewable energy sources which include solar, hydropower and wind are cleaner alternatives than fossil fuels. Since they are “renewable,” they have infinite supply.

Importance of Solar Energy

It’s no question that the sun is the primary source of energy. As one of the important renewable energy sources, its energy has been utilized for thousands of years--- from the time humans learned to use magnifying glass to set a wood on fire. Ancient Romans learned that by installing glass windows they can stay away from the coldness and trap in the sunlight for heating.

Greenhouses were also built to produce seasoned vegetables and fruits.

Today, solar energy is used to provide heat and light and to cool down structures like building and houses, to generate electricity and to operate several industrial processes.

Solar energy plays a very important role since there is an immediate need to find renewable energy sources.

It is the energy that gives life to planet earth. In fact, majority of renewable energy sources are either directly or indirectly coming from the energy emitted by the sun. For instance, it is the sun’s heat which causes the force of rushing air which we know as wind, helps trees and plants which are used to produce biomass energy to grow and has a vital role in the cycle of precipitation that is necessary to create hydropower.

Importance of Wind Energy

Wind energy is one of the most abundant renewable energy sources. It is very useful when the sun cannot be used to produce solar power. For centuries, wind energy is used for sailing ships and driving windmills for grinding grain. At present, wind energy is used for producing electricity via the wind turbines. Compare to all alternative sources of energy, wind is the cleanest and most environment friendly.

Importance of Hydropower

If water is flowing downstream, then it creates a very powerful force. Water is one of the recognized renewable energy sources. Because of the worldwide and infinite cycle of precipitation and evaporation, energy from water is constantly recharged. The sun’s heat causes the evaporation of water in lakes and oceans to form clouds.

After a while, the water falls down to Earth in the form of snow or rain and reaches the streams and rivers. The flow of water creates power for the water wheels that run mechanical processes. This is then captured by generators and turbines like the many dams housed all over the world. The energy from flowing water can be utilized to produce electricity.

Other great renewable energy sources include biomass energy, hydrogen, geothermal energy and ocean energy.