Renewable Energy Sources
The Need to Avoid Using Non-Renewable Energy Sources
The article discusses the need for reducing the use of non-renewable resources. Various alternative renewable energy sources and brief descriptions about them are given.
The ability of renewable sources of energy to meet human energy requirements has never been in question. However, their use and implementation has been restrained due to the fact that the percentage of functional energy generated from these sources is less, and because they are subject to a number of limitations. The problems being faced these days due to extensive use of non-renewable sources of energy have brought about a change in this mindset.
Problems with Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Non-renewable energy sources are being depleted at a rapid rate these days. If this continues, the earth will be completely exhausted of all its natural energy reserves within a few years. To add to this, there have also been problems associated with vehicular emissions and environmental damage due to massive usage of fossil fuels. This has brought pressure on many countries of the world to reduce their CO2 emissions and go for the use of cheaper and non-polluting energy sources.
Types of Renewable Energy Sources
The renewable sources of energy mainly include solar, wind, hydel, biomass, geothermal and ocean energies.
- Solar energy or the energy from the sun is the most sought after. It is a non-polluting and constant source of energy. Equipment designed for this purpose can be used for many functions, and hence it is also cost effective. Equipment to harness solar energy can be built both for domestic and industrial purposes. Though availability of solar energy depends on the availability of sunlight at all times, it is highly beneficial in the sense that it causes no pollution at all.
- Wind energy is another good source of renewable energy. This is particularly feasible in regions like coastlines and high altitude areas which receive strong wind currents throughout the year. Energy produced from a single windmill can be used for domestic purposes. A number of windmills coupled together help to generate energy on a large scale.
- Water energy is available in a number of forms. For instance, the water which is stored in dams can be released from a great height and made to flow through turbines, hence converting potential energy of falling water into kinetic energy. The oceans also possess a high amount of energy, either as wave energy present in the waves or as energy which can be generated due to difference in temperatures of different regions of the ocean.
- Biomass, which is nothing but human and animal bi-products, can be used to generate energy. This is a very useful method, as it helps to cleanse the environment of the unwanted waste matter and also provides a non-polluting source of energy. This method has come into limelight due to problem of waste disposal being faced in many of the major towns and cities. Apart from this, there is also the geothermal energy which can be obtained from heat energy present either in the earth’s layers or on the earth’s surface.
As you can see, there are a large number of renewable energy sources which can be accessed to the benefit of the human race.
