Intro to Renewable Energy

Definition: is light, heat, and other forms of energy given off by the Sun. Solar energy can be collected and used to heat buildings and to make electricity

Used to to heat homes and businesses, to warm water, or power devices.

Definition: the process of creating electricity using the wind, or air flows that occur naturally in the earth's atmosphere.

Wind power is cost-effective, sustainable, and is a clean energy source. 

Definition: electricity produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling or fast-flowing water into mechanical energy

Large hydroelectric plants—or mega-dams—are often considered to be nonrenewable energy

Definition: energy produced from organic materials which come from living organisms such as plants and animals. Fuel that is derived from the decomposition of organic material is also referred to as biomass fuel.

It can be converted into biodiesel for special automobiles, can be converted to methane used as a source to cook food especially in rural areas where natural gas is not so frequently present

Definition: energy obtained by tapping underground reservoirs of heat, usually near volcanoes or other hot spots on the surface of the Earth.

Drilling deep wells brings very hot underground water to the surface as a hydrothermal resource, which is then pumped through a turbine to create electricity. Geothermal plants typically have low emissions if they pump the steam and water they use back into the reservoir.