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Learn more and understand better with BrainPOP’s animated movies, games, playful assessments, and activities covering Science, Math, History, English, and more!

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Hydroelectric power | Definition, Renewable, Advantages, Disadvantages, & Facts

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Hydroelectric power, electricity produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of moving water into mechanical energy. Hydroelectric power plants usually are located in dams that impound rivers, though tidal action is used in some coastal areas.

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Hydroelectric power | Definition, Renewable, Advantages, Disadvantages, & Facts

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Hydroelectric power, electricity produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of moving water into mechanical energy. Hydroelectric power plants usually are located in dams that impound rivers, though tidal action is used in some coastal areas.

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Wind and solar are the heavy hitters of renewable energy. They create jobs. They cut pollution. They provide power to the densest populations and the most rural regions of the world.

We're betting on green energy's top two producers to break our dependence on fossil fuels. But can they both stand up to the giants of non-renewable energy, or is one sector a more promising investment? Here's a look at the pros and cons of wind and solar energy.

But First, What Is Wind Energy?

Wind is technically a form of solar energy. When the sun's radiation heats Earth's uneven surface, hot air rises and cool air settles. This difference in atmospheric pressure creates wind, a kinetic (motion-based) form of energy.

Wind turbines capture that kinetic energy. When wind blows over the turbine's blades, its generator converts the energy of the rotating blade into mechanical power - which can then be converted into power to pump water, grind grain, or provide electricity to homes, businesses, and schools.

What Is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is the sun's radiation that reaches Earth. When sunlight hits the photovoltaic (PV) cells inside solar panels, these cells transform the sun's radiation into electricity.

The Pros And Cons Of Wind And Solar Power

Which sustainable power source makes more sense for local and state economies? Check out this infographic that compares the good and bad of wind and solar energy.

Which Green Energy Source Is Better?

Wind is a more efficient power source than solar. Compared to solar panels, wind turbines release less CO2 to the atmosphere, consume less energy, and produce more energy overall. In fact, one wind turbine can generate the same amount of electricity per kWh as about 48,704 solar panels.

But the enormous power-generating capacity of wind turbines doesn't make wind energy a clear winner. Wind turbines are an eyesore. They take up a lot of space. They can hurt wildlife. They aren't suitable for densely populated areas, which means they're mostly located in rural regions - far from the cities that are most in need of their power.

For suburban or urban regions, solar panels are a more practical option. Solar panels can be installed on the rooftops of buildings, schools, and businesses. They can be bought or leased at an affordable rate. They might even be used to generate power for future high-speed transit systems. Plus, transparent solar panels are being developed to retrofit roofs, windows - and even your phone, laptop, or tablet.

Despite the advantages of green energy, there's still the question of its economic sustainability. Both wind and solar power have grown rapidly in the last decade - but they only account for a small percentage of the world's energy generation capacity. For wind and solar to compete with oil, coal, and natural gas, researchers will have to find a practical, cost-efficient way to store their power when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

Plus, the costs of producing, installing, and maintaining solar panels and wind turbines will have to continue to fall in order to convince consumers to make the switch from non-renewable energy sources. When government subsidies for green energy expire in 2020, both sectors will have to rely on solid infrastructure and increased private investment.

Of course, no energy source is without its drawbacks. But if wind and solar can keep up their explosive growth rates, they might both stand up to America's fossil fuel giants.

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON GREEN FUTURE. VISIT THEIR SITE TO READ MORE OF THEIR HELPFUL POSTS!

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Wind vs. Solar - Which Power Source Is Better?

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Wind and solar are the heavy hitters of renewable energy. But can they both stand up to the giants of non-renewable energy, or is one sector a more promising investment? Here's a look at the pros and cons of wind and solar energy.

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World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations

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Turning toward cleaner energy sources means factoring in economic and energy needs alongside environmental ones.

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Wind and solar are the heavy hitters of renewable energy. They create jobs. They cut pollution. They provide power to the densest populations and the most rural regions of the world.

We're betting on green energy's top two producers to break our dependence on fossil fuels. But can they both stand up to the giants of non-renewable energy, or is one sector a more promising investment? Here's a look at the pros and cons of wind and solar energy.

But First, What Is Wind Energy?

Wind is technically a form of solar energy. When the sun's radiation heats Earth's uneven surface, hot air rises and cool air settles. This difference in atmospheric pressure creates wind, a kinetic (motion-based) form of energy.

Wind turbines capture that kinetic energy. When wind blows over the turbine's blades, its generator converts the energy of the rotating blade into mechanical power - which can then be converted into power to pump water, grind grain, or provide electricity to homes, businesses, and schools.

What Is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is the sun's radiation that reaches Earth. When sunlight hits the photovoltaic (PV) cells inside solar panels, these cells transform the sun's radiation into electricity.

The Pros And Cons Of Wind And Solar Power

Which sustainable power source makes more sense for local and state economies? Check out this infographic that compares the good and bad of wind and solar energy.

Which Green Energy Source Is Better?

Wind is a more efficient power source than solar. Compared to solar panels, wind turbines release less CO2 to the atmosphere, consume less energy, and produce more energy overall. In fact, one wind turbine can generate the same amount of electricity per kWh as about 48,704 solar panels.

But the enormous power-generating capacity of wind turbines doesn't make wind energy a clear winner. Wind turbines are an eyesore. They take up a lot of space. They can hurt wildlife. They aren't suitable for densely populated areas, which means they're mostly located in rural regions - far from the cities that are most in need of their power.

For suburban or urban regions, solar panels are a more practical option. Solar panels can be installed on the rooftops of buildings, schools, and businesses. They can be bought or leased at an affordable rate. They might even be used to generate power for future high-speed transit systems. Plus, transparent solar panels are being developed to retrofit roofs, windows - and even your phone, laptop, or tablet.

Despite the advantages of green energy, there's still the question of its economic sustainability. Both wind and solar power have grown rapidly in the last decade - but they only account for a small percentage of the world's energy generation capacity. For wind and solar to compete with oil, coal, and natural gas, researchers will have to find a practical, cost-efficient way to store their power when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

Plus, the costs of producing, installing, and maintaining solar panels and wind turbines will have to continue to fall in order to convince consumers to make the switch from non-renewable energy sources. When government subsidies for green energy expire in 2020, both sectors will have to rely on solid infrastructure and increased private investment.

Of course, no energy source is without its drawbacks. But if wind and solar can keep up their explosive growth rates, they might both stand up to America's fossil fuel giants.

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON GREEN FUTURE. VISIT THEIR SITE TO READ MORE OF THEIR HELPFUL POSTS!

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Wind vs. Solar - Which Power Source Is Better?

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Wind and solar are the heavy hitters of renewable energy. But can they both stand up to the giants of non-renewable energy, or is one sector a more promising investment? Here's a look at the pros and cons of wind and solar energy.

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While hydroelectric energy provides the world with clean energy, there are some problems with it. Today, we will examine the advantages and disadvantages of hydropower.

What is Hydroelectric energy?

Hydroelectric energy is the most commonly used renewable energy source in the world. According to the 2019 Hydropower Status Report, hydroelectricity gave us a whopping 21.8 GW of energy and grew by 9% over the year.

Advantages of Hydroelectric Energy

1. Renewable

Hydropower is completely renewable, which means it will never run out unless the water stops flowing. As a result, hydro plants are built to last. In some cases, equipment that was built to last 25 years is still operational after double the amount of time has passed.

2. Emission Free

The creation of hydroelectricity does not release emissions into the atmosphere. This is, of course, the biggest appeal of any renewable energy source.

3. Reliable

Hydropower is, by far, the most reliable renewable energy available in the world. Unlike when the sun goes down or when the wind dies down, water usually has a constant and steady flow 24/7.

4. Adjustable

Since hydropower is so reliable, hydro plants can actually adjust the flow of water. This allows the plant to produce more energy when it is required or reduce the energy output when it is not needed. This is something that no other renewable energy source can do.

5. Create Lakes

Lakes can be used for recreational purposes and can even help draw in tourists. Look no further than Lake Mead. It was created as a result of the Hoover dam and brought in over 7.5 million visitors in 2018. This can give nearby towns a huge boost economically.

6. Faster Developed Land

Since hydro dams can only be built in specific locations, they can help develop the land for nearby towns and cities. This is because it takes a lot of equipment to build a dam. To transport it, highways and roads must be built, which helps open new paths for rural towns.

Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Energy

1. Impact on Fish

To create a hydro plant, a running water source must be dammed. This prevents fish from reaching their breeding ground, which in turn affects any animal that relies on those fish for food.

As the water stops flowing, riverside habitats begin to disappear. This can even remove animals from accessing water.

2. Limited Plant Locations

While hydropower is renewable, there are limited places in the world that are suitable for plant construction. On top of this, some of these places are not close to major cities that could fully benefit from the energy.

3. Higher initial Costs

While no power plant is easy to build, hydro plants do require you to build a dam to stop running water. As a result, they cost more than similarly sized fossil fuel plants.

Although, they will not need to worry about purchasing fuel later on. So it does even out over the long-term.

4. Carbon and Methane Emissions

While the actual electricity generation in the plant does not produce emissions, there are emissions from the reservoirs they create. Plants that are at the bottom of a reservoir begin to decompose. And when plants die, they release large quantities of carbon and methane.

5. Susceptible to Droughts

While Hydropower is the most reliable renewable energy available, it is dependent on the amount of water in any given location. Thus, the performance of a hydro plant could be significantly affected by a drought. And as climate change continues to heat up or planet, this could become more common.

6. Flood Risk

When dams are built at higher elevations, they pose a serious risk to any town nearby that is below it. While these dams are built very strong, there are still risks. The biggest dam failure in history is the Banqiao Dam failure. Due to excess rainfall from a typhoon, the dam collapsed. This resulted in the deaths of 171,000 people.

Hydro Is Still Growing

Hydro has been steadily growing as the world begins to ditch its reliance on fossil fuels for energy. It's worth noting that there are many pros and cons of hydroelectric energy.

However, when you compare it to the threat of climate change, it is undoubtedly better than any fossil fuel plant. And with over 8,700 new hydro plants being planned in Europe, it is more important than ever to understand the negatives.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Energy

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Hydroelectric energy makes up 17% of all electricity in the world. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages it offers.

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Electric Cars, Solar & Clean Energy | Tesla

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Customers who take delivery of a qualified new Tesla and meet all federal requirements are eligible for a tax credit up to $7,500. Tax credit will reduce to $3,750 for Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and Model 3 Long Range on Jan 1, 2024. Take delivery by Dec 31 to qualify for full tax credit.

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More and more businesses in the US and abroad are embracing sustainable practices as they begin to feel the impacts of the climate crisis where it matters most: their bottom lines.

As wind and solar energy achieve cost competitiveness with fossil fuels and investors wake up to the long-term risks of continuing to power their businesses in ways that impact the environment, addressing the climate crisis has become an economic imperative.

Consequently, many major businesses are embracing renewable energy in a big way, and many are finding that there's an awful lot of green to be made in a renewable energy-powered economy.

And the best part is, you are helping them do it every day, and you might not even know it. While some companies (maybe even one or two listed here) are well-known for their commitment to climate action, others don't get as much attention for their efforts and may come as a bit of a surprise.

So, whether you're shopping for LED lightbulbs or cheering the power play, there's a good chance you are supporting a major effort to go above and beyond to defend the planet and promote a safe sustainable future. Here are five we think are doing an especially great or surprising job of powering the economy with affordable clean energy.

Intel

Intel leads the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Green Power Partnership National Top 100 list, which represents the agency's largest green power-using partners. The tech innovator is the nation's largest voluntary corporate purchaser of green power and has been for eight consecutive years. The company met 100 percent of its US electricity use in 2015 with its purchase of 3.4 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable power, generated from wind, solar, geothermal, low-impact hydro, and biomass sources.

Last year, Intel installed the then-largest wind micro-turbine array in the US on the roof of its worldwide headquarters in Santa Clara, California. It has facilitated 18 on-site solar plants at several of its facilities, representing an installed solar capacity of approximately 7,000 kW (and growing).

Intel's commitment to renewable energy is brought into sharp focus by its extremely straightforward Global Climate Change Policy Statement:

"Climate change is occurring and human activities have played a strong contributing role - that is the consensus among climate scientists," the statement begins. "The main questions today concern what steps can be taken to mitigate the warming trend and help communities and regions adapt to the present-day and anticipated impacts of the warming that already is occurring. Intel Corporation believes that global climate change is a serious environmental, economic, and social challenge that warrants an equally serious response by governments and the private sector."

The company also sees real opportunity ahead. "Government policy responses to climate change will prominently feature requirements for improvements in energy efficiency throughout the economy," the company says. "Those requirements, in turn, will create a strong preference for more efficient electronic equipment."

And who's well-positioned to take advantage of that strong preference for years to come?

Kohl's

When you walk into Kohl's searching for the best discount deal, solar panels are probably the furthest thing from your mind. So it may come as a shock that EPA has listed Kohl's Department Stores as the top green power-using retailer in the country every year since 2009 in its annual Green Power Partnership Top 30 Retail ranking.

Of its 1,160 stores in 49 states, 1,001 are Energy Star-certified and 163 locations feature on-site solar panels, according to the retailer. The chain has gone to great lengths to work toward carbon-neutral operations, and was the first US retailer to announce a carbon neutral goal in partnership with EPA. It met that goal with net zero emissions from 2010-2014 - and was on track to meet it again in 2015 (the last year for which data was provided).

"As a national retailer, it is important for Kohl's to be a good corporate citizen," Ken Bonning, Kohl's senior executive vice president, said. "We aim to be a corporate sustainability leader, which is demonstrated in our commitment to on-site generation thorough our solar program and a continued investment in support of green power."

Learn more: Seven Solutions to the Climate Crisis

The National Hockey League

As anyone familiar with Climate Reality's I AM PRO SNOW initiative is already well aware, winter sports and the communities they support are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. Still, the depth of the NHL's commitment to clean energy may be a bit of a surprise.

In 2010, the league launched NHL Green, an environmental sustainability initiative to address the effects of climate change and freshwater scarcity on the game of hockey. It was the first professional sports league in North America to issue a sustainability report, and beginning with the 2014 season, it has counterbalanced all greenhouse gas emissions from its activities.

The NHL has restored approximately 50 million gallons of fresh water to rivers and streams in North America since 2011 through its partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and last year, it became the first professional sports organization or league to make the EPA's Green Power Partnership National Top 100 list, ranking as the 17th-largest user of green power in the United States. It also earned a 2015 Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA.

"We believe that this effort is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but is also a core strategy for the long-term success of our League. We have a vested interest in this cause," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said. "As a business, we rely on freshwater to make our ice, on energy to fuel our operations, and on healthy communities for our athletes, employees and fans to live, work, and play. ... As a League, we are uniquely positioned to promote the environmental message."

Walmart

Walmart's had its share of critics over the years - and for good reason. But when it comes to using clean energy, the Arkansas chain puts a lot of companies to shame. While one of its chief competitors, Target, took the top spot as the leading US corporate solar installer in 2016 with 147.5 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity, the world's largest retailer, Walmart, came in a close second with 145 MW. Importantly, this is the first time in the five-year history of the Solar Energy Industries Association's (SEIA) annual list of America's leading corporate solar installers that Walmart has not taken the crown.

Walmart has been a Green Power Partner of the EPA since 2009 and ranks ninth on the agency's current National Top 100 list, behind Apple but ahead (somewhat amusingly) of the US Department of Energy in terms of total annual green power use. Even so, while it currently obtains a large absolute amount of electricity from green power, Walmart is so massive that this power only met about 4 percent of its total US organization-wide electricity needs.

The corporation has some ambitious sustainability goals that includes a target to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, with a number of publicly-announced commitments toward that target set for 2020, an "aspirational goal of achieving zero waste across our global operations," and plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

President Obama even chose a Walmart in Mountain View, California, as the site of a 2013 speech about his energy plan and praised the retailer's environmental action, saying, "A few years ago you decided to put solar panels on the roof of the store. You replaced some traditional lightbulbs with LEDs. You made refrigerator cases more efficient. And you even put in a charging station for electric vehicles. More and more companies like Walmart are realizing that wasting less energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for business. It's good for the bottom line."

Apple

Like Intel, Apple has a comprehensive climate change plan, where it identifies its carbon footprint and what it is doing to mitigate it. The tech giant has designed its in-the-works new main campus in Cupertino, California to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Which will primarily be generated at what will become one of the largest onsite corporate solar installations in the world.

Earlier this year, during Climate Week in New York City, Apple announced that it was joining the RE100 initiative, "a global, collaborative initiative of influential businesses committed to using 100-percent renewable electricity."

"Apple is committed to running on 100 percent renewable energy, and we're happy to stand beside other companies that are working toward the same effort," Apple's Vice President for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson said. "We're excited to share the industry-leading work we've been doing to drive renewable energy into the manufacturing supply chain, and look forward to partnering with RE100 to advocate for clean-energy policies around the world."

Apple already is powering 100 percent of its operations in the US, China, and 21 other countries with renewable energy. Indeed, as of this year, renewable energy accounted for 93 percent of its global overall operations. And like Walmart and Google before it, in 2016 Apple received, according to the New York Times, "a federal designation for its energy subsidiary that allows it to become a wholesale seller of electricity from coast to coast."

That's right, Apple is, basically, its own green utility company, with Apple as its main customer. Pretty cool!

Learn more: Three Top World Leaders Fighting Climate Change

These business giants are demonstrating incredible leadership in the fight against the climate crisis. They are leading the charge to power our lives and economies with affordable clean energy.

Businesses like these are committed to doing their part - but they can't do it alone.

Other businesses looking to stand apart with a reputation for innovation, values-driven operations, and forward-looking leadership can get started on the road to a clean energy future by joining Climate Reality's 100% Committed campaign and pledging to help your business, resort, or community shift to 100-percent clean electricity.

Cities such as Salt Lake City, Utah, Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, have all committed to 100-percent renewable electricity. And so have businesses like Ski Butlers.

Learn more about how to become 100% Committed to clean renewable electricity.

But for renewables to truly thrive they need the support of both industry and world leaders committed to making climate solutions a reality. That's why we can't allow Big Oil insiders to serve in key cabinet positions responsible for the nation's public lands, environment, and potentially even foreign policy.

Add your name now and let the Senate know we need a qualified cabinet that will lead the US towards climate solutions and a thriving clean energy economy. Because we can't afford to go backwards on climate action.

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5 Major Businesses Powered by Renewable Energy

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More and more businesses in the US and abroad are embracing sustainable practices as they begin to feel the impacts of the climate crisis where it matters most: their bottom lines.

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Energy is the ability to do work

Scientists define energy as the ability to do work. Modern civilization is possible because people have learned how to change energy from one form to another and then use it to do work. People use energy to walk and bicycle, to move cars along roads and boats through water, to cook food on stoves, to make ice in freezers, to light our homes and offices, to manufacture products, and to send astronauts into space.

Energy can be converted from one form to another. For example, the food you eat contains chemical energy, and your body stores this energy until you use it as kinetic energy during work or play. The stored chemical energy in coal or natural gas and the kinetic energy of water flowing in rivers can be converted to electrical energy, which can be converted to light and heat.

Energy sources are renewable or nonrenewable

There are many different sources of energy, but they can all be divided into two categories:

Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources can be used as primary energy sources to produce useful energy such as heat, or they can be used to produce secondary energy sources such as electricity and hydrogen.
Last updated: December 27, 2022

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Scientists define energy as the ability to do work. Modern civilization is possible because people have learned how to change energy from one form to another and then use it to do work.

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Clean energy is energy gained from sources that do not release air pollutants, while green energy is energy derived from natural sources. There is a subtle difference between these two energy types even though they are often spoken of as being the same.

Renewable energy is power generated from sources that are constantly being replenished. These renewable energy resources won't run out, unlike fossil fuels and gas, and include wind and solar energy.

However, while most green energy sources are renewable, not all renewable energy sources are seen as being green. For example, hydropower is a renewable resource, but some would argue that it is not green, since the deforestation and industrialisation related to the building of hydro dams can damage the environment.

The perfect clean energy mix occurs where green energy meets renewable energy, such as with solar energy and wind energy.

An easy way to remember the differences between these different energy types is:

Clean energy = clean air

Green energy = natural sources

Renewable energy = recyclable sources

Clean energy works by producing power without having negative environmental impacts, such as the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. A lot of clean energy is also renewable, including wind power, some hydro resources and solar powered energy generation.

The most important aspect of clean energy are the environmental benefits as part of a global energy future. While clean, renewable resources also preserve the world's natural resources, they also reduce the risk of environmental disasters, such as fuel spills or the problems associated with natural gas leaks. With fuel diversification, through different power plants using different energy sources, it is possible to create reliable power supplies to enhance energy security, ensuring there is enough to meet our demands.

Clean energy provides a variety of environmental and economic benefits, including a reduction in air pollution. A diverse clean energy supply also reduces the dependence on imported fuels (and the associated financial and environmental costs this incurs).

Renewable clean energy also has inherent cost savings, as there is no need to extract and transport fuels, such as with oil or coal, as the resources replenish themselves naturally.

Other industrial benefits of a clean energy mix is the creation of jobs to develop, manufacture and install the clean energy resources of the future.

Clean energy can be used for a variety of different applications, from electricity generation to heating water and more, depending on the source of the energy.

Solar energy can be used for heating and lighting buildings, generating electricity, heating water directly, cooling and more. Solar panels allow for energy from the sun to be collected and turned into electricity. Solar panels are frequently used for small electric tasks, such as charging batteries, while many people already use solar energy for small garden lanterns. However, this same clean energy technology can be scaled up to larger panels that are used to provide power for homes or other buildings or even installations of multiple solar panels, such as with a community solar panel array to power entire towns.

Water is another clean resource with some surprising applications. Most obvious are hydroelectric power plants, which take the flow of water from rivers, streams or lakes to create electricity. A less obvious use of water comes through municipal pipes in towns and cities. With lots of water running through pipes in homes each day, there is a move towards harnessing this energy to help meet domestic and other power needs. As generators become smaller and less expensive to build this use of municipal water is becoming closer to being a daily reality.

Wind power works by attaching a windmill to a generator which turns the turning of the windmill blades into power. This form of energy has been used for centuries to grind grain, pump water or perform other mechanical tasks, but is now being used more often to produce electricity. Onshore and offshore windfarms are becoming increasingly prevalent, but wind power can also be used on a much smaller scale to produce electricity, even to provide a source of power for recharging mobile telephones.

These examples of renewable sources can be added to by others, such as geothermal, biomass and tidal power, which also all have their own benefits and applications.

The future of clean energy looks bright, with recent years showing that more renewable energy capacity has been installed globally than new fossil fuel and nuclear capacity combined. Renewable sources now make up over one-third of globally installed power capacity. As an example of this growth, Wednesday 10 June 2020 marked two months of the UK being powered purely by renewable energy for the first time ever.

As the world population continues to grow, there is an ever-increasing demand for energy and renewable sources are the answer to providing sustainable energy solutions, while also protecting the planet from climate change.

The take-up of clean energy is not just happening on a national level as cities and states are also crating policies to increase renewable energy use. In the United States, 29 states have set renewable energy portfolios to mandate that a certain percentage of energy consumed should come from renewable sources and over 100 cities around the world now use at least 70% renewable energy. As more cities drive towards becoming 100% renewable, corporations are also playing a part by purchasing record levels of renewable power.

Of course, due to fossil fuels being a finite resource, it makes sense that the future is renewable and so it is expected that renewable sources will continue to increase in number, driving down the cost too.

Humans have been using fossil fuels for over 150 years and, as their use increased, so did the release of the greenhouse gases that are produced when these fuels are burned. These greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere causing the temperature of the Earth to rise. This global warming is one symptom of climate change that has seen a rise in extreme weather events, shifting wildlife habitats and populations, rising sea levels and other impacts.

Because renewable energy sources don't emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, they do not contribute to global warming. These renewable sources mean that climate change is not being advanced, while measures such as reforestation can help to alleviate the damage already done to the climate, combining to reduce global warming.

As mentioned above, humans have been using fossil fuels for decades, meaning that the switch to clean energy has been relatively recent. As a result, renewable energy sources are still seen as being unpredictable and do not yet meet our global power demands. This means that renewable energy is still being topped up with carbon-based energy sources.

However, it is believed that our energy needs can be balanced by the efficient storing of renewable energy so it can be used when the demand is present. A great deal of work is being done to improve the infrastructure and storage capabilities of clean energy, with experts saying that clean renewable energy could replace fossil fuels by 2050.

There are financial benefits related to clean energy, not least due to the creation of work to improve the infrastructure, manufacture clean energy solutions and install and maintain them. Renewable and clean energy are growth sectors as the world begins to move away from fossil fuels, meaning that more opportunities will arise in areas ranging from eMobility to power generation and storage.

The expertise that comes with developing these next generation power solutions can be of benefit of those that attain it, offering work and contracts to those who are slow to take up clean energy.

Of course, the financial implications of clean energy are just part of the story, since the real incentive behind clean energy is creating a better future for the planet. But, as fossil fuel use declines, so will the associated financial rewards, meaning that clean energy is not just good for the environment but it is a forward step for industry too.

Clean energy can be obtained from a variety of sources which, when put together, could create solutions for all of our energy needs.

Sunlight is the most abundant and freely available energy resource on the planet, in fact the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth in one hour is enough to meet the total energy requirements for the planet for an entire year. Of course, solar power is limited by the time of day, the seasons of the year and geographical location. Despite this, solar energy is being used on both a large and a domestic level already.

Wind power is another plentiful source of clean energy, with wind farms providing a good contribution to power in the UK and elsewhere. As of yet, while domestic 'off grid' wind energy is available, not every property is suitable for a wind turbine.

Hydro or water power is one of the most commercially developed sources of clean energy. This energy source is seen as more reliable than either wind or solar power and also allows for the easy storage of the energy that is generated so it can be used in line with demand. Municipal hydro power is also being investigated, meaning that the future could see us all using the flow of water through pipes in our homes to generate electricity. Tidal power is a large scale version of hydro power and, although it doesn't provide a constant supply of energy, it is highly predictable and reliable.

TWI has been involved in a great deal of work to advance geothermal power, which harnesses the natural heat below the Earth's surface. Used to heat homes or generate electricity, this resource is more effective in some regions than others. Iceland, for example, has a plentiful and easily reachable geothermal resource, while geothermal heat in the UK, by comparison, is far less freely available.

Biomass uses solid fuel created from plant materials to produce electricity. Although this energy source still requires the burning of organic materials, this is not wood and is now much cleaner and energy efficient than in the past. Using agricultural, industrial and domestic waste as solid, liquid and gas fuel is not only economical but also has environmental benefits too.

All clean energy sources are, by definition 'clean,' however not all renewable energy sources are clean. For example, burning wood from sustainably managed forests can be renewable, but it is not clean since this releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

To be truly clean the carbon cost of production and storage needs to be zero, and this is where sources such as solar power and wind energy are seen as being truly clean and renewable.

Clean energy appears to be the future for the power needs of humanity across the globe as reliance of fossil fuels continues to diminish. As the drive towards clean, green and renewable energy continues to advance, the cost will fall and work will be created to develop and install these new power solutions.

More and more people are recognising the environmental, societal and economic benefits of clean energy and, as more cities, states and nations sign up to a green power agenda, this will continue to advance.

Related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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What is Clean Energy? How Does it Work? Why is it so Important?

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Clean energy is energy that comes from renewable, zero emission sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures.