What Are The Top 3 Renewable Energies?

The increase in climate change concerns has led to the development and use of renewable energy sources.

But which renewable energy source is best?

The truth is that there are several different types of renewable energy sources that can deliver exceptional value and usefulness.

In the article below, we will discuss three of the best renewable energy options.

KEY POINTS ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGIES:

• Renewable energy is growing rapidly.
• Wind energy is responsible for about 8.4 percent of all natural sources of energy generated in the country.
• Solar power comprised about 2.3% of total clean energy sources in 2020 and centers around photovoltaic or solar-thermal power.
• Hydroelectric sources, including some 2,500 dams across the country, are responsible for approximately 7.3% of all electrical power produced in the U.S.
• CDMG has experience designing and overseeing the installation of power equipment and systems, including turbines, generation systems, and transmission infrastructure.

Table Of Contents

• Renewable Supply and Demand
• What's Driving Clean Energy?
• Top Three Renewable Energies
  • Wind Energy
  • Solar Power
  • Hydropower
• Which Renewable Resource Is Better?
• Contact CDMG For Green Building Technology

 

Renewable Supply and Demand

Renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sectors globally and in the United States.

In the United States, renewable energy sources accounted for almost 5 percent of the energy consumed in 2020.

The use of renewable energy sources in the US is expected to increase over the next 30 years.

That is higher than the overall growth rate in energy consumption under a business-as-usual scenario.

Renewable sources of energy made up 19.8% of electricity generation in 2020.

Experts expect that number to be 35% by 2030.

The increase is expected to come from wind and solar.

 

What's Driving Clean Energy?

Several factors affect the deployment of renewable energy, including market conditions, policy decisions, and specific regulations.

Almost every major country has renewable energy policy targets now.

More and more businesses that have sustainability goals are also pushing renewable energy development forward.

They do this by building their own facilities like wind farms or using solar roofs, procuring renewable electricity through power purchase agreements, and purchasing renewable energy certificates.

The costs of wind and solar renewable energy technologies have seen significant declines over the past decade.

In the nine years between 2010 and 2019, the cost of utility-scale solar photovoltaics fell 82%, and the price of onshore wind dropped 39 percent.

This makes them both very appealing renewable energy resources.

Increased demand requires more of these technologies to be manufactured and developed.

This leads to reduced costs due to learning and economies of scale, which increases the incentive for additional procurement.

 

Top Three Renewable Energies

Wind Energy

The first form of energy we'll talk about is wind.

One of the advantages of wind energy is that it is the largest sustainable source of energy in the United States.

It's responsible for about 8.4 percent of all clean sources of energy generated in the country.

An offshore wind farm can generate massive wind power, offering a wide range of benefits.

Wind energy has very limited environmental side effects, offering the advantage of overall smaller carbon emissions than that of solar.

Wind turbines don't produce smog, greenhouse gas emissions, or the numerous atmospheric toxins and particulates produced by fossil fuels that contribute to the build-up of greenhouse gases and worsen climate change.

Wind-generated power mitigates the uncertainty that the cost of fuel adds to conventional energy sources.

Wind power can be sold as a fixed-price item, typically over decades. Because wind turbines run day and night, the energy they produce can be harnessed 24/7/365.

Wind turbines produce more significant amounts of energy than solar panels.

They can be easily produced domestically, reducing dependence on foreign oil and increasing energy security.

 

Solar Power

Along with wind energy, solar power is one of the fastest-growing power sources in the U.S.

Solar power comprised about 2.3% of total energy in 2020 and centers around photovoltaic or solar-thermal power.

A solar farm can generate electrical power on a large scale, similar to a wind farm.

Solar technologies are limited only by current technological capacities to harness the limitless energy of the sun.

The solar panel installation process can be done on most types of buildings and takes up less space than wind turbines, making it a more efficient form of energy. 

Solar power doesn't have a harsh effect on the environment, and experts noted that every kilowatt-hour of solar energy produced could significantly lower the number of emissions of greenhouse gases. 

Solar energy production requires minimal water consumption, conserving available water resources for other uses.

Hydropower

One of the most potent renewable technologies is hydropower generation.

Hydroelectric power uses the movement of water to turn turbines attached to a generator.

Hydroelectric power is responsible for approximately 7.3% of all electrical power produced in the U.S.

Hydroelectric power offers the enormous advantage of producing relatively minute amounts of toxic emissions like wind power and solar energy. 

Hydropower can upload power to the grid immediately, and some hydroelectric plants can go from zero to maximum output exceptionally quickly.

Hydropower plants can also be produced entirely domestically, lessening reliance on foreign sources of oil.

Flowing water is a constantly renewing resource and also offers the benefits of scale and capacity.

However, the Department of Energy says that 97% of the nation's dams are not equipped to produce tidal power.

If these dams are retrofitted, they could produce power for millions of homes and offset more than 190 million barrels of oil.

Hydropower installations could not only be a sustainable energy source but also establish reservoirs that offer recreational benefits, including swimming, boating, and fishing.

Which Renewable Resource is Best?

All three of these green energy sources have beneficial implications for our environment.

However, solar power is one of the forms of energy that seems to have the most upside because it is accessible to the consumer market.

Not every home or business can build a dam or set up a wind turbine, but most companies can purchase and place solar panels on their roof.

 

 

Contact CDMG For Your Renewable Energy Project

 

References:

https://www.c2es.org/content/renewable-energy/

https://www.verdeenergy.com/what-is-the-best-renewable-energy-source/

https://blueravensolar.com/blog/which-renewable-energy-is-the-best-for-the-environment/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/renewable-energy