How Can Renewable Energy Help Protect the Environment?

The rising sea levels, recurring storms, depletion of natural resources, and increased global warming are common issues leading to the deterioration of life quality.

The reliance of humans for generating electricity through fossil fuels such as coal and oils is contributing to massive climate changes and approximately 75% of greenhouse gases are emitted from these nonrenewable energy sources.  

With the extensive use of fossil fuels, with 80% of them responsible for generating energy, humans need to control the climate change that is leading to environmental issues by finding alternatives for fossil fuels.  

Renewable energy is constantly produced by the universe through sun, wind, and water and serves as the least harmful option to be used by humans as it produces no harmful toxins such as the most hazardous, greenhouse gases. Renewable energy forms include solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass.

The urgency for transitioning to renewable resources provides a golden opportunity for controlling climate change and promoting a sustainable lifestyle. This blog answers to How can renewable energy help protect the environment.

The Importance of Renewable Energy

Why choose Renewable Energy?

The finite nature of fossil fuels serves as a major reason to consider options that are available in unlimited quantities and are environmentally friendly. Fossil fuels take millions of years for their formation and once used, they can not be regained again. Their constrained nature and the long-term unsustainability of their use are significant factors that need to be highlighted.

Moreover, the crushing and burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal leads to the emission of CO2, which negatively impacts the climate of the earth. In addition to CO2, harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide play a crucial role in deteriorating human health. 

However, a more convenient option in the form of renewable energy such as sunlight and wind holds the potential to provide a sustainable energy supply in unlimited amounts. 

Let’s take a look at the Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy:

• With the majority of countries depending on fossil fuels for their energy production, each country has easy access to renewable energy resources serving as a great economic benefit. Investing in renewable energy creates jobs such as in the manufacturing sector and researching for the new inventions through electricity. 
• The decreasing costs of renewable technologies such as solar panels, making them more accessible and affordable for all people all over the world and serve as a competitor advantage in contrast to fossil fuels, eventually offering Clean energy solutions for the environment. 

Environmental Benefits of Renewable Energy

The Environmental impact of renewable energy is highly positive. They include: 

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro generate energy without emitting carbon dioxide. Whether it is Producing energy through windmills, capturing sunlight through solar panels, and or generating light, these sustainable energy sources ensure no production of greenhouse gases during this process

With 33% of the releases of toxic gases from the electricity industry, The emission of carbon gasses needs to be decreased by half in the next 6-7 years as climate change is getting worse. The Impact of renewable energy on climate change can be significant as there are very minimal to almost no global warming emissions present.

Protecting Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Renewable energy projects can be designed to minimize habitat disruption, contrasting with fossil fuel extraction where digging up a vast amount of land leads to habitat destruction and a disturbance in the ecosystem.  

Moreover, setting up solar systems and Biomass energy can ensure a safe living place for all living beings, leading to the perseverance of natural habitats and biodiversity which is crucial for the maintenance of food chains and climate stability.

Water Conservation Benefits

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar require significantly less water compared to fossil fuels and nuclear energy which require huge amounts of water for their cooling steps. In communities where water shortage is a major concern, renewable energy benefits outweigh the scale in contrast to fossil fuels. 

This ensures that the water quality remains stable with no interruptions of these systems in the water used by people in their daily lives for various purposes. 

Improving Air Quality

The air from fossil fuel plants serves as a risky and harmful factor to human health leading to multiple conditions to the brain, heart, and other organs.

However, as compared to fossil fuels, the geothermal and biomass systems produce very little effect on air whereas more sustainable energy sources such as sun, wind, and water solar, wind, and the systems produced from these emit no air-polluting components.

Therefore, transitioning to renewable energy sources reduces air pollutants, leading to better public health outcomes.

Renewable Energy vs. Fossil Fuels Comparison

Renewable energy vs. fossil fuels, what are the consequences of both of the energy-producing processes and How can renewable energy help protect the environment as compared to fossil fuels? Let’s delve deeper! 

• Fossil fuels play a major role in contaminating water. The use of fracking fluids to enhance the extraction of hydrocarbons leads to the use of millions of gallons of water that are filled with harmful substances such as arsenic and chlorine. 
• Fossil fuels also act as an obstacle to the supply of fresh air to living beings. The release of acidic gasses such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides results in acid rain that affects plants and wildlife, mostly in aquatic environments. 
• To derive the underlying coal and oil deposits, setting up pipelines to effectively deliver the purified oils and gasses, and managing wastes generated by this process, the nonrenewal industry requires a vast amount of land and this is obtained by destroying the habitats of animals.
• Coal Mining which extracts coal from deeper parts of the land and surface mining which disrupts the upper surface of the land, both are used to extract fossil fuels and long long-term effects such as losing the essential minerals required for plant growth that will never return. 
• Oil spills are another major problem caused by the transport of fossil fuels such as oil. Animals living near the seashore or inside the oceans are heavily affected by inhaling the spilled oil, which has further effects on the economy by interrupting the fishing process, which is a great source of income for certain communities. 

However, Clean energy solutions are here to address this problem. Renewable energy benefits include the occupation of small areas as they are mostly built on existing places. Solar panels can be built on houses, and wind turbines can be fitted in farming areas without inhibiting the growth of crops. 

Moreover, the Benefits of solar energy for the environment also include a healthy air, free of toxic substances such as carbon dioxide.

Successful Renewable Energy Initiatives Case Studies

Real-World Examples of Renewable Energy Projects

Some of the successful projects in different regions that have significantly reduced environmental impacts are: 

• Solar farms in California: The Ivanpah Solar Energy Generation is a remarkable example of Clean energy solutions. This thermal plant converts the energy from sunlight to provide sustainable energy to 140000 houses. 
• Wind energy projects in Texas: The Roscoe Wind Farm, which produces electricity through winds, is located in the USA. It has a capacity of 781.5MW. The construction of this project has contributed to eliminating 1.4 million tons of carbon dioxide and holds the capability of lightening up 234000 homes. 

Wind energy and environmental protection are promising together, as wind turbines release no dangerous gases while operating, need no water to generate electricity, and cause no damage to the agricultural land. 

• Hydroelectric power stations in Canada: Hydroelectric energy is produced through cultivating energy from streaming waters with the help of a hydraulic Turbine and Electrical generator.  Hydroelectric Power stations in Canada were found to produce 393’789 gigawatt-hours two years back, responsible for 61.7% of energy throughout Canada. 

These projects display the notable benefits of solar energy for the environment such as no greenhouse gas emissions and elevated chances for jobs through these innovations. 

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How Individuals Can Contribute

Personal Choices for a Greener Future

Whereas extensive projects are contributing in providing the Clean energy solutions. Individual efforts can also play a part in building the everlasting Renewable energy benefits. This is how: 

Investing in home solar panels: The placement of solar panels on your rooftops is the most convenient sustainable practice. Through the installation of solar panels, you can get electricity that is free of harmful substances for the environment, depend less on fossil fuels, and alleviate your electricity bills.

Choosing green energy providers: Choosing Green Energy Providers offers you Clean energy solutions for reducing the usage of fossil fuels from your life by offering you options such as solar panels, hydroelectric power, and wind-generated electricity. Investing in companies such as NextEra Energy and Vestas Wind Systems can boost them to construct more eco-friendly projects. 

Reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency: Conserving electricity through using power-saving appliances, LED lights, and insulating your home are small steps that can lead to the positive Environmental impact of renewable energy.

Social media is the best option to promote renewable energy. By sharing the initiatives taken by the government, the Impact of renewable energy on climate change, Benefits of solar energy for the environment you can gather a community that is

ready to transform their lifestyle by removing the presence of fossil fuels and shifting to Clean energy solutions by integrating the renewable energy sources in their lives. 

Government and Policy Initiatives

The Role of Government in Promoting Renewable Energy:

The government is offering Clean energy solutions through: 

Subsidies such as Production Tax Credits are used for the renewable energy being provided all across the USA. 

Renewable energy standards (RES) demand the utilities to meet renewable energy targets, fostering the further spread of renewable energy across the United States

California Energy Commission is on its way to generating 100% renewable energy by 2045. Their mission is supported by an energy commission that provides incentives and develops programs that promote the transition to renewable energy.

The Importance of International Cooperation

The role of international agreements (e.g., the Paris Agreement) in fostering a global shift toward renewable energy is very significant. The Paris Agreement is signed by every nation and focuses on treating the climate change that is causing drastically affecting the environment. It aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C decrease carbon emissions to 43% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, producing energy through fossil fuels only offers short-term benefits, whereas the long-term detrimental effects to the earth, its environment, the living beings are being discussed openly.

The greenhouse gases emitted by these substances are trapping on the earth’s surface, leading to increased heat and tremendous climate change. Fossil fuels with their limited lifetime, offer us no guarantee for existing tomorrow. Oil spills through tanks in the water, annihilation of land for mining purposes, and the perilous air quality due to toxic substances released during these processes are all significant factors that allow us to choose the right option between Renewable energy vs. fossil fuels.

A safer alternative is the use of green energy as Renewable energy benefits are substantial. The question How can renewable energy help protect the environment? This can be answered by analyzing The Environmental impact of renewable energy which is highly advantageous through protecting the earth from heat by no release of carbon dioxide. 

Furthermore, no destruction of land while protecting the habitat of wildlife and increased job opportunities as renewable projects are taking over the market.

Sustainable energy sources such as sun, wind, and water are everlasting and methods used to produce energy from them are highly sustainable and beneficial for the earth. Countries are now rapidly evolving towards solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal energy, and hydropower as they aim to obtain net zero in the future.

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