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Renewable Energy: Sustainable and Balance Energy Supply in the Future
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Renewable energy is getting its way ahead. Most international energy ministers and advocates together with different non-governmental organizations and environmentalists are joining efforts to promote utilization of renewable energy source as a substitute to nearly-depleting fossil fuel reserves. Different legislative bodies around the world pass resolutions and laws urging government to award grants and incentives for the development of renewable energy systems.
However, do we fully understand what renewable energy is? How does it work in solving our energy supply problems? Why do our lawmakers and other government officials support the development of such energy source? This and other related questions will be answered through this article.
Renewable Energy - An Overview
This new energy source is not new to us. We see this and use this everyday, although for other reasons. For instance, sunlight provides us light during the day, dries our wet clothes, and make trees and other plants grow. But don’t you know that sunlight can actually provide you the electricity you need? Sunlight is considered as one of new energy sources.
If you prefer a hard water adventure such as kayaking, you look for a place with extreme flowing water. But don’t you know that flowing water can actually generate energy?
These are just some of the forms of renewable energy. We are using it every now and then but we are not aware that it can actually generate energy that we can use. These sources come from natural processes in our ecosystem that replenishes itself such as the sunlight and the flowing water. Other forms include wind energy, biological processes (such as bio-fuels from decaying plants and organic matters), and geothermal heat that comes from the surface of the Earth.
Unlike the conventional fossil fuels that present power plants are using as its main fuel, renewable energy is free energy. It is free in a sense that it is abundantly available in the open environment. Sunlight and wind is everywhere. Extreme flowing waters can be found on particular areas. You do not need to excavate beneath the ground. It doesn’t need to be imported nor exported.
In addition, renewable energy have almost unlimited resources. Our sun still has a remaining life span of around 4.5 billion years. The volume of water present in Earth is constant. The same also goes with the wind, bio-fuels, and geothermal heat.
How Renewable Energy Works
There is a distinction in energy generation between fossil fuels and the “renewables”. The former produces energy by combustion or burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil to generate power. The latter directly converts renewable energy into useful forms. For instance, sunlight is directly converted into electricity which can be used by a regular household.
Impacts of Fossil Fuels: Renewable Energy as an Alternative
Interest in developing renewable energy is related to concerns on extensive use of fossil fuels. The demand for such fuels is increasing while its reserves are limited in quantity. It will result in fossil fuel supply shortage and high fossil fuel prices in the energy market. In addition, other factors such as the quantity of production, weather, and economics also affect the prices of fossil fuels.
Environmentalists have also spotted environmental impacts with regards to the use of fossil fuels. Its combustion results in emission of harmful gases in our atmosphere that causes drastic changes in our climate. These reasons also prompt different governments to prioritize the use of renewable energy to avoid energy shortage, economic, and environmental problems.
Renewable energy can go a long way in helping us achieve a stable and reliable energy supply in the future.
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