How Are Big Businesses Contributing to the Renewable Energy Movement

Renewable energy has been a major topic of discussion over the past few years. From individual homeowners to giant corporations, more and more people are going green when it comes to getting electrical power. In fact, over half of U.S. renewable power sources are used for producing electricity, with about 13% of U.S. electricity being generated from renewable sources in 2015 alone. But are big companies continuing to go green this year?
Despite the U.S. government seemingly going in the opposite direction, big companies are, in fact, investing more in sustainable sources of energy. In 2017, we saw a lot of companies head in the renewable direction, including Starbucks, General Motors, General Mills, and Target.
According to Kevin Haley, marketing manager at the Rocky Mountain Institute's' Business Renewable Center, "an increasing number of non-utility buyers ... believe they need to be part of the sustainability solution." Haley added that the decreasing prices of these renewable sources are sure to be a motivating factor as well.
Already this year, renewable energy deals are expected to surpass the 2.78 gigawatts worth of power last year's deals saw. Between 2008 and 2013, there were only four big companies that signed deals for renewable power sources. But between 2013 and 2018, 51 more companies jumped on the green train.

These companies recognize that climate change is a problem and that there is a relatively easy way they can help reduce their impact on the environment.

Benefits of Using Renewable Energy Options
So why exactly are people making the shift towards more sustainable options? For starters, these renewable sources produce little to no harmful emissions. Nonrenewable sources, like coal, produce harmful amounts of CO2 and are continuing to contribute to global warming. But by making the switch to sustainable choices, people can significantly reduce their CO2 emissions.
Additionally, these harmful emissions provided by non sustainable sources are impacting public health. The pollution emitted by coal and other energy sources has been linked to health issues like breathing problems, cancer, and heart attacks. Deciding to use wind, solar, or hydroelectric power doesn't have this same negative effect on public health.
With the numerous benefits sustainable energy sources can offer, like less harmful emissions and lower costs, there's no reason for people to not make the switch. These sustainable sources can constantly replenish energy sources and help the environment in the process.

3 Renewable Energy Trends to Look for in 2018

In recent years, more and more people have begun to realize the importance of sustainable energy options. Continuing to use non-renewable energy sources is not only bad for the planet, but it's bad for the economy as well. It's because of this that each year there is an increase in innovations regarding sustainable energy sources. Big companies, and even entire countries, are taking action and doing their part in conserving energy by making the switch to green energy sources. Experts believe 2018 will be no exception. With that in mind, let's discuss a few renewable energy trends we can expect to see this year.


Decreasing renewable energy costs. While prices for nonrenewable energy sources continue to rise as supply continues to dwindle down, prices for sustainable energy options will continue to fall. Because more people are beginning to invest in renewable energy options, the technology needed to harvest these resources is adapting and becoming more efficient. Experts believe country-level auctions for renewable capacity will help prices for solar and wind energy decrease.


Popularization of wind plus storage. Solar plus storage has been popularized by big companies as well as homeowners due to the benefits it can offer. Now, experts believe utility-scale wind plus storage is beginning to follow the solar plus storage trend. Renewable energy developers around the world are starting projects that implement batteries with wind power projects. Operators of wind farms are continuing to look for ways to make their projects last longer and be more efficient in time and cost.


Efficient waste management. Worldwide, waste management continues to be a significant problem. Because of this, many governments are turning to waste-to-energy facilities to help control landfill expansion. However, there is still a lot of progress to be made when it comes to putting waste-to-energy policies in place. This is why 2018 is expected to see an increase in the number of new project announcements and integration of policies.


Over 150 years ago, 90% of the nation's energy needs were supplied by wood. While this is no longer the case, there is still a lot of progress to be made when it comes to utilizing sustainable energy options. Fortunately, many countries around the world are actively making changes to the resources they use, saving money, time, and the planet in the process.