What Is Renewable Source Also Called?

What is a Renewable Energy Source?

A renewable energy source is one that can be naturally replenished or renewed within a short period of time. Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass (https://www.fzoeu.hr/en/renewable-energy-sources/7573).

Some key examples of renewable energy sources are:

• Solar power from the sun
• Wind power
• Hydropower from flowing water such as rivers or waterfalls
• Geothermal power from heat within the earth
• Biomass from plants and organic waste

In contrast to finite resources like fossil fuels, renewable energy sources are naturally replenished and virtually inexhaustible. Though the amount of available energy may fluctuate, these sources will not run out. This makes renewable energy critical for long-term energy sustainability.

Why Renewable Energy is Important

Renewable energy sources provide a number of important benefits, mainly around providing clean energy that reduces pollution and mitigates climate change. According to a US EPA report, generating energy from renewable sources that do not emit greenhouse gases from fossil fuels helps to reduce some types of air pollution and diversify energy supply. Renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric energy produce little to no global warming emissions, which is a key advantage.

In contrast, burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for energy leads to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions that are the dominant cause of global warming. The UN highlights that renewable energy provides power for a safer future as these clean sources are available in abundance all around us and reduce contributions to climate change. Increasing renewable energy and displacing fossil fuels is considered a key measure for mitigating and preventing the worst impacts of climate change.

Beyond climate change impacts, the emissions from fossil fuels also degrade air quality and public health. Renewables like solar and wind energy produce power without emitting smog-forming gases or other toxic pollutants into the air, which can reduce respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Improving air quality and reducing pollution-related health burdens are clear public health advantages of transitioning to cleaner renewable energy sources.

Common Types of Renewable Energy

There are several major types of renewable energy sources that are in widespread use today across the globe. Some of the most common renewable energy sources include:

Solar Energy

Solar energy harnesses the sun’s radiation to generate electricity and heat. Solar photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into direct current electricity. Concentrated solar power systems use mirrors to concentrate sunlight to heat a fluid and produce steam to drive a turbine generator [1]. Solar energy is one of the fastest growing renewable sources.

Wind Energy

Wind power converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical power through wind turbines. Wind turbines use large blades to collect the wind’s energy and convert it into rotational motion to drive electric generators. Wind power capacity has expanded rapidly in recent years and wind is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies [2].

Hydroelectric Energy

Hydropower harnesses the energy of flowing water to generate electricity. Hydropower plants capture water’s kinetic energy as it flows through turbines and converts it into mechanical power to run electric generators. Hydroelectricity is a mature technology and is the most widely used renewable energy source globally [3].

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy utilizes the internal heat of the earth to produce steam to drive turbine generators. Geothermal power plants use wells to tap into reservoirs of hot water or steam located deep underground to spin turbine generators. While geothermal is a small contributor to global energy supply today, it has significant potential for growth.

Biomass

Biomass energy uses organic plant and animal waste to produce electricity, heat, fuels and biogas. Common forms of biomass include wood, agricultural residues, municipal solid waste, and animal manure. Biomass can be directly combusted or converted into biofuels through various processes. Bioenergy is one of the largest sources of renewable power generation globally.

Advantages of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources provide several important benefits over traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Some of the main advantages of renewable energy include:

Environmentally Friendly

Renewable energy sources are much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. Renewables like solar, wind and hydro energy don’t produce air pollution or greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. This helps protect the environment and public health.

Unlimited Supply

Renewable energy sources are considered unlimited and can’t be depleted like fossil fuels. The sun will continue to produce energy for billions of years. There are enough geothermal, wind and hydro resources to help meet energy demand for the foreseeable future.

Reduces Dependence on Fossil Fuels

Reliance on imported fossil fuels makes countries vulnerable to supply disruptions and price shocks. Increasing renewable energy production allows countries to rely more on domestic energy resources and helps improve energy security.

Creates Jobs

The renewable energy industry is growing rapidly and creating well-paying jobs worldwide. Solar, wind and other renewables are labor intensive and require workers for manufacturing, construction, operations, maintenance and more.

Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

While renewable energy has many benefits, there are also some challenges and limitations to be aware of. Three major disadvantages of renewable energy are high upfront costs, intermittency issues, and land use challenges.

High upfront costs are often cited as the biggest barrier to large-scale renewable energy adoption. Building wind farms, solar fields, hydropower dams, and other renewable facilities requires significant capital investment. Though renewable technologies have gotten cheaper over time, they remain more expensive than legacy energy sources like fossil fuels. Consumers may save money in the long run from lower electricity bills, but power companies have been slow to undertake the big initial costs.

Another downside of renewable energy is intermittency. The sun does not always shine, and the wind does not always blow when electricity is needed most. This can create issues with reliability, especially as more intermittent renewables are added to the grid. Backup power sources like natural gas “peaker” plants are often required to meet demand when renewable generation is low. New grid management and energy storage solutions can help overcome these issues.

Some renewable energy projects also spark debates over land use impacts. Wind and solar projects in particular can require large amounts of land. This has led to concerns over habitat loss, viewshed impacts, and conflicts with agriculture. However, technologies like offshore wind and rooftop solar allow renewables to minimize their land use footprint.

Renewable Energy Usage Statistics

Renewables made up 12.6% of the total global energy mix in 2018, according to Our World In Data. This share has grown steadily over the past decades, from 6.4% in 2000 and 9.1% in 2010. The growth has been driven by rapid expansions in solar PV and wind power. Renewable electricity capacity saw its largest annual increase ever in 2020, with over 280 gigawatts added globally.

China is the world leader in total renewable energy capacity, followed by the United States and Brazil. In terms of renewable share of total energy, the leading countries are Iceland (76%), Norway (69%), and Sweden (57%), according to the International Energy Agency. The growth in renewables reflects strong policy support in many countries, as well as falling technology costs.

The IEA projects renewables will overtake coal to become the largest source of electricity generation by 2025. If current trends continue, renewables could supply 30% of global power generation by 2024 and 50% by 2030. Realizing this potential will require continued policy support and investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

Barriers to Wider Adoption of Renewables

Despite the many benefits of renewable energy, there are still barriers hindering more widespread adoption. Some of the main challenges include:

High costs – The upfront capital costs of building renewable energy systems can be prohibitive. Constructing wind farms, solar fields, hydropower dams, and other renewable infrastructure requires major investments.

Policy and regulatory hurdles – Renewable energy development can face challenges from regulatory red tape and lack of supportive policies. Fossil fuels receive large subsidies in many places, putting renewables at an economic disadvantage. Streamlining permitting processes and establishing renewable energy incentives can help overcome this barrier.

Grid integration challenges – Incorporating variable renewable sources like wind and solar into the electric grid requires upgrades to handle two-way power flows. Modernizing grids and improving storage technology helps integrate higher renewables penetration.

Policies Supporting Renewable Energy

Governments at the federal, state, and local levels have implemented a variety of policies to encourage the growth of renewable energy. Some of the key policies include:

Tax Credits: The federal government offers tax credits like the investment tax credit (ITC) and production tax credit (PTC) to make renewable energy projects more affordable and attractive to developers. The ITC allows companies to deduct 26% of the cost of installing solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy systems from their federal taxes. The PTC provides a tax credit per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from sources like wind and geothermal. Many states also offer additional tax incentives.

Feed-in Tariffs: Under this policy, utilities are obligated to purchase renewable electricity from producers at above-market rates set by regulators. This encourages more rapid investment and deployment of renewable energy. Feed-in tariffs have been very successful at promoting solar PV and wind in Europe.

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS): An RPS mandates that utilities generate or acquire a minimum percentage of their electricity from renewable sources by a target year. As of 2021, 30 states and Washington, D.C. had RPS policies.

Net Metering: This billing mechanism credits solar customers for surplus electricity fed back to the grid. It is one of the most important state policies for supporting distributed renewable energy generation, especially rooftop solar PV.

You can read more about federal and state renewable energy policies at https://www.energy.gov/scep/slsc/policies-and-programs and https://www.epa.gov/statelocalenergy/state-renewable-energy-policies.

The Future of Renewable Energy

The future looks bright for renewable energy. According to one report, renewable energy is projected to account for over 50% of total global power generation by 2050, up from 26% today (https://www.doi.gov/priorities/clean-energy-future). This continued growth is expected due to several key factors:

First, costs for renewables like solar and wind continue to fall dramatically, making them increasingly price-competitive with fossil fuels. Innovation and economies of scale are driving down costs.

Second, governments around the world are implementing policies and incentives to accelerate the transition to renewables. Over 130 countries have set renewable energy targets. Major investments are being made in wind, solar, hydropower and other renewables (https://earth.org/the-present-and-future-of-renewable-energy-a-2023-update/).

Third, new technologies are emerging to address some of the challenges facing renewables, like intermittency and storage. Solutions like advanced batteries, pumped hydro storage, and smart grids will enable higher penetrations of renewables on power grids.

If costs continue to fall and new technologies take hold, renewables have the potential to transform economies. According to the UN, transitioning to renewables could create over 18 million jobs by 2030 while limiting global warming (https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy). The future is bright for renewable energy, with innovations and supportive policies driving continued growth globally.

Conclusion

In summary, renewable energy sources are crucial alternatives to fossil fuels. Renewable resources like solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and biomass provide sustainable energy without depleting the planet’s finite natural resources or contributing major amounts of greenhouse gases. While renewables currently make up a small percentage of global energy production, they are growing rapidly as costs decrease and supportive policies expand. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change and build a sustainable future, societies must continue transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy across all sectors of the economy. The environmental and health benefits of running our homes, businesses, vehicles and industries on clean sources like sunlight, wind and flowing water are enormous. With the right investments, policies and public engagement, renewable energy can displace coal, oil and natural gas to become the dominant form of energy production.