The Need For Energy Renewal
Of all the available resources, non-renewable energy resources are the least abundant, and yet they are also the most widely used. In the last century, we have devastated the earth’s natural resources and put a tremendous strain on local and global economies. Environmental awareness has also been increasing, and this has led to deeper research into types of renewable energy. The use of renewable resources such as solar energy, wind energy, biomass, geothermal energy, and water, has been spreading.
Most of our renewable energy options come from the sun. Solar energy, or energy that is produced via the sun’s rays, is used for residential, industrial, and commercial purposes. Solar energy is used for heating water, cooling the air, and providing electricity to run lights and machines. While energy from solar resources is most widely used in areas with a great degree of exposure to the sun, it has applications in all parts of the world.
The sun warms the air and stirs up wind, which is another type of renewable energy. Wind farmers use turbines, or windmills, to grab energy from the wind. Wind power runs farms, households, and is useful to local and global industries. When wind and sun cause evaporation, rain and snow are the results. The water fills and moves along our flowing waters where it can be used as hydroelectric energy.
Another type of renewable energy is biomass. Energy from biomass comes from organic matter, which grows and develops from sun and water. The bioenergy we receive from biomass makes fuels, chemicals, and electricity we can use to survive and assist all life on earth. Bioenergy, or life energy, is a resource that continues to renew year after year.
Renewable energy is not always connected to the sun. We can use energy that is created from the earth’s heat to heat and cool our homes and other buildings. This source is geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is also a reliable source for the production of electricity.
Our oceans are an expansive source of renewable energy. Its energy comes from the gravitational pull of the moon that creates tides, tides and winds that create waves, and heat from the sun warms the shallows. All of these can be harvested for energy.
Our large-scale consumption of non-renewing energy is damaging the environment we live in. We can make a dramatic change for the better by using sources that will not run out, but continue to renew and sustain the world. The destruction of our rainforests is due in large part to energy consumption. Oil drilling and coal mining strips the land and leaves toxins in our air and water. The side effect of using these fuels is damage to all living things.
Energy resources that renew are good for the economy. When people and corporations invest in renewable energy, most of the profits go back into the helping the local economy, rather than profiting commercial operations and industries on the other side of the globe. Renewable energy jobs are more secure than jobs in oil or coal. Renewable energy never depletes, but it must be harnessed, equipment will always be necessary, and although it does do most of the renewing on its own, it must be supervised.
Oil and coal will not last forever and if we continue to use those non-renewing resources, we will hit rock bottom one day, and that will mean we have caused irreparable damage to our world. If we are going to leave a sustainable and beautiful inheritance to the children of our children, we have to get serious about making renewable energy our only energy resource.
At dumpsterrentaltulsa.org we’ve been focused on environmentally safe efforts including recycling and also renewable power as much as possible.
