Renewable Energy

Renewable energy has become something of a catch phrase in the conservation movement, but it is often misused. It is also not a new concept, although our efforts at accurately gauging our needs and how to meet them responsibly has never been better. The concept is straightforward, a source of energy is considered renewable if it can be replenished as quickly as it is used up. Coal, natural gas, and oil are not renewable because they were created by cataclysmic events over the history of the earth, and require the pressure of hundreds of years below ground to form.

Hydroelectric power is renewable, because the water cycle continually refreshes the reservoirs that power the generators. Home wind turbines are another source of renewable energy, because the air currents that create wind are constantly being reinforced by more energy from the sun. Solar power is also renewable, since if the sun were to go out, earth would have much bigger problems to face than whether we could have electricity or not.

Solar power is not just renewable energy, it is reliably the source of every other form of energy we use. The sun heats the air, which creates wind. It also heats water, which causes it to evaporate, which is essential to maintaining the water cycle. And of course the sun’s energy keeps the temperature of the earth at a level that is sustainable for life, which was essential not only for the history of life on our planet, but also for having the organic matter in place to create the fossil fuels we use today.