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Renewable Energy The Age Of New Energy New sources of renewable energy are being used every day. Many types of energy that we use today were not on hand 20 years ago. Instead of getting electricity from a power plant that burns coal, your home may have a roof with special shingles or panels that change sunshine into electricity. Out in the countryside, you may see something new in the pastures and fields. Among the cows and crops are huge towers with slow-turning propellers that change wind energy into electricity. Fields with these towers are called wind farms. Your house may have large, south-facing windows that gather free light and heat from the sun. And your new refrigerator and other appliances may only use one-half to one-fourth the energy that they used 20 years ago. Do You Want To RUN YOUR CAR ON WATER? Although today we rely mostly on fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) things are changing. There is only a limited supply of fossil fuels. Once they are used up, they are gone forever. In other words, coal, oil, and natural gas are non-renewable resources. Fossil fuels also create pollution when they are burned. Pollution is harmful to plants, animals, and people. Renewable Energy And Sustainability “WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR PARENTS, WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.” New sources of energy are found in sunlight, the wind, and water. These sources are called renewable energy because they cannot be used up. They do not make pollution when they are used. This type of energy is also known as sustainable energy. Our Planet Is Like A Space Ship As the Earth travels around the sun through space, it carries a limited supply of air, fresh water, coal, oil and natural gas. All of our trash and pollution must stay with us on board our spaceship. As Earth's population grows and grows, we use more and more of these limited resources. This results in an increase in the amount of pollution the Earth must sustain. Spaceship Earth is so huge, that in the past, everyone believed that its resources would never run out. The greater majority of us also thought that the Earth couldn't be damaged by pollution. Recently, it's become obvious to most of us on Earth that we're treating our only source of life and prosperity badly. Those that will inhabit the Earth in the future will suffer because of what we do today. This is unfair to subject our children to the dangers of pollution, poverty and drought through our selfish and irrational behavior. Sustainability Non-renewable energy sources were formed millions of years ago, when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Oceans covered most of the Earth. They were filled with tiny sea plants and animals. When the plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom and were covered by sand and mud. Layers of dead plants, animals, sand and mud built up over time. Heat and pressure turned these layers into fossil fuels such as:
Eventually, we will run out of non-renewable energy supplies like coal, oil and natural gas. Long before that happens, the pollution caused by using these energy sources will become a serious problem. Sustainability means that we make sure we meet our energy needs now without stopping the people in the future from meeting theirs. Renewable energy sources are sources that we will not run out of. They are always being re-made by nature. Renewable energy sources are:
Global Warming A blanket of air that traps heat from the sun covers our Earth. Without this blanket, the Earth would be so cold people could not live here. But too much trapped heat would make it too hot to live here as well.
Sometimes this blanket can act like the glass on a greenhouse when light from the sun hits the Earth and changes into heat, and the blanket traps the heat. Light can pass through the atmosphere (or glass), but heat cannot escape as easily. This causes a slow warming of our planet as heat builds up. This is called global warming . It can change the fragile balance for life on Earth. We add to the problem by burning fossil fuels. They produce gasses like carbon dioxide (CO2) that trap more heat and cause more global warming. Some scientists suggest that we change the way we use energy. They say that we could cut our energy use in half just by making lights, machines, buildings and cars more efficient. In addition, half of this reduced amount could come from renewable resources such as the sun and wind. New Energy Tools Energy helps us do things every day. It gives us light. It warms our bodies and homes. It helps us bake a cake and keeps our milk cold. It runs our TVs and our cars. Cars run on the energy stored in gasoline. Many toys run on the energy stored in batteries. We are starting to change the way we use energy by using less of it. New energy tools are available today to help us do that. For example, compact fluorescent light bulbs use one-fourth the energy of a typical light bulb. Plus, they save more than $30 over their lifetime. We are also starting to use energy coming from different sources. Wind farms make energy for less money than burning fossil fuels. Solar panels that make electricity directly from sunshine are available now, too. A new age of energy is starting now. Energy efficiency and clean energy from sources that will not run out may totally power your future. Carbon Dioxide From Your Home 96% of the energy we use makes greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming. Sunshine and Wind Are Renewable Energy Every time you fly a kite or hang your swimsuit out to dry, you are using two renewable energy sources - the wind and the sun. Why are these energy sources renewable? Because sunshine and wind are always around us. These energy sources will not run out. Every morning, the sun rises. And every day the wind blows. It may be a calm, cloudy day where you live, but the sun is shining and the wind is blowing in other places in the world. The sun and wind provide huge amounts of energy, more than enough to meet all of our needs. On the other hand, fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, need the right conditions in order to be made. It took millions of years for heat and pressure to turn layers of dead plants, animals, sand and mud into these fuels. This is why fossil fuels are called non-renewable energy sources. Once they are used, they are gone forever. There are many good reasons to use renewable energy sources. If we are clever enough to use the energy in sunshine and wind, we can use it to heat our homes or run our cars, computers and TVs. When each day begins, it brings with it a new supply of renewable energy that cannot be used up! Renewable Energy Does Not Pollute Fossil fuel power plants that make electricity can pollute the air and water. Coal emits smoke and chemicals when it is burned to make electricity. Nuclear power plants create radioactive waste that is dangerous for thousands of years. Gasoline burned in our cars causes smog. Even natural gas adds to our pollution problems. Some renewable energy sources, such as wind and sunshine, do not emit smoke or create pollution when they are used. Other renewable energy sources almost always cause less pollution than fossil fuels or nuclear power plants. Biomass, for example, is a fuel that comes from things that were once living, like wood or garbage. It is one of the renewable energy sources that makes less pollution. Renewable Energy Is The Solution The sun shines every day for all of us, free of charge. And the wind blows for free. Non-renewable energy sources are costly to find and move. We must take the fossil fuels from the ground and ship them long distances to places where they can be used. Oil must be refined before it can be used. This is expensive. We also have to pay to clean up the pollution they cause. As coal and oil supplies get used up, their prices get higher. The equipment to collect and use solar and wind energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines, are also costly. But when you think about the resource being free, the total cost of using solar and wind energy can make them smart choices. The rewards are greater since solar and wind energy do not pollute our planet. Renewable Energy is the solution to the problem of global warming. Powur of Citizenre' leads the world in solar power solutions for each and every home
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