Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy
The term Renewable is defined as energy that comes from natural sources or processes that are able to be replenished as opposed to depleted. Renewable energy is also often referred to as clean energy. Renewable energy sources include: solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and more. Currently solar and wind are seen as the leading developing renewable energy processes but all technologies have their successes and limitations.
Nonrenewable Energy are energy sources that are considered “dirty” or harmful to the environment because of the pollutants they release into the air and water. They are also not sustainable and able to replenish because they are finite resources. In other words, these resources are being used at a rate faster than they are regenerating. Nonrenewable energy sources include: fossil fuels, oil, gas, and coal.
Current Renewable Energy Use (2016)
The historic and projected generation by source is shown in the graph on the right. As seen by the graph, the current highest generator of electricity is hydroelectric, but it is projected that wind and solar will overtake hydroelectric power in the coming years.
The pie chart on the left shows in 2016 the relative amounts of total energy production and the breakdown of various renewable energy sources. In 2016 the leaders in renewable energy production were hydroelectric, wind, biomass, solar, then geothermal.
Combating Climate Change
As of 2016, only 15% of the total electricity production was sourced from renewable sources. This is projected to grow in the coming decades and the percentage of usage of fossil fuels is anticipated to shrink. Not one type of renewable energy is going to fix the global climate issues we are facing as a world. The dependency on coal and fossil fuels will be reduced by a combination of many different types of renewable energies and as the technology advances further the cost of using these energies will continue to decrease and their use will become more widespread.