For the sake of preserving and improving the state of the earth that we currently are living in, we have begun to turn away from oil and gas towards renewable energy. We are cheering for the most accessible, most affordable, and most environmentally smart renewable energy.
Are you curious about going green, and doing your part to be more environmentally conscious? If you are asking what is the best renewable energy source, we are about to find out right now.
Solar
Solar power has been growing rapidly over the past few years. We are starting to see more fields full of solar panels, panels installed on homes, and even on RVs and vans for homes on wheels.
The rise in popularity isn’t surprising because the cost of using solar power is just the initial investment of the solar panels with little to no maintenance costs. And, solar is very affordable/accessible to everyone as long as they live in an area that gets enough sun-ask your local solar companies whether your home is right for solar.
Solar panels (with the optimal sun) can produce up to a few hours of kilowatt-hours per day. Many homes will use anywhere between 20-40 panels to generate the power that they need.
Wind
Have you seen those massive wind turbines standing tall and spinning in the wind?
Wind energy works best in places that are wide open and not blocked by buildings or trees. Full-sized wind turbines cost around $2 million and require over $40 thousand worth of maintenance per year, plus the cost to buy or rent the land that they’re on.
One wind turbine produces enough energy to supply hundreds of homes each month, working at 1/4 capacity.
Much smaller versions are being installed on commercial and residential properties to harness the power of wind on a smaller scale, and those are only a few hundred dollars.
Geothermal
Though it isn’t used in all areas of the world, geothermal energy is gotten by tapping down into the earth’s heat energy. This is very popular in Iceland.
The earth’s energy is a few miles below the surface which requires drilling down almost 2 miles to reach the geothermal level. Drilling is the most expensive part of getting geothermal energy and can cost millions, but only has to be drilled once.
Biomass
The term biomass refers to the use of plant matter or other organisms that are living or were once living. A basic example of biomass energy is burning wood for heat or cooking, but a better example is burning trash or manure which is waste.
Hydropower
We are all familiar with the basic idea of hydropower when we think about a watermill. Though they are not used often nowadays we have all seen a picture or a classic one that is no longer in use.
On a large scale, hydropower is said to be expensive to harness, can displace people, and water is not unlimited. The natural ecosystem of the oceans (or wherever we are getting the water) can be massively disrupted which has major repercussions.
What Is The Best Renewable Energy Source? You Decide
When we think about sources of energy we tend to think of fuel and electricity, but those are not renewable. What is the best renewable energy source will be something that has a minimum negative impact on the earth, and maximum yield with clean processes and is also cost affordable.
Save some energy to check out our other posts on improving your quality of life.
