Why Should We Use Renewable Energy?

Nowadays, the term renewable energy is familiar to us already. Even though we’re familiar with it, we may still not know the definition of it. This term is used on energy and has been used by a lot of countries to sustain their electricity running. So renewable energy is an energy acquired from natural resources and can be replenished more than the resources being used . 

Renewable energy is sustainable and its resources are easy to get. Unlike Non-renewable energy, that is unsustainable and its resources are more difficult to get. Non-renewable energy resources are called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are laborious to get and need hundreds of millions of  years to replenish. Fossil fuels are coal, oil and gas.

Renewable also produces much less carbon emission unlike fossil fuels that produce harmful greenhouse gas when burned such as carbon dioxide. Renewable energy is beneficial for us, especially the climate change we are facing right now and the depleting amount of fossil fuels that is said to run out this century.

Now  that we have known the definition, we need to know the classification of it coming from its common sources. Solar energy is an energy derived from converting sunlight to electricity. It uses photovoltaic panels or PV panels and mirrors to gain the sunlight and convert them to electricity. This is the one that we can use to power electronic devices that we use such as lights, heater, computer, television, etc. Years ago, the cost of solar panels was quite expensive, making solar energy green, sustainable, but expensive energy. That fact was making it hard for the country to use solar panels instead of non-renewable energy generators. But, now the price has decreased making it affordable. Now, solar energy is green, sustainable, and affordable energy.

Wind energy is an energy that we get from the kinetic energy of the moving air we call wind. It uses a wind turbine to capture the wind and convert it to electricity. The wind moves the turbine blade making the turbine rotate and generate electricity. Wind turbines are placed in a place that has winds. It can be placed in sea (off-shore) or in land (onshore). The places should have strong wind speeds because it derives from kinetic energy.

Geothermal energy is derived from the earth’s core. The earth core is predicted to be over 6000°C. The heats are extracted by geothermal reservoirs by  wells or any other means. The power plants use water to generate steam from the heat and the steam is used to turn the generator into making electricity. Geothermal energy power plants are reliable and can operate for up to 100 years.

Hydropower electric energy is derived from flowing water. The flowing water is moving the turbine and making it produce electricity. Hydropower energy is placed in rivers or reservoirs. Reservoirs are the common one that is used because we can control the flow of the water. The electricity that we can produce is very large, making it the largest source of renewable energy.

Ocean energy is derived from the moving water coming from the tides and currents of the sea. This source of energy is still being developed by scientists.   

Biomass energy is derived from organic materials coming from woods, charcoal, waste, etc. The materials are gained from plants, microorganisms, and animals. Biomass energy is generated when the organic materials are burned. This may be confusing since it is considered renewable energy and green, yet it still produces carbon emission. But, research has shown that emissions coming from burned organic materials are less harmful and at a lower level than burning fossil fuel. These organic materials can be used to create heat, electricity, and even convert to biofuel. But still, biofuel right now can’t be used solely to power cars and trucks, it still needs to be mixed with gasoline. The good news is the pollution emitted will be less harmful than pure gasoline.

Now we know about renewable energy and its classification, we will now find out about the impact on the environment and climate change. Today, we know that our environments are being damaged due to fossil fuel. Fossil fuels produce greenhouse energy that cause climate change. The greenhouse energy traps sun heat and increases the temperature. Climate change causes increasing earth surface temperature, the rise of sea water level, ocean heat and ocean acidification, etc.

To avoid the severe impact of climate change we need to reduce emissions. The way to do this is to do a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. By using renewable energy, we are using sustainable, green, and cheaper energy.