The typical energy resources currently in use include non-renewable sources that will not last forever. In fact, we have already used up a large percentage of the earth’s non-replenishing resources. This is having a profound destructive effect on not only our economy, but the environment. However, recent research has increased the interest in lower-cost renewable energy resources that do not harm the earth’s environment. These resources include solar, wind, organic matter, geothermal, and water.
Most of our renewable energy options come from the sun. Solar energy, or energy that is produced via the sun’s rays, is used for residential, industrial, and commercial purposes. Solar energy is used for heating water, cooling the air, and providing electricity to run lights and machines. While energy from solar resources is most widely used in areas with a great degree of exposure to the sun, it has applications in all parts of the world.
Wind energy, which comes from the sun’s heating effect on the air, can also be used for providing electricity. Energy from the wind is collected by wind turbines and then applied to agriculture, industry, and home uses. It is the reaction of sun and wind that causes water evaporation, which leads to precipitation of snow and rain. The water from rain and melting snow flows into our earth’s streams and rivers, where the energy can be turned into hydroelectric power.
Everybody knows that it is sun and rain that makes plants grow, but not all are aware that the organic matter that makes up those plants, or biomass, is also a tremendous energy resource. Energy from organic matter can be used for fuel, electricity, and needed chemicals. These are all referred to as bioenergy, which is energy from life itself.
Renewable energy is not always connected to the sun. We can use energy that is created from the earth’s heat to heat and cool our homes and other buildings. This source is geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is also a reliable source for the production of electricity.
Then, there are ocean energies. The majority of our beautiful planet is covered by the world’s oceans, and these oceans contain more than one way of providing renewable energy. Gravity causes tides, the winds and tidal pulls create waves. This is referred to as wave energy. We can also capture energy from the sun-heated parts of the ocean.
People have consumed and continue to consume precious, non-renewable energy resources. Our energy consumption is not only stripping the earth of its natural resources, it puts toxic particles into our air and water, which hurts all life on earth. We can stop hurting our environment by switching over to renewable types of energy.
Replacing energy that cannot replenish with renewable energy sources will have beneficial effects on the economy. Those who work for an industry that is guaranteed to deal with shortages and eventually exhaust its resources probably find it difficult to relax and feel comfortable about their financial future. However, when people work in the renewable energy industry, they can be certain that renewable energy will always need to be collected and maintained. Instead of investing in resources that are drained from countries thousands of miles away, investors will invest in an energy that will continue to renew.
As residents of the earth, we not only have a responsibility to our planet, we have a personal stake in its survival. We can either gorge on energy that cannot renew and leaves the world in ever-worsening shape, or we can choose to get our power from all of the types of renewable energy. For the sake of future generations, we need to stop hurting our earth and start healing it.
We have been dedicated to green campaigns including recycling as well as renewable sources of energy if possible.