Sources of Sustainable Energy, What are They?

Sustainable energy sources are part of the planet’s physical structure. That means they will be renewed constantly by natural means, and simply can’t run out.

Sources of Sustainable Energy

The sources of sustainable energy are found in the air, sunlight, underground, and oceans. The sustainable energy source is an alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

Sustainable energy is encouraged widely because it is widely available without any cost and doesn’t cause harm to the environment. The energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, ocean energy, and geothermal are sustainable because they are available in abundance and all of them are stable.

Sustainable energy source: An overview

Sun provides sunlight, and its heat will produce winds. Earth produces heat from within and won’t cool down all of a sudden. The rotation and revolution of the earth and moon will tend to produce tides.

Water will evaporate and again pour down in the form of rain. It will go down in streams and rivers, which will be utilized to generate energy.

All these things indicate that these energy sources are sustainable and continue to provide as long as the solar system exists.

The definition of sustainable energy lies in the fact that they aren’t derived from waste products or fossil fuels. These sources even decrease the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

Even if fossil fuels are used at a steady rate, it will expire in due time. It can cause an adverse effect on planet earth. Fossil fuels aren’t found in abundance, release harmful gases and cause pollution, and not found everywhere on earth. Natural gas, oil, and coal constitute fossil fuels.

It is very important to take the necessary steps for reducing the dependency on fossil fuels because they pose a threat to the environment.

Many countries have started to take initiative regarding the usage of alternate energy sources. As of now, a portion of the world’s energy needs is fulfilled by the sources of sustainable energy.

Why sustainable energy is so important?

Timber, wood, and waste products were used as the main energy sources in ancient times. It appears that biomass was the only solution to harness energy.

As technology advanced in leaps and bounds, fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal were discovered. These sources were a gift to the entire mankind by nature.

They were widely available and extracted easily. But, when these natural resources were extensively used in all countries, it leads to the degradation of the environment.

The two major resources, coal, and oil contributed plenty of carbon dioxide. As such, it increased global warming. There has been a rise in these natural resources that led to a hike in their prices.

With increased air pollution, rising prices, and risk of expiry, scientists were looking for alternative energy resources. The criteria were to find resources that cause no pollution, widely available, and renewable.

This is where sustainable energy sources came into existence. Sustainable, or renewable energy has the capability to meet the increasing energy demand. These sources can be used in the future as well.

Different types of sustainable energy sources:

Sustainable energy belongs to renewable energy sources. These are the sources of energy that can be utilized to run various types of appliances at home and several complicated types of machinery in industries. Moreover, there won’t be any harmful effects on human beings.

That’s the reason why many people are being advised to make use of these resources in everyday life. There are no adverse reactions by utilizing these sources of energy on the environment.

Here are some of the sources of sustainable energy that can be sourced indirectly or directly to help the world fight global warming and go green.

Solar energy – You know that sunlight is considered as a renewable source. The most direct use of the sunlight is derived by capturing its energy.

A wide variety of technologies converts the sun’s rays into energy. This energy demonstrates itself in two forms, which are heat and light. Both these forms are important to every living creature on this planet.

Photovoltaic systems are utilized to convert sunlight to electric energy. Using the solar panels, the energy from the sunlight gets converted to electricity. I have wrote an indepth article which explains all of this and more called How Solar Energy Works Diagram, read it here.

The electricity then powers the appliances at the homes or workplaces. Solar energy can be used to charge battery systems or produce hot water. By harnessing solar energy, you can save your money without causing harm to the environment.

These days, the price of solar power systems is constantly dropping. Hence, installing them at your home will save you money in the long run. And above all, producing solar energy doesn’t even consume fossil fuels or pollutes the environment.

Wind energy – Wind is another sustainable energy source. It occurs in nature and can be contained for producing huge chunks of power. Everybody interacts with wind on a daily basis.

Winds are nothing but the air that is moving from one place to another because of the uneven heating of the earth’s surface.

The power of wind can be captured by using massive turbines. When the turbines spin, it generates electricity.

However, as of now, there is no practical application for utilizing wind power at homes. But it is gaining popularity in utility-scale operations. Massive wind farms stretched across miles can be noticed around the world.

Similar to solar energy, wind energy is free of pollution and has no connection to fossil fuels.

Wind power is an important and growing sustainable source of energy that supplies electricity to grids around many countries. As per statistics, about 6% of the total electricity produced came from wind energy.

Hydropower – Sustainable energy can be produced by moving water similar to that of moving air. When the moving water is made to run through turbines, the spinning produces electricity. You can see such as setup at waterfalls or large dams.

Many sustainable energy sources are yet to make a significant impact on the electricity, but hydropower has made its entry long before.

Large hydroelectric facilities have contributed a considerable amount of electrical energy, and the number is gradually increasing.

Hydropower doesn’t pollute the environment. That’s because the facilities don’t have emissions of any kind.

Hydropower has an impact on the environment as compared to other forms of a sustainable source of energy. They tend to change the water currents, water levels, and migration paths of fish.

Geothermal energy – It is the type of energy that is derived from the depths of the earth. The geothermal power stations are installed on the surface of the earth. These stations make use of the heat contained inside the earth and convert it into electrical energy.

The temperature beneath the earth is very high. At around 10000 meters deep, it can be used to boil water. Geothermal energy can’t be utilized everywhere because high temperature is required to produce steam, which in turn can move turbines.

Certain areas that are prone to volcanic eruptions and have high seismic activity are perfect for harnessing geothermal energy. This type of energy is environmental-friendly and produces energy throughout the day.

However, their ability to generate energy electricity in certain regions restricts a large number of people to use its power.

Ocean energy – Oceans are everywhere. Nearly 70% of the earth is surrounded by water. The possibilities that ocean energy can generate a significant amount of power can’t be ruled out.

This kind of sustainable energy can be harnessed in three ways. These include tides, waves, and OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion).

Everybody is well-aware of the raw power of tides. They have immense power within. When these are effectively tapped, it can generate plenty of energy.

As a result, this sustainable energy can be utilized to power millions of homes. This energy can be used in various industries for running big and complicated machines.

Waves are another thing that can also be tapped for extracting energy from them. The waves produced by the oceans will be utilized by ocean thermal plants. The kinetic energy of the ocean waves will get converted into mechanical energy present in the turbines.

As such, the mechanical energy will finally get converted into electrical energy when the turbines will move to make the generators work. However, setting big plants at oceans can cause a certain level of harm to the environment. It will disturb the aquatic life and cause ecological imbalance.

Biomass energy – This kind of sustainable energy is referred to as any sort of energy that is produced from organic matter such as plants and animals.

Biomass energy is generated from the burning of timber, wood, landfills, agricultural and municipal waste. The process of generating energy is completely renewable. It doesn’t even produce harmful gases.

The harmful gas may include carbon dioxide, which is accountable for an increase in global temperature. However, carbon dioxide comes out as a by-product when they are burned.

But, this is compensated soon when plants use carbon dioxide and generate oxygen. It is very helpful in reducing landfills. But, this sustainable energy source is not effective when compared to fossil fuels.

Conclusion:

So, these are the sources of sustainable energy that will be up and running all over the world. They are very sustainable and doesn’t harm the environment. These sustainable energy sources are perfect for future energy needs.

Why not read my article about the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), see what they are doing for the world, read it here.

For more sources of sustainable energy information plus an interesting read try Global warming and renewable energy sources forsustainable development, find it here.