Where Renewable Energy Comes From

Renewable Energy has a Beginning

The oldest source of renewable energy is the sun. We’ve used the rays of the sun for warmth, to grow crops, and harden molding pottery made of clay. Later, fires were discovered for the purpose of light, cooking, and destroying unneeded materials. As people began to build, we discovered more and more ways to get the things that made our lives more convenient. Now that we are at the top of the world with our many conveniences, we are looking for ways to stay there without harming the environment more than we have to. Doing this means integrating or switching to clean, renewable energy sources. Which energy sourced you choose are up to you and your energy provider.

Windfarms and Solo Turbines

The sight of miles and miles of wind turbines stretching as far as the eye can see is actually a welcome sight. Wind turbines may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re one of the most attractive ways that we have of generating renewable energy. Pretty when they’re spinning slowly, but extremely useful when they spin quickly, wind turbines are part of an age-old tradition of using the power of the wind. Windmills were used in centuries past to grind flour and mill corn. Wind took humans in boats up and down rivers and across oceans to new places. Wind farms have the ability to generate enough energy to power thousands of homes, but are often located far away from the places that may need them most.

Solar Farms and Panels

Solar panels used to be the only type of renewable energy known to the general public. Solar panels still have a reputation similar to the huge satellite dishes of the 1980s: as eyesores that are fit to be banned by homeowner’s associations. Solar panels were invented at the end of the 19th century, but the first solar panels that could be sold and used on homes and businesses were first created in the 1950s. Those solar panels are still around today, and still in perfect working order, despite the exposure to time and the elements.  Solar panels can be installed on cars, in offices, on freeways, on freeway medians, and of course, on home and in yards. Solar panels are the reason that we have solar farms, or dozens of solar panels that exist together in one location. The largest solar farm is in Southern California, though in the next couple of years, the largest one will be in China.

Dams

Hydroelectric power works similarly to wind energy, with the harvest of power depending on the generation of power by rotating a dial on a generator. Hydroelectric dams are like wind energy farms in that they both need to rotate a generator, but they also have in common that an exterior apparatus is necessary for energy to be harvested. Hydropower began as mills that ground items with the power by using a wheel spun by the force of running water. Since larger and larger dams have been built, the concept of using rushing water to power our homes has become a reality for many.