What Is Renewable Energy？
The demand for energy is continuously rising around the world. Finite sources of fossil fuels are unable to fulfill the needs of the escalating population. Apart from this, no one can ignore the adverse impact and effects of fossil fuels on the environment. Some of these negative effects are acid rain, unclean air, and climate impact.
Using fossil fuels is not beneficial and does not lead to environmental preservation for future generations. This has urged the need for an alternative and sustainable solution. No worries, you will find highlights on the definition, concept, types, benefits, etc., regarding Renewable energy right in this article. Sounds exciting? Let’s dive in to find out key facts!
If you are interested you can read our article: 10 biggest renewable energy companies in the World
Renewable Energy – Brief Overview
The term renewable energy refers to the energy that you get from natural sources. The replenishment rate of these sources of energy is very high in comparison to their utilization. These energy sources include rain, wind, sunlight, biomass, or geothermal sources. The available quantity of these energy sources is plentiful.
In contrast, finite fossil fuels are not available in abundance and take many years for their formation. Fossil fuels are hazardous to the environment as you get energy by burning them, which ultimately leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. Apart from this, renewable energy is a lot cheaper and generates a plethora of employment opportunities.
Renewable Energy – Main Types
As mentioned in the definition, you can get renewable energy from multiple sources. This is what contributes to the types of renewable energy. Some of the key types for your consideration are:
- Solar Renewable Energy
- Wind Renewable Energy
- Hydro Renewable Energy
- Biomass Renewable Energy
- Geothermal Renewable Energy
Let’s discuss these types one by one in detail below:
1. Solar Renewable Energy
The energy you obtain from sunlight refers to solar renewable energy. There are two ways to harness the Solar Renewable Energy such as:
2. PV (Photovoltaic Systems)
PV systems are actually Solar Panels. Their main function is to convert the sunlight into electric current directly. Semiconductor material plays a great role in this regard. When this material experiences sunlight, it starts generating electric current. These systems are beneficial for the residential, industrial, and commercial sectors. They can use the electricity for themselves as well as pass on extra current to nearby grids.
3. Renewable Solar Thermal Systems
The main role of these systems is to produce heat instead of generating electricity. Concentrating the sunlight on one point leads to achieving higher temperatures. You can use this heat for steam production, electric current generation, and water heating applications. Besides this, you can power your solar cookers this way.
Wind Renewable Energy
The energy that you obtain from wind refers to renewable wind energy. Multiple ways exist to reap wind renewable energy:
1. On Shore Wind Renewable Energy Farms
These farms consist of wind turbines that are present on land near the shore. The wind turbines work by capturing the wind’s kinetic energy and transforming this into electric current. You can save up a lot of costs this way.
2. Off Shore Wind Renewable Energy Farms
Unlike On Shore, the Offshore wind renewable energy farms are comprised of wind turbines that are present on water in coastal areas. The working principle of offshore wind turbines is similar to the on-shore but has higher efficiency and effectiveness. These turbines require robust installation technology to work smoothly in coastal areas.
Hydro Renewable Energy
The energy that you obtain from the water refers to hydrorenewable energy. You can produce the hydro renewable energy in the following ways:
1. Using a Reservoir
Using this method means you can store the water in a dam or reservoir. To generate electricity, you need to release the water that passes through the turbines for electricity production. This meaning is not new but has existed for decades on planet Earth.
An option exists to incorporate pumps in the design of the reservoir. This way, you can pump the released water again into the reservoir. But this is only feasible when you have excess electric current production through the reservoir and demand is low.
2. River Run-off Power
In this type of renewable hydro energy, you dont need any reservoir. Instead, you reap the energy from the flowing water of the river. This type has negligible environmental impact.
Biomass Renewable Energy
The energy that you obtain from biomass, including organic waste, wood, or agricultural residue, refers to Biomass energy. The means through which you can get biomass energy are:
1. Combustion
You can burn the waste to produce heat. The option exists to use this heat for water heating or steam generation. Later you can produce electric current with the steam that turns the turbine.
2. AD (Anaerobic Digestion)
It refers to a process that involves the breakdown of organic waste through microorganisms. They generate biogas, which contains two main elements: CH4 and CO2. You can use this gas as a burning source or for the generation of electric current.
3. Geothermal Renewable Energy
The energy that you harness from the earth’s natural heat refers to geothermal energy. It is mainly due to the decay of the thorium, uranium, and potassium. Options exist to set up geothermal power plants or use this energy directly. You can use this heat in the production of electricity or heating buildings to maintain temperature levels.
Energy Contribution of These Renewables To Total Power for Various Countries
Unveil the facts on the contribution of various renewable energies to the total contribution of power. The highlights include the following countries in this regard:
| Sr. No. | Country | Solar | Hydro | Biomass | Wind | Geothermal | Total Contribution |
| 1 | Switzerland | 3.5% | 50.0% | 4.0% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 59.2% |
| 2 | Australia | 12.0% | 6.5% | 1.5% | 17.0% | 0.2% | 37.2% |
| 3 | Germany | 9.0% | 10.0% | 7.0% | 22.0% | 0.2% | 48.2% |
| 4 | Norway | 0.5% | 92.0% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 4.0% | 99.0% |
| 5 | France | 5.0% | 13.0% | 2.0% | 10.0% | 0.2% | 30.2% |
| 6 | UK | 4.0% | 7.0% | 6.0% | 21.0% | 0.2% | 38.2% |
| 7 | USA | 7.0% | 3.0% | 2.0% | 8.0% | 0.2% | 20.2% |
| 8 | New Zealand | 10.0% | 72.0% | 3.0% | 10.0% | 2.0% | 97.0% |
| 9 | South Korea | 4.0% | 5.0% | 10.0% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 20.2% |
Highlighting The Benefits of The Renewable Energy
There are many benefits you can reap using the Renewable energy. Some of the key benefits are:
1. Sustainability of Environment
Using renewable energy sources allows you to cut off the emissions of greenhouse gases. These gases include CH4, CO2, CO, and N2. This way, you can positively contribute to environment conservation. You are not going to pollute the air or impact climate negatively.
2. Zero Energy Dependability
Fossil fuels are finite or limited. Using fossil fuels, there lies a sense of fear. Suppose the supply of these fossil fuels experiences a disruption. However, renewable energy resources are different. They are infinite, like sunlight, air, water, etc. Using these resources, you can generate a lot of energy. This will give you freedom from depending on the fossil fuel for energy needs.
3. Employment Opportunities
Renewable energy sources offer multiple employment opportunities. You can get employment for maintenance installation of the renewable energy plant. The option exists to get indulge in the development and research sector for your monthly wages. This indirectly cuts off unemployment and leads to better community formation.
4. Stability of Costs
There is an uncertainty associated with fossil fuel prices. Suppose their demand increases and their quantity decreases. This leads to a rise in the fuel price. But this is not going to happen with the renewable energy resources.
The light, air, and water are available in abundance. They are not going to finish or end up. Therefore, you can experience highly stable costs with renewable energy in the long run. This also leads you to face economic stability as well.
5. Health Standards Improvement
Poor air quality leads to severe diseases, including asthma, emphysema, respiratory issues, etc. The emission of fossil fuels contributes to environmental pollution by impacting air and water quality. They are also responsible for the acid rain within the community.
Besides this, the utilization of renewable energy sources does not pollute the environment or water. They maintain the environmental health standards by keeping the environment clean.
6. Light Up Remote Areas
When you have a renewable energy generation system set in place. You dont need to depend on the grid for electricity needs. Using this energy, you can light up remote areas with ease. Renewable energy systems have opened up the world to take electricity or energy anywhere you want.
Challenges That You Face With Renewable Energy Resources Set Up
There are multiple challenges that you can face while deploying renewable energy resources. Some of the key challenges are:
- The wind and solar are intermittent, which leads to the fluctuation in their supply. This raises the requirement for qualitative technology solutions.
- To maintain the smooth operation of the renewable energy. You need to cater to effective and efficient batteries, grid storage systems, and pump storage systems in the reservoir.
- You need to set up a monitoring system, energy control system, and communication system to ensure an optimum supply of energy.
Summary
There is no doubt that renewable energy has emerged as an effective solution. Today, electric vehicles using renewable energy are charged using some DC home charging piles or public charging piles, making a significant contribution to the environment.
Adopting these and other technologies allows you to play your part in saving the environment for future generations. Share your thoughts in the comment section for any queries or assistance in this regard.
