Natural resources that replenish themselves over time are referred to be renewable resources and are therefore sustainable for human consumption. The value of renewable resources is becoming more clear as the world faces the impending depletion of non renewable resources.
In addition to having the ability to replace finite energy sources, they also present cleaner, greener options for conventional energy sources like coal and fossil fuels. There are many different types of renewable resources, such as biomass, water, geothermal heat, wind, and sunlight.
This article examines the idea of renewable resources, their types, applications, and growing significance in the landscape of the world’s energy generation.
In a Nutshell
- Renewable resources are materials that refill naturally and offer an endless supply of energy.
- Renewable resources include the sun, wind, water, geothermal heat, and biomass, for instance.
- Since the beginning of time, renewable resources have been utilized to produce energy; but, in recent years, due to the diminishing availability of non renewable resources, their significance has grown significantly.
- In international initiatives like the Paris Climate Agreement, which attempts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy sources are essential.
- While renewable resources provide many benefits, there are also some drawbacks. These include the need for additional study to enhance their large scale deployment, affordability, and reliability.
Understanding Renewable Resources
A renewable resource is a resource of which there is an inexhaustible supply because it can be replenished. The sun, wind and geothermal heat are considered inexhaustible and are therefore examples of renewable resources.
Water is also considered a renewable natural resource, as long as there is rainfall. Changing weather patterns have highlighted the need for conservation efforts to protect water reserves.
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
Robert Swan
Other natural resources are considered renewable even though their renewal requires some time and effort. In addition, most precious metals are considered renewable because they are reusable. Since they are not destroyed during their extraction and use, they can be recycled.
Unlike renewable resources, once a non renewable resource is depleted, it cannot be recovered. As the human population continues to grow and finite resources become increasingly scarce, the demand for renewable resources increases.
Renewable Resources Used for Energy
Fossil fuels have been used since the late 1880s to produce the energy we use. Renewable resources, such as hydropower and wood, have been used for much longer. In fact, they were the two main renewable energy resources until the 1990s. Since then, renewable energy production has increasingly come from biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro and wind resources.
Renewable resources that can replace fossil fuels in energy production are a major goal of nations around the world. Reliability and cost are some of the challenges facing renewable energy production.Much research is being done to determine the feasibility and best implementation of large scale renewables.
The Paris Climate Agreement is an agreement among more than 180 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre industrial levels by 2100. On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the United States to rejoin the Paris Agreement after the Trump administration withdrew from it on November 4, 2020.
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Types of Renewable Resources
Sun
Sunlight is a widely recognized renewable resource. In fact, it has been used throughout human history to heat shelters, dry and cook food, and heat water. Different technologies exist and continue to be developed to collect and convert solar radiation into thermal energy that can be used for a variety of purposes.
For example, solar photovoltaic (PV) devices, or solar cells, convert sunlight into electricity. Depending on the number of solar cells used, they can power small appliances or provide electricity to many homes.
The challenge of using sunlight for our energy needs is that it can vary and sometimes be unreliable. The availability of sunlight depends on the time of day, weather conditions, season and geographical location.
Wind
Wind has a direct relationship with the sun. Daily winds are produced when the sun’s heat is captured unevenly by different surfaces of the Earth, including the oceans and other bodies of water. Air over land warms faster than air over water during the day when the sun is shining. The warm air expands and rises. Cooler air takes its place. This creates the wind.In earlier times, windmills were used throughout the United States to capture energy and pump water from wells. They still exist in some agricultural areas to supply water to livestock.
Today, wind is harnessed to produce electricity. The wind flows over the blades of wind turbines. The blades rotate and this drives an electric generator. This, in turn, generates electricity.Normally, wind turbines do not produce emissions capable of polluting air or water. In addition, they do not require water cooling. Although rare, they can have some negative effects on the environment if they leak lubricating fluids or catch fire. They can also affect bird life and species.
In 2021, wind turbines provided about 9.2% of total utility scale electricity generation in the United States.
Water
Hydroelectric power is the energy produced by water. It was one of the first renewable energy sources, even before it was used to generate electricity. For example, hydropower turned paddle wheels on rivers to grind grain and wood. Changes in rainfall and lack of water due to droughts can affect hydropower production.
Hydroelectric power was used to generate electricity in the United States beginning in the 1880s. Today, most of the country’s hydroelectricity is produced at facilities located at large dams built in the 1970s.
As of 2019, hydropower was the largest source of total annual renewable electricity generation in the United States.In 2021, hydroelectricity accounted for 31.5% of total commercial scale renewable electricity production.
Geothermal
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that uses the earth’s heat to generate energy. Hot springs heated by the earth have been used for centuries for bathing. Geothermal energy has also been used, and continues to be used, for district heating systems.
Geothermal energy is also used to generate electricity. For this purpose, power plants are built underground, at a distance of approximately one and a half kilometers from the earth’s surface.
Seven U.S. states have geothermal power plants. In 2021, they produced approximately 16 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. This equates to about 0.4% of total utility scale electricity generation in the United States. These states are California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico and Hawaii.
Geothermal heat pumps are another way to harness the earth’s heat. They transfer heat from the ground (or water) to buildings during the winter and reverse the process in the summer to help with heating and cooling.
Biomass
Renewable organic products that produce energy are called biomass. The process of photosynthesis uses the sun’s energy to convert biomass resources into chemical energy. In 2021, biomass provided nearly five quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) and about 5% of total U.S. primary energy use.
Renewable biomass resources include wood and wood residues, agricultural crops and residues (which are mainly used for biofuels), municipal waste, including paper, cotton, food and yard waste, and animal manure and wastewater.
Biofuels are liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass feedstocks. Most biofuels are used as transportation fuels, but they can also be used for heating and electricity generation. This renewable resource has been gaining ground in recent years as an alternative to non renewable resources such as coal, oil and natural gas. In 2021, the U.S. produced about 17.5 billion gallons of biofuels. It used about 16.8 billion gallons. In addition, the U.S. was a net exporter of about 800 million gallons of biofuels. Ethanol fuel accounted for most of these exports.
Although biofuel prices remain high, some experts expect that as fossil fuel prices rise, the price of biofuel will become more competitive.
Renewable versus Non Renewable Resources
Renewable resources
Renewable resources are those that continue to exist despite being consumed or that can be replenished over a period of time even if they are used. They include the sun, wind, water, geothermal energy and biomass.
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The disadvantage of renewable resources is that they may not be available when needed. For example, the ability to capture and utilize solar energy is limited at night and when the sky is cloudy. The continued availability of water depends on current rainfall and weather conditions.
Renewable resources are considered to have less negative impact on the environment.
Non renewable resources
Non renewable resources are those that are considered finite due to the very long time it takes nature to create them. Once depleted, they are no longer available. They include coal, natural gas and oil.
The advantage of non renewable resources is that they are already available and the infrastructure exists to produce energy on demand. However, they have a greater negative environmental impact than renewable resources. The heat trapped by carbon dioxide gas when coal and oil are burned contributes to rising atmospheric temperatures and global climate change.
Activists, consumers and governments are promoting renewable energy as a way to generate the energy needed without the emissions that are warming the planet and threatening life on Earth.
The COVID 19 pandemic favored the downward trend in fossil fuel prices due to record consumption in 2020. However, with the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia in early 2022, the price of oil skyrocketed and has remained high.
A Global Rrend Rowards Renewable Resources
Renewable resources have become a focal point of the environmental movement, both politically and economically. Energy from renewable resources puts much less pressure on the limited supply of fossil fuels, which are non renewable resources.
The problem with using renewable resources on a large scale is that they are expensive and, in most cases, more research is needed to determine how to use them in the most cost effective way.
Beyond their limited supply, energy sources such as fossil fuels damage the environment when produced and consumed and contribute to global warming. The first major international agreement to curb carbon dioxide emissions and global warming was the Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997. More recently, world powers met in Paris in 2015 to pledge to reduce emissions and focus on greater reliance on renewable energy sources.
Incentives for Use
Incentives can encourage the use of alternative energies. For example, energy taxes impose a surcharge on fossil fuels. This can make the prices of renewable resources more competitive and attractive. As a result, people may be more inclined to use renewable energy.
Green funds, which are investment vehicles like mutual funds, support green and sustainable companies by investing in them. This also helps to promote environmental awareness.
These incentives appear to be having an effect. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2021 renewables provided approximately 12.6 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu). This represented 12% of total U.S. energy consumption.
The electric power sector consumed about 59% of U.S. renewable energy in 2021, and approximately 20% of U.S. electricity generation came from renewable energy sources.
State and federal governments have encouraged increased consumption of biofuels with requirements and incentives for renewable energy use. The EIA forecasts that U.S. renewable energy consumption will continue to increase through 2050.
Wrap Up
Although renewable resources have long been a crucial component of energy production, their significance has grown in light of the depletion of non renewable resources and the escalating dangers posed by climate change.
Renewable energy sources like the sun, wind, water, geothermal heat, and biomass are at the forefront of efforts by the international community to find more sustainable energy alternatives. Despite the difficulties they bring, further study and innovation are expected to optimize their use, providing a greener and more sustainable future for all.
FAQs
A natural resource that can regenerate over time is a renewable resource. There is no need to worry about permanently depleting these resources.
Renewable resources include things like wind, sunlight, water, and biomass. Energy producing materials from plants and animals are referred to as biomass, including wood, agricultural products, food waste, and animal manure.
Energy taxes have been imposed on fossil fuels to promote the use of renewable resources. Because of this, the costs of renewable resources are more affordable and appealing to customers.
To encourage sustainability and awareness, green investment funds also make investments in environmentally friendly businesses.
A global accord called the Kyoto Protocol aims to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, and requires industrialized nations to cut their CO2 emissions in order to stop the planet’s rapidly accelerating climate change.
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- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Solar Explained
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Electricity Generation From Wind
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Wind Energy and the Environment
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Hydropower Explained
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Geothermal Explained
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Total Energy-Primary Energy Consumption by Source
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Biomass Explained
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Biofuels Explained
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – From the Barrel to the Pump: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Prices for Petroleum Products
- United Nations – What is the Kyoto Protocol?
- United Nations – Paris Climate Change Conference – November 2015
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Renewable Energy Explained
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – Electricity Explained: Electricity in the United States
