Renewable Energy – Solar And Wind Energy
With the threat of global warming looming over our heads, it is no surprise that the world has suddenly taken up a tremendous amount of interest in renewable sources of energy. If we keep on consuming carbon spewing energy sources like oil or coal at our present rate, we will cause everlasting, irreversible damage to the environment. Hence, renewable sources of energy have become of prime importance in the current world situation.
The most popular renewable form of energy is solar energy. The power of the sun is present almost everywhere. Every minute, the sun sends down massive amounts of energy to the earth’s surface.This energy can be harvested using solar panels that can convert it into electricity.
The problem with solar energy is that it requires a large land area to be sustainable. One solar panel can produce very little electricity. Only once you have hundreds upon hundreds of such panels does the amount of electricity produced become significant.
Moreover, solar energy is not suitable for places that don’t get a lot of sunlight. Thus, places in colder climates are unsuitable for producing electricity through solar power. The current technology is also very expensive, making it unsuitable for mass-consumption.
The next most popular form of renewable energy is wind energy. Wind mills are used to turn a turbine that converts the power of wind into energy. This is a very clean, safe, and renewable source of power.
Wind energy suffers from the same drawbacks as solar power. It requires a large land area to be useful. Moreover, current technology is quite expensive. It can also be utilized only in areas that get significant windy days or in high altitude areas. This severely limits its ability to be consumed by the masses.
A lot of research money is being spent on refining these two energy sources and the results so far have been very promising. The cost of implementing and harvesting solar energy, for instance, has gone down by leaps and bounds. Within a few years, it is estimated that solar energy will be cheap enough for mass consumption.
To know about solar energy equipment to use and how are these important, visit solar power. For you to know more about solar power,its tips, effects of using turbines, and benefits of wind energy. More info in our energy management.