Top 5 Renewable Energies By wakewan [11 more lists]
Most of us take energy for granted. But this is important stuff, especially as the age of fossil fuels slowly comes to a sputtering end. One way or another, many of the following energy sources are powering your home right now - their importance will only grow. Which do you think is best?
When people talk about renewable energy, the usual suspects mentioned are solar and wind. But there are others. Each has its own assets and liabilities; even their own controversies.
- 1
Geothermal energy
Geothermal, in my opinion, doesn't get the attention it deserves. Once operational, and with careful management of a geothermal field, a geothermal power plant can produce clean, base-load power for decades and decades. Iceland is well-known for geothermal, but it's actually the US that is the largest producer of energy from geothermal power. The down-sides of geothermal are the cost and time it takes to get a power plant up and running. And, though more common than you might think, geothermal energy is not economically accessible everywhere in the world. I, for one, am very pro-geothermal. -
- 2
Hydroelectric power
Hydropower is certainly the most ubiquitous renewable power worldwide. There are thousands - tens of thousands - of hydropower plants all over the world. They range from the massive Three Gorges Dam in China producing some 22,500 MW to tiny micro hydro plants producing only enough electricity to power a home. The controversy behind hydropower is mostly about how they have altered the natural environment. - 3
Solar power
One of the current media darlings. And, yes, solar power is certainly attractive. Who doesn't want to harness the free power provided by the sun? Solar has some problems though. Big solar farms have a big footprint. And, solar power is intermittent (not base-load). Personally, I think solar power is most productive at the micro level; that is, on homes, buildings, etc., helping to offset power consumption. -
- 4
Nuclear energy
Lots of controversy here, especially lately:( I think most people are pretty wary of nuclear power mostly due to a few very high-profile "events". Nuclear power, in some ways gets a bad rap, though. I'll put it to you this way...how many people have died as a result of the toxic emissions of coal-fired power plants as compared to radiation leaks from nuclear power plants? But, nuclear has other very pernicious problems - besides the very high price tag - what to do with the waste?? Not too many people talk about that... - 5
Wind power
The other media darling. Wind power is being used all over the world, producing emission free electricity. But window power has it's problems too. Like solar power, window power is intermittent (the wind doesn't always blow) and large wind farms have a very large footprint. Some people feel they are unsightly. They can also cause problems for birds. You may or may not care about the birds...
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