Go Greener Tips

Renewable energy is a form of energy that can be generated from a number of different natural resources. These renewable resources come from wind, water, rain, sunlight and geothermal heat. Currently around 20 per cent of the world’s energy comes from the renewable energy sources. The vast majority of this comes from burning wood. The second most common form of renewable energy that is in use in the world today comes from hydroelectricity which provides three per cent of the world’s electricity.

One form of renewable energy that is becoming popular in the world today is that of wind power. Unfortunately the problem with wind power, which makes it most controversial, is that they require a great deal of land and a very unsightly and may be damaging to the local environment. However, they can also be built at sea in certain cases, which is more effective and has less of an impact on the environment.

Hydroelectricity is derived from water. Examples of this include water wheels and water mills. One of the best things about hydroelectric power, is that it is effective and relatively cheap to run. These days and supplies 19% of the electricity and the whole world. There are a number of things that can supply hydroelectricity such as tidal power and wave power.

Another popular form of renewable energy is of course solar power, which is derived from sunlight reflected on to solar panels and converted into electricity. It is quite common these days in certain households, where people have their own solar panels installed and can sell any electricity that they generate back into the grid. So, not only is it an environmentally friendly form of energy, but it is also economically viable for the people who use it.

Another form of renewable energy is biofuel, which is derived from recently dead biological material, as opposed to fossil fuels which come from organic matter left by creatures and plant life long dead. The technology that utilizes biofuel is rapidly becoming more popular, with a number of flexible fuel cars starting to appear on the market.

Finally, geothermal energy is another form of a highly effective renewable energy. This type of energy comes directly from tapping into the heat of the planet itself. Unfortunately building geothermal energy power stations is not cheap, but they are cheap to run and they produce a lot of electricity.

The market for renewable energy is rapidly growing, especially the wind power industry, which is currently experiencing a remarkable 30 per cent annual growth rate. In addition to this, or more people are getting solar power panels installed into their homes.

It is refreshing to know that in these times of rapidly growing population around the world and an environment that is becoming increasingly endangered, that governments and people are starting to do something about the problem. As technology continues to advance, one would hope that we can expect to see even more options with regards to renewable energy and a much more frequent use of it.

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Author: Alexis Jameson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Humorous photo captions