More and more frequently, people are looking for a way to power their homes and businesses without having such a strong impact on the environment. For years, services have used and perhaps even abused the earth in an effort to provide electricity for their customers. That electricity was generated with coal, oil and other types of nonrenewable resources but today, people are looking for renewable forms of energy. There are a number of options available and we will consider a few.
Before we talk about the types of renewable energy, it’s important to consider the benefits of using them on a regular basis. In most cases, these types of services can be set up rather conveniently and the return on investment from the installation is going to be relatively quick. One of the benefits of using renewable energy is the fact that it continues to work on an ongoing basis and once it is put in motion, it requires very little maintenance. Regardless of the type of renewable energy service that is being considered, this will be true.
The following 3 types of renewable energy are being used today. In fact, the technology that is associated with these types of energy is growing and as it does so, the use is growing as well. They provide the ability to power our homes and businesses without having a severe impact on the earth.
Solar Power – Although there may be many different forms of renewable energy, one of the most convenient and most powerful is the energy that comes from the sun. When it is able to be harnessed properly, it could easily be converted into usable energy and the possibilities are truly endless. Here is a basic understanding of how it works.
Solar power gathers energy from the sun. The sun is putting out energy on a constant basis and even though only a very small part of that energy reaches the earth, it is thought to be enough to provide for our needs many times over. The power from the sun is collected by something that is known as a photovoltaic cell. That cell has the ability to take the energy from sunlight and convert it into usable electricity.
A single photovoltaic cell is able to produce a very small amount of energy but those cells are often put together in panels and together, they can gather a lot of energy for our use. In fact, there are times when these panels are even put out in farms that may span many acres. The energy that they produce can then be channeled into the grid and ultimately, into our homes and businesses.
Wind Power – The wind is another form of usable energy and in essence, it is also a form of solar power. After all, the sun heats the earth and as the earth is spinning, the uneven heating is what causes the wind and weather patterns.
A wind turbine will typically either have 2 or 3 blades and as the wind blows, the blades will turn. The blades turn a shaft that ultimately, goes into a generator and the generator produces usable electricity. In its most basic sense, the wind turbine uses the wind to create mechanical energy and then the mechanical energy is converted into electricity.
Hydroelectric Power – This type of power uses the movement of water, regardless of whether it is a river or the tides in the ocean. It does so in a similar way to wind power, in that the water movement turns a shaft that causes a generator to create electricity. This type of renewable energy is already in use and it can be seen in dams around the world. Additional resources are being considered for using the tidal forces, and it may just produce enough electricity to power our needs for many years to come.
These 3 types of renewable resources are not only a possibility, they are already a reality as they are already being used. Around the world, renewable electricity is being produced more and more frequently and as it is produced, it is replacing the type of electricity that abused the earth through nonrenewable resources.
