Fossil fuels have been polluting the environment for several centuries. Their unstable supplies have pushed economies to the brink of collapse on numerous occasions. Moreover, the supply of fossil fuels and geopolitical relations are interdependent, which further complicates the situation. The transition to renewable energy has been debated for a long time now. However, no significant progress has been achieved. But now is the time to make new commitments to reduce our dependencies on non-renewable energy sources. People often ask “Which scenario describes a renewable resource being used for energy?”. In this blog post, I will answer this very question and much more. Let’s dive right in.
What is renewable energy?
Before going into details, let me start from the basics. Renewable energy can be defined as energy sources that are inexhaustible, sustainable, and replenishable naturally. Theoretically, they never run short of supply.
What are some major types of renewable energy sources?
Can you name a few such energy sources, which you believe are sustainable? Well, there are many such sources, including solar energy, wind energy, water energy, geothermal energy, biomass, hydrogen energy, ocean currents, and the list goes on. All these energy sources have an untapped potential that needs to be unleashed to solve global energy and environmental problems.
Problems with current energy infrastructure
The current energy mix is comprised of fossil fuels i.e., petroleum, natural gas, and coal. These non-renewable energy sources have many harmful impacts both on an individual level and on a global level. Some of the major problems associated with current energy infrastructure are:
- Unreliable supply
- The global fossil fuel supply is often affected by geo-political relations among countries
- Fossil fuels are the main contributors to climate change
- Centralized supply
- Supply is controlled by a few powerful countries
- The energy and fuel industry is monopolized by a few mega-fuel giants such as ExxonMobil, and Shell
- Higher energy costs
Potential of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels as the primary energy source
Let’s discuss the potential of renewable energy to replace the current energy infrastructure, which revolves around conventional fossil fuels. This huge dependency on fossil fuels has often resulted in an energy crisis, climate crisis, and global tensions. Therefore, we need an urgent transition to clean energy.
Renewable energy offers untapped potential to replace fossil fuels as a primary energy source. Although, the current green energy infrastructure is insufficient to fulfill the global energy demand. But if sufficient resources are directed towards renewable energy, then we can eliminate dependency on fossil fuels.
Advantages of renewable energy
Renewable energies have been presented as ideal substitutes for fossil fuels. The following are some of the main advantages that you can expect from renewable energy consumption.
- Renewable energy sources have no or less harmful impact
- They can be used repeatedly without the risk of running out of supply
- Renewable energy promotes energy diversification
- It reduces dependency on fossil fuels
- Renewable energy sources are completely sustainable and naturally replenishable
- In the long run, renewable energy is cost-effective
- No resources are exploited in the production of clean energy
- Clean energy ensures energy security and economic development
- Helps in climate change mitigation
- Clean energy requires less maintenance cost
Disadvantages of renewable energy
Along with advantages, there are also a couple of disadvantages associated with clean energy, which cannot be ignored. Some of the most obvious disadvantages are as follows:
- The initial cost is high
- Some of the renewable energy sources are time-dependent such as solar energy whose supply gets affected at night
- Renewable energy needs storage solutions
- Some of the energy sources are not entirely environmentally friendly, such as in the production of biofuels, the forest is cut and the land pattern is changed.
- The current efficiency of renewable energy is low
- Renewable energy sites take large space
Two main ways of utilizing renewable energy
There are two main ways in which renewable energy is utilized namely off-grid and on-grid applications.
I hope you have an idea of what does a grid mean? If you are unfamiliar with the term, let me define it for you. A grid can be defined as an integrated system of how energy is generated, transmitted, and distributed to the end consumers. A grid can be of any scale i.e., national, regional, or local. A grid is usually controlled by a central dispatch center.
Coming back to the topic, the first method of harnessing renewable energy is by integrating it into an on-grid system. The on-grid system covers a large area compared to an off-grid. Renewable energy produced is integrated into the grid and distributed to end users.
While in an off-grid system, renewable energy is produced on a comparatively smaller scale, typically for a home, small business, or village. This type of grid is suitable for remote or rural areas which are otherwise disconnected from the power supply.
Which scenario describes a renewable resource being used for energy?
Did you know that in 2021, 12 % of total U.S energy comes from renewable energy resources? In the last few decades, renewable energy has gained new momentum. Due to this, the application scenarios of renewable energy are expanding. Renewable resources have been used for energy in several scenarios including;
- Generation of electricity
- Transportation fuel
- In the production of hydrogen fuel
- In industrial processes
- Power to off-grid remote areas and facilities such as islands, military installations, tourist destinations, schools, hospitals, communication stations, etc.
- Water pumping and treatment
- Desalination
- Space heating
- Water heating
- Solar power generator
Conclusion
The above-mentioned scenarios well justify the potential that renewable energy has to offer. If the energy is utilized and managed efficiently, then we can avert many issues such as energy crisis, climate change, resource exploitation, and loss of biodiversity to name a few.
The transition towards clean energy is a collective effort. All stakeholders including governments, organizations, and individuals should play their role in making the transition.