Renewable Energy 101 | National Geographic
TLDRRenewable energy from sources like solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass is growing globally as an alternative to greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels. Renewables don't directly produce emissions, cut air pollution, and provide reliable power with stable prices. However, scaling renewables to fossil fuel levels is challenging. Renewable facilities can also disrupt wildlife and only generate intermittently. Still, with advances making renewables more affordable and efficient, they offer a path to combat climate change.
Takeaways
- 😊 Renewable energy comes from sources that replenish naturally like solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass
- 😮 Over 80% of energy used worldwide comes from fossil fuels currently
- 🌱 Renewables are the fastest growing energy source globally
- 🌳 Renewables produce minimal greenhouse gas emissions, helping combat climate change
- 💨 Renewables create little or no air pollution compared to fossil fuels
- ♻️ Renewable sources will never run out making them a reliable energy supply
- 🌬 Building renewable energy infrastructure can disrupt wildlife habitats
- ☀️ Solar and wind power depends on sunny or windy weather to generate electricity
- 🔋 Storing renewable energy in batteries can be expensive currently
- 🚀 Advances in renewable energy tech could make it more affordable and efficient
Q & A
What are the most common sources of renewable energy?
-The most common renewable energy sources are solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass.
How can renewable energy combat climate change?
-Renewable energy combats climate change because it creates no direct greenhouse gas emissions, only minimal indirect emissions from manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance.
How can renewable energy decrease pollution?
-Wind, solar and hydroelectric systems create no air pollution emissions. Geothermal and biomass systems also have much lower emissions than non-renewable sources.
Why is renewable energy a reliable source of power?
-Renewable energy is reliable because the sources naturally replenish themselves and will never run out. Renewable facilities also cost little to operate once built.
What are some downsides of renewable energy?
-Downsides include: difficulty generating power at the same large scale as fossil fuels, disruptions to wildlife from building facilities, intermittency of solar and wind.
How can batteries help with the intermittency of renewable energy?
-Batteries can store excess renewable energy generated while the sun is shining or wind is blowing. This stored energy can then be used later when the renewable source is not active.
What percentage of total energy consumed globally comes from fossil fuels?
-Over 80 percent of total energy consumed globally is derived from fossil fuels.
Why are renewable energy prices stable over time?
-Once built, renewable facilities cost little to operate and the fuel source is often free. This leads to stable prices over time.
How can technology help expand the use of renewable energy?
-Advances in technology can make renewable energy more accessible, affordable and efficient. This expansion could help combat climate change.
What is the overall conclusion about renewable energy?
-While renewable energy has some downsides, it offers a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. Expanding renewable energy access with technological advances could be key to combating climate change.
Outlines
What is Renewable Energy? 💡
This paragraph defines renewable energy as energy generated from sources that replenish themselves naturally, such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass. It states that over 80% of energy used by humans comes from fossil fuels, but renewables are the fastest growing energy source globally.
Benefits of Renewable Energy ✅
This paragraph outlines three main benefits of renewable energy: 1) combating climate change by producing minimal greenhouse gas emissions, 2) decreasing pollution and health threats by avoiding air pollution from energy production, and 3) providing a reliable energy source that will never run out once facilities are built.
Challenges of Renewable Energy ❌
This paragraph discusses some downsides of renewable energy, including: difficulty generating energy at the same large scale as fossil fuels; ecological destruction from building facilities like dams; intermittency of solar and wind power; costly batteries for energy storage.
The Future Potential of Renewables ☀️🌬💧
This concluding paragraph states that while renewable energy presents some challenges, it offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. And as technology advances make renewables more accessible, affordable and efficient, an end to climate change could be within reach.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡renewable energy
💡climate change
💡fossil fuels
💡pollution
💡intermittent
💡ecological destruction
💡greenhouse gas emissions
💡advances in technology
💡batteries
💡hydroelectric
Highlights
Renewable energy is generated from sources that naturally replenish themselves and never run out.
Over 80 percent of the total energy consumed by humans is derived from fossil fuels.
Renewables are the fastest growing source of energy in the world.
Renewable energy can combat climate change because it creates no direct greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewable energy can decrease pollution and therefore reduce threats to our health.
Renewable energy sources will never run out.
Renewable energy prices tend to be stable over time.
It is difficult for renewable energy sources to generate power on the same large scale as fossil fuels.
Building wind farms and dams can disrupt wildlife and migration patterns and lead to ecological destruction.
Both solar and wind energy are intermittent - they only generate power while the sun is shining or while the wind is blowing.
Batteries can store excess renewable energy for later use however they are often costly.
Renewable energy presents some challenges but also offers an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.
As technology advances make renewable energy more accessible, affordable and efficient, an end to climate change could be within reach.
Transcripts
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