Renewable energy comes from resources which are constantly and sustainably replenished. They will always be available and are clean, cheap and abundant. In 2012, renewable energy in the U.S.
accounted for 13.2% of domestically produced electricity, as compared to Germany and China which each generate about 30% of their energy from renewables.
Types of Renewable Energy Sources
Wind energy: It costs about the same as electricity from new coal and gas-fired power plants and is pollution free.
Solar energy: It is inexhaustible and cheaper than ever. It now powers a wide variety of things from homes to gadgets. It can go on roof tops or
be part of a centralized power facility.
Biomass and cellulosic ethanol: Plant materials, wood, corn and soy account for nearly half the renewable energy in the U.S., but it is not always
sustainable and energy costs may exceed energy input.
Biogas energy: Farmers can reduce pollution and generate their own heat and electricity by converting animal waste into a clean-burning gas.
Municipalities can capture biogas from landfills to generate power instead of pollution.
Geothermal energy: Reservoirs of steam and hot water beneath the earth’s surface hold enormous potential as a renewable energy resource. Ground
source heat pumps can be much more efficient than air-to-air heat exchangers.
Hydropower energy: Energy from moving water is the largest source of renewable electricity in the U.S., although damning of rivers is detrimental
to both the up and downstream ecosystems.
Offshore wind, wave and tidal energy: Offshore renewable energy holds great promise and can be developed in a way that protects our ocean
resources.
Benefits to Renewable Energy
There are multiple benefits to our economy, our health, the environment and to our climate if we switch to renewable energy.
There is a Viable Renewable Energy Plan for the U.S.
Here is the really good news about renewables. A report released in 2013, entitled “The Solutions Project” prepared by Mark Jacobson at Stanford University and others indicates that we can
generate enough renewable energy along with improved efficiencies to meet 100% of our energy needs starting today. In other words, we can switch to renewables NOW, using current technology as
well as create millions of jobs. Their plans contemplate all new energy powered with wind, water or solar by 2020, about 80-85% of existing energy replaced by 2030, and 100% replaced by
2050.
We Need Leadership
There are two things The Solutions Project can’t supply – the “will” and leadership to implement the plan. One would think figuring out how to transition quickly to 100% renewable energy would be
the difficult problem, but the hardest problem is convincing leadership that we have a way forward that is better than the past. This isn’t easy because the fossil fuel industry has no intention
to drop its lucrative business plan and is fighting movement towards renewables. But we can help make this happen, if we -- churches, universities, foundations and cities unite; divest our fossil
fuel holdings; and demand that our leaders lead us to a safe, clean and sustainable future with renewables.