Renewable energy comes from sources that never run out because nature produces it faster than we use it.
Solar Power
Solar power comes from solar panels which consist of cells that collect sunlight and make electricity out of it. The amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface in an hour and a half is actually enough to power the whole world for a year. The hard part though, is that the amount of sun you get greatly depends on time of day, location, weather, and season.
Wind Power
Wind farms consist of wind turbines spin blades to make kinetic energy that is then turned into eclectic energy by rotating a generator. This energy is then released into the local grid. Because of solar power’s inconsistency, wind is actually the biggest renewable energy source in both the UK and US.
Hydropower
Hydropower uses flowing or falling water to generate energy. Most hydropower is found by dams or in the sense of tidal power, opening of large bodies of water. The water turns underwater turbines which, though a generator, converts it to energy.
Bioenergy
Bioenergy is made by burning organic matter like timber and food waste to generate energy. The downside of this strategy is that it also generates carbon dioxide. Despite this, it’s still considered renewable because these plants can absorb more carbon dioxide during their lifetime than they emit in this process.
Geothermal Energy
Under the Earth’s surface, there are hot rocks and fluids. These fluids seep around the hot rocks and soak up the heat. They’re then either naturally or artificially drawn up to the surface where they’re converted to steam. This steam then turns turbines that produce electricity.