For comparison, fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas are not renewable, since their quantity is finite—once we have extracted them they will cease to be available for use as an economically-viable energy source.
While they are produced through natural processes, these processes are too slow to replenish these fuels as quickly as humans use them, so these sources will run out sooner or later. Renewable energy provides many benefits to people , business , and the planet.
Renewable energy sources are good for business, providing energy security, economic development, energy price stability, and reduces the global risks of climate change. Energy Security. Renewable energy provides reliable power supplies and fuel diversification, which enhance energy security and lower risk of fuel spills while reducing the need for imported fuels.
Economic Development. According to two studies by the U. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal do not entail fuel costs or require transportation, and therefore offer greater price stability. In fact, some electric utilities factor this into their retail electricity prices, exempting customers that buy renewables from certain charges.
Electricity and the Environment Traditional electricity generation is responsible for the emission of a host of chemicals with widespread environmental impacts. The same compounds that are detrimental to human health have similar consequences for the natural environment. Electricity generation from fossil fuels is responsible for:. All emissions data, unless otherwise noted, is from the U. EPA website,. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible.
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Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The future of humanity and the planet depends on how we produce energy: a reliable, affordable and decarbonized energy system is essential. Renewable energies are sources of clean, inexhaustible and increasingly competitive energy.
They differ from fossil fuels principally in their diversity, abundance and potential for use anywhere on the planet, but above all in that they produce neither greenhouse gases — which cause climate change — nor polluting emissions.
Their costs are also falling and at a sustainable rate, whereas the general cost trend for fossil fuels is in the opposite direction in spite of their present volatility. Growth in clean energies is unstoppable, as reflected in statistics produced annually by the International Energy Agency IEA : they represented nearly half of all new electricity generation capacity installed in , when they constituted the second biggest source of electricity worldwide, behind coal.
Renewable energies are obtained from inexhaustible natural sources and generate clean electricity without contributing to climate change. Clean energy development is vital for combating climate change and limiting its most devastating effects. Jobs and the Economy Most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports.
Energy Security After the oil supply disruptions of the early s, our nation has increased its dependence on foreign oil supplies instead of decreasing it.
At PJM, prefabricated substations might speed up interconnecting renewables On batteries, minerals, the circular economy, and finite supply The next frontier of electric power will maximize renewable energy and The project provides incentives for individuals and businesses to invest in distributed generation technologies, such as rooftop solar PV and small wind turbines, as well as in high-efficiency lighting.
The city has invested heavily in carbon-neutral transport solutions, including pedestrian centres, bike routes, public transportation and support for electric vehicles.
Cape Town includes citizens in renewable energy planning through discussion with community groups, civil society organisations and businesses to share solutions and discuss concerns and project updates.
Another initiative, the local small-scale scale embedded generation programme, enables residential, commercial and industrial electricity customers to generate their own onsite electricity from renewable energy technologies and sell their surplus to the grid. To simplify the adoption of renewable energy in the city Bristol developed a comprehensive solar map for homes and businesses. Bristol has set a target for 1 GW of solar PV installed capacity by , and founded Bristol Energy in , aiming to increase the share of renewables while also fighting energy poverty.
The metro system in Delhi is powered, in part, by an off-site solar PV facility, with auxiliary services such as lighting and air conditioning powered by on-site rooftop solar PV systems. The city has also recently expanded its solar PV policy to allow customers who do not have suitable roof space to participate in solar PV generation via Virtual Net Metering. Geothermal energy has been used for heating and cooling in Heerlen since , when an abandoned coal mine near the city was repurposed into a source of geothermal heat.
The project uses flooded underground mine shafts to access thermal energy to power a large-scale district heating system. The city also is host to a leading CleanTech cluster. This cluster houses numerous companies specializing in environmental technologies, including bioenergy developers, basic and noble metals recyclers, and leading-edge companies that are developing wind technologies for cold climates.
San Diego USA. CCAs offer an alternative to the incumbent utility company. In , Rio de Janeiro passed a law requiring that all new and refurbished public buildings install solar water heaters.
Decarbonisation of this sectors is high: electric water heating accounts for an estimated Quito, Ecuador is working to densify its Bus Rapid Transit and Metro transport corridors with a new policy that also supports renewable energy. Depending on how well a developer scores on an eco-efficiency assessment, the developer can apply for a buildable increase, in the designated corridor, above the standard permissible floor area for that zone. Despite no sewage system or consolidated waste management system, Quelimane, Mozambique recognizes its role in climate change.
The municipality is turning its waste into an asset. It uses organic composted waste for community farming and is conducting experiments in partnership with Sweden into the conversion of food waste into cooking gas. In Lagos, Nigeria, solar is becoming a popular investment. Construction is planned to start in late Local businesses and associations can fundraise for renewable and energy efficiency projects in an innovative, yet familiar way.
An exclusive crowdfunding site, sig-impact. Burlington USA. More than a third of the renewable power is generated at a city-owned and operated 50 MW biomass power plant fueled by wood, most of which arrives via rail from sustainably managed forests in Vermont and New York, and all within a kilometer radius of Burlington. Residents of Bonn have the opportunity to shape their own renewable energy landscape with membership in a citizen energy cooperative.
Barcelona takes the energy poverty challenge to heart. Climate justice and citizen action are at the heart of it Climate Plan — The city is mandated to ensure that energy access and social equity are woven into every aspect of its Climate Plan.
The University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa has helped the city make big strides in its transition to renewable energy. Their project installed a first-of-its-kind Southern African district heating project, which combined solar, co-generation, and gas heating technologies to serve more than 1, students living in 14 residence halls.
To reach this commitment, they are constructing four biomass fired combined heat and power plants with a total capacity of MW and have developed an incentive programme to help community members purchase and install residential solar PV systems. The grid-connected system will provide more reliable energy for the hospital and help reduce cuts in power during blackouts.
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