Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy generated from renewable or naturally replenished sources. Wind turbines, hydropower sources such as dams, tidal and wave power generators, as well as solar and solar heat sources are examples of renewable energy, as is ethanol fuel produced from refined sugar cane. Renewable energy is seen as a green energy because of the minimal production of harmful greenhouse gasses they produce as a by-product of generating energy. Renewable energy sources are increasingly popular among a global public that is concerned about climate change and the exhaustible supplies of conventional energy sources such as coal, wood and oil. Renewable energy sources are viewed as key solutions to what many perceive to be a crisis in current energy sources. Renewable energy is seen as the ecological answer to destructive acquisition and use of conventional fuels.

There are some problems with renewable energy sources, principally that they provide mass natural disturbance in the initial installation stages: wind turbines proving unsightly on coasts and inland; dams forming reservoirs that destroy natural habitats and can damage natural life cycles in the river important to the ecology of a region; and the cost of developing and installing renewable energy generators for a lower immediate energy return.

However, renewable energy, while increasingly popular, is also beneficial for more than ecological reasons. As it never runs out, once a generator has been established and installed there are no fuel sourcing costs. Instead, maintenance of the unit is all that is required, allowing energy providers to invest in more units for generating power rather than costly surveys and extraction operations, such as natural gas and oil drilling and coal mining.