Friday, February 9, 2018

Why is Renewable Energy Important?

Conserving energy is important to not only save homeowners money on energy expenses but also to protect the future of the environment. One way to conserve energy is to utilize renewable energy sources. This article is going to discuss the importance of renewable energy and what it means for our future.

First off, what is renewable energy? Renewable energy sources are those that are replenished constantly. Renewable energy is reliable and plentiful compared to non-renewable energy. Sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil are only obtained by costly explorations and possibly dangerous drilling. Furthermore, these sources will continue to become more expensive as supply decreases. However, renewable energy will become less expensive once the technology needed to access it improves.

Common types of renewable energy include:
  • Solar
  • Wind
  • Hydropower
  • Biofuels
  • Geothermal
  • Tidal
One of the biggest factors in the importance of renewable energy is that these sources produce neither greenhouse gases nor harmful emissions. Unlike non-renewable energy, renewable energy causes no harm to the planet. With this lower impact on the environment, the earth will be better off in the long run.

Because of the immense benefits renewable energy sources can offer, more and more people and agencies are investing in these sources. In fact, hydropower accounted for around 6% of total energy generation in the U.S. and 46% of electricity generation from all renewable energy in 2015. Along with it's reduced harm to the environment, renewable energy can offer other benefits as well.

Compared to non-renewable energy resources, renewable energy prices have slowly been decreasing. Because of this price reduction, the world has seen significant advances in ways to utilize renewable energy. More energy efficient equipment, better engineering designs, and technology have all been a major focus of implemented renewable energy.

Furthermore, renewable energy offers long-term certainty. Because renewable energy as a long lifespan and one solar or wind farm can last for around 30 years, this allows users to have time to further increase efficiency by the time the equipment is ready to be upgraded. Unlike non-renewable sources, renewable energy will continue to become more effective while becoming less expensive.

And lastly, renewable energy can offer security. Renewable energy can be utilized anywhere, anytime. This leaves endless possibilities for harnessing this energy. On the other hand, most gas and oil sources are found in certain regions. These areas can prove to be technically challenging and can be expensive to access.

Choosing to diversify the nation's energy supply and realizing the importance of renewable energy will allow for a secure energy future. It's important to have long-term, sustainable energy options in order to continue harvesting the amount of energy we need.

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