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In: Technology
12 Jun 2009Renewable 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.
Presently, approximately 20% of all the energy in the world comes from renewable sources. The most popular is simply the burning of wood to provide us with warmth and light and the second most common form of renewable energy comes on the rapidly increasing industry of hydroelectricity which is currently supplying approximately three per cent of the world’s electrical power.
Wind power, of course, is wind that is converted into electricity by way of wind turbines. This technology has however proven controversial due to the fact that it requires an enormous amount of land to build enough windmills to generate a satisfactory amount of electricity. These wind farms are not only unsightly, but they can be damaging to the local environment. Fortunately, however, they can also be placed in the sea.
Solar power is another technology which is becoming increasingly popular. This, of course, comes from sunlight and is reflected upon solar panels which then convert the light into electrical power. These days, in a number of countries, solar power is becoming quite popular in people’s homes where people are having their own solar panels installed. This is because, not only do they produce electricity for the household, it is usually the case that any excess electricity generated by your solar panel, can be sold back into the great. Not only does this help to save the planet, but it also helps you to save some money too.
Biofuel is also emerging as another reliable form of the renewable energy. In contrast of fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead organic matter, biofuel comes from recently dead biological objects. Today, there are even a number of cars which have a dual fuel system, with the ability to run on certain types of biofuel.
The other form of energy which is renewable comes directly from the natural heat beneath the surface of the planet. This is called geothermal energy, and is supplied by power stations which tap directly into the heat of the Earth and convert it to electricity.
Currently the market for renewable energy is rapidly expanding with many organizations capitalizing on the growing industry. industry is one of the fastest growing, increasing at an amazing rate of 30% per year. Domestic solar power is also becoming more and more popular.
In these worrying times of environmental destruction coupled with the rapidly growing worldwide population, it does give us some hope when governments and individuals and companies are starting to be really aware of the problem and start producing more environmentally friendly solutions. Hopefully, we can expect to see further technological advancement in the near future and the rapidly increasing use of renewable energy sources. It is the only hope for the future of the planet.