Renewable energy has multiple advantages over fossil fuels. Here are some of the top benefits of using an alternative energy source:
Renewable energy won’t run out.
Renewable energy has lower maintenance requirements.
Renewables save money.
Renewable energy has numerous environmental benefits.
Renewables lower reliance on foreign energy sources.
Renewable energy leads to cleaner water and air.
Renewable energy creates jobs.
Renewable energy can cut down on waste.
Renewable energy technologies use resources straight from the environment to generate power. These energy sources include sunshine, wind, tides, and biomass. Renewable resources won’t run out, which cannot be said for many types of fossil fuels – as we use fossil fuel resources, they will be increasingly difficult to obtain, likely driving up both the cost and environmental impact of extraction.
Renewable energy systems usually require less overall maintenance than generators that use traditional fuel sources. This is because generating technology like solar panels and wind turbines either have few or no moving parts and don’t rely on flammable, combustible fuel sources to operate. Fewer maintenance requirements translate to more time and money saved.
Using renewable energy can help you save money long term. Not only will you save on maintenance costs but also on operating costs. You don't have to pay to refuel when you’re using a technology that generates power from the sun, wind, steam, or natural processes. The amount of money you will save using renewable energy can vary depending on several factors, including the technology itself. In most cases, transitioning to renewable energy means anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in savings—find out how much you can save by switching to solar energy.
Renewable energy generation sources lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fuel sources like natural gas. This means a smaller carbon footprint and an overall positive impact on the natural environment. During the combustion process, fossil fuels emit high amounts of greenhouse gases, which have been proven to exacerbate climate change, which in turn causes rising global temperatures and higher frequencies of extreme weather events.
The use of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants that lead to respiratory and cardiac health issues. With renewable energy, you’re helping decrease these pollutants' prevalence and contributing to a healthier atmosphere.
With renewable energy technologies, you can produce energy locally. The higher the amount of our energy use is renewable, the less we’ll rely on imported energy, and the more we’ll contribute to U.S. energy independence. Renewable energy sources can help us minimize the geo-political risks associated with fossil fuels, from trade disputes to political instability to pricing wars, which are often rooted in access to oil.
When you burn fossil fuels to generate electricity, it contaminates the air and water we use. For example, coal power stations release high volumes of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and harmful toxins like mercury, lead, and sulfur dioxide. Health problems from ingesting these elements can be dangerous and even fatal. Investing in renewable energy is a great way to work against these risks, as renewables have a far lower negative impact on our air and water.
The use of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants that lead to respiratory and cardiac health issues. With renewable energy, you’re helping decrease these pollutants' prevalence and contributing to a healthier environment.
While the U.S. shifts its focus to combat global warming, we’re setting ambitious carbon-reduction goals that require labor to get the job done. Today, the renewable energy sector employs three times as many people as fossil fuels in the U.S. That number is expected to rise over the next few years—and as a plus, these jobs tend to pay above average wages, making it a desirable career option and an overall economic boom.
Specifically, biomass energy can offer a significant benefit in this way. Biomass generators consume used organic products like vegetable oil, corn and soybean byproducts, and even algae to generate energy. Because of this, using biomass as an energy source can reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills, which helps cut down on carbon emissions and environmental contamination.
Renewable energy has many benefits, but it’s not always sunny when it comes to renewable energy. Here are some cons of renewable energy when compared to traditional fuel sources:
Renewable energy has high upfront costs.
Renewable energy is intermittent.
Renewables have storage capabilities.
Renewable energy sources have geographic limitations.
Renewables aren’t always 100% carbon-free.
While you can save money using renewable energy, the technologies are typically more expensive upfront than traditional energy generators. To combat this, financial incentives such as tax credits and rebates are available to help alleviate your initial costs of renewable technology.
Though renewable energy resources are available around the world, many of these resources aren’t available 24/7, year-round. Some days may be windier than others, the sun doesn’t shine at night, and droughts may occur for periods. Unpredictable weather events can disrupt these technologies, and the amount of energy we can get from renewable power sources can be inconsistent. Fossil fuels are not intermittent, and power plants can be turned on or off at any time to provide an energy supply. Wondering if you should make the switch to renewables? Find out if an energy source like solar power is a good fit for you.
Because of the intermittency of some renewable energy sources, there’s a high need for energy storage. Storage technologies are available but can be expensive, especially for large-scale renewable energy plants. It’s worth noting that energy storage capacity is growing as the technology progresses, and batteries are becoming more affordable as time passes.
The United States has a diverse geography with varying climates, topographies, vegetation, etc. This creates a beautiful melting pot of landscapes but also means that some geographies are more suitable for renewable technologies than others. For example, a large property in a rural area with open space may be an excellent place for a residential wind farm or a large-scale solar farm. At the same time, a townhome in a city covered in shade from taller buildings wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of either technology. There are other options if your property isn’t suitable for a personal renewable energy technology. If you’re interested in solar but don’t have a sunny property, you can often still benefit from renewable energy by purchasing green power or enrolling in a community solar option.
Although solar panels and other forms of renewable energy drastically reduce carbon emissions, these resources aren’t always completely clean. The manufacturing, transportation, and installation of renewable energy, like wind turbines, can create a carbon footprint since they’re usually produced in factories powered by fossil fuels —not to mention the diesel and gasoline needed to fuel the transport trucks. As the U.S. becomes more and more electrified – from solar panels on factories to electric transport trucks – carbon emissions associated with solar will continue to decrease.
Renewables must have an effective distribution network created to transfer the energy where it’s needed on a large scale. These networks need non-renewable fuels to be generated, which offsets the benefits of renewable energy for a bit until it’s paid back. Additionally, politics can play a factor in installing renewable energy if it’s not a priority among local governments.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website New Energy Era.
Fossil fuels are widely used in industry and for domestic purposes. They heat our buildings, allow us to travel, and provide us light. Although they have many advantages, these energies are extremely harmful to the planet and to our health. A major source of global warming and 8 million deaths in , there is increasing interest in replacing these fuels with renewable energies.
???? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these energy resources? Which green energies can replace them?
Greenly takes stock.
To give you a sense of the scope of things, it takes several million years to complete the process of fossil fuel formation.
Thus, there are different forms of non-renewable energy: liquid, fossil rock, gas or metal. They are extracted :
Classified as a hydrocarbon, fossil energy is mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. In fact, the burning of this fuel releases large quantities of CO2, which is the cause of global warming. Once extracted, this raw material is transformed into energy, which is then used in various ways (heating, electricity, production, or transport).
The first use of this resource dates back to antiquity. The combustion of fossil fuels was then used for heating and lighting. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that it became massively exploited. Today, it represents 81% of the world's primary energy consumption.
CloseThere are three main sources of fossil energy:
Fossil fuels are excellent energy sources and offer a particularly advantageous energy yield (especially for oil), all at a low cost. Moreover, their use and the technology required for their exploitation are perfectly mastered. Not to mention that their transport and storage are simple.
Nevertheless, fossil fuels have many disadvantages, starting with their limited existence. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the consumption of energy resources was 15,025 Mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) in the world in , and could reach 17,387 Mtoe in .
Based on our current use, the BP Statistical Review of World Energy estimates that there is approximately :
In addition, extraction, processing, transportation and combustion emit greenhouse gasses. On March 8, , the International Energy Agency reported that fossil fuels were responsible for 36.3 billion tons of CO2 in - an all-time high. According to the latest IPCC report, in order to limit warming to +1.5°C, it is imperative to stop coal mining, and to reduce oil and gas use by 60% and 70% by compared to levels.
It's indisputable: at the present rate, fossil fuels do not allow the creation of a model for a sustainable society.
CloseIn contrast, renewable energies (also called "green energies"), are inexhaustible and available throughout the planet. We find in particular:
These green alternatives are the best way to end our dependence on fossil fuels. Stable prices, less CO2 emissions, no polluting waste... In , renewable energy represented 19.1% of gross final energy consumption. A figure that should double by .
Nevertheless, this solution has a major disadvantage, since it operates intermittently. Dependent on nature and its uncertainties, renewable energy is not available at all times. This is why it is not yet able to completely replace fossil fuels, even if it does reduce their use.
A cause of global warming, the use of fossil fuels is responsible for 70% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This alone is a big deal, and not to mention the fact that they degrade the environment and participate in the destruction of ecosystems. For example, coal mining emits 3.5 tons of CO2 per ton of energy consumed.
The overexploitation of this type of energy is also the cause of many environmental disasters:
Moreover, the depletion of these resources has irreversible consequences on the environment. In particular, it leads to the extinction of animal and plant species, weakens ecosystems and impacts our economy.
CloseNevertheless, it pollutes enormously throughout its life:
For your information, the first two coal-fired power plants in Manhattan and London were built by Thomas Edison in . Today, coal-fired power plants are mainly located in China, the United States and Germany. On a global scale, coal-fired power plants are responsible for 40% of our CO2 emissions.
Conversely, natural gas is considered the least bad of the fossil fuels.
In fact, burning natural gas emits 25% less CO2 than oil and half as much as coal. To date, Russia accounts for 20% of world production. The United States, Canada and Qatar follow. In order to fight against our dependence on these countries, France still has 11 gas-fired power plants, meeting 7% of national needs.
The leading source of clean electricity in France, hydraulic energy is produced thanks to the force of water. Hydraulic power plants thus generate energy thanks to waterfalls and the flow of rivers held back by dams. The higher the water pressure, the more energy it creates.
There are 2,000 installations in France (one of the main producers in Europe). In , this energy represented 49% of the gross production of renewable electricity.
Wind turbines installed on land (onshore) or at sea (offshore) harness the kinetic energy of the wind and convert it into mechanical energy, then into green electricity.
This third form of renewable energy is produced by the sun. The photovoltaic cells of solar panels capture the radiation from the sun and transform it into electricity. Thus, there are two types of solar energy:
This non-intermittent energy is produced by the combustion or methanization of wood, plants and organic or agricultural waste. The water vapor emitted during this process thus engages a turbine, then the alternator that produces electricity.
This energy requires drawing heat from beneath the earth's surface and is not dependent on weather conditions. There are three forms of geothermal energy:
If reading this article about fossil fuels has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
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