Types Of Renewable Energy

There are various types of renewable energy, but the the main types of renewable energy are: solar panels, wind turbines or wind mills, hydropower or water power and geothermal power, which means harnessing the heat of the Earth, tens to hundreds of metres below the crust. There are other types of renewable energy too, but they are more contentious.

Types Of Renewable Energy

It is rather strange to think that not much more than a hundred years ago oil was the alternative energy source. Nowadays, of course, it is the energy source. This has to change, as everybody knows. Oil has produced a huge leap forward in mankind's technological advancement, but now is the time for us to use our knowledge to replace the use of oil with sustainable energy as much as we can.

The main types of renewable energy are: solar, wind, biomass and biofuel, hydrogen and electric, nuclear and ocean and Earth power. We can take a brief look at these types of renewable energy on this web page.

Solar: this is one of the original types of renewable energy and the reason why we have fossil fuels in the first place. Without the Sun, we would not have fossil fuels.

There are two ways to harness solar energy: passively and actively. Solar energy is used passively by positioning your house to face south or by using attic space heat to heat the rest of the house. It means not using extra technology to manipulate natural conditions. Active solar energy is achieved by the use of technology such as solar panels and other means.

Wind: is also one of the oldest types of renewable energy. Wind has been used to drive ships by sail and wind mills by sail too. It has also traditionally been used to pump water and even oil. The modern use of the wind to generate energy is by the use of wind turbines. When wind turbines are grouped together, it is called a wind farm.

Biomass or Biofuel: means the conversion of biological waste materials into energy. This usually means converting manure into energy. This is not a new concept, but it has yet to be exploited to the full. It is interesting to note that fossil fuels were once biomass products.

Hydrogen and Electricity: hydrogen is not really an alternative source of energy, it is a way of storing energy which was produced by other means. It will be very important  in the process of weaning the world's industry and transport off using fossil fuels. In fact, it will be the next step we take forward towards being carbon neutral.

Nuclear: energy is produced by fission reactors, which means that energy is produced by accelerated radioactive decay. It splits an atom into two or more by products, one of which is energy. The next leap forward will be harnessing nuclear fusion, which is essentially the opposite of fission. It involves the combining of elements in order to produce energy. Nuclear power is still very controversial.

Ocean and Earth Power: these are types of renewable energy that everybody likes because they are completely harmless to the planet. Geothermal energy plants are in use in Iceland and could be used elsewhere. A tidal power plant is planned for the Severn Estuary in the UK, but it is facing opposition from bird lovers.

All these types of renewable energy have to be utilized in the near future. Fossil fuels are running out, but that is not the only problem. As fossil fuels are becoming exhausted, wars are being fought over fuel. Lives can be saved by the West weaning itself off reliance on oil.