A Brief Introduction to Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is a form of energy that can be generated from a number of different natural resources. These renewable resources come from wind, water, rain, sunlight and geothermal heat. Currently around 20 per cent of the world's energy comes from the renewable energy sources. The vast majority of this comes from burning wood. The second most common form of renewable energy that is in use in the world today comes from hydroelectricity which provides three per cent of the world's electricity.
Presently, approximately 20% of all the energy in the world comes from renewable sources. The most popular is simply the burning of wood to provide us with warmth and light and the second most common form of renewable energy comes on the rapidly increasing industry of hydroelectricity which is currently supplying approximately three per cent of the world's electrical power.
One of the most common forms of renewable energy is hydroelectricity, which comes from water. One of the main advantages of hydroelectric power, is that it produces a great deal of electricity and is not particularly costly to run. Hydroelectricity can come from dams, water mills and water wheels. Of a number of other things that can help to supply hydroelectric power, waves and tides.
Energy from water is called hydroelectricity. This kind of energy is created by way of water wheels and water mills and dams. The biggest advantage of a hydroelectric power, is that it is relatively cheap to produce and also brings us a lot of power, currently supplying the world with 19% of its electricity. Hydroelectric power can also come from waves and the force of the tides.
Another form of renewable energy is biofuel, which is derived from recently dead biological material, as opposed to fossil fuels which come from organic matter left by creatures and plant life long dead. The technology that utilises biofuel is rapidly becoming more popular, with a number of flexible fuel cars starting to appear on the market.
Renewable energy can also come from tapping directly to the natural heat sources of the planet. This type of renewable energy is called geothermal energy. The kind of power stations which are required to convert the earth's heat into energy is, unfortunately rather expensive, although quite economical to run.
The market for renewable energy is rapidly growing, especially the wind power industry, which is currently experiencing a remarkable 30 per cent annual growth rate. In addition to this, or more people are getting solar power panels installed into their homes.
These are worrying times for the world today. With the rapidly growing population, comes a far higher need for energy and we are rapidly running out of non Renewable Sources of energy. However, it gives us hope to know that the industry of renewable energy is rapidly increasing and at last governments and individuals are starting to do something about the problem.