Sustainability: Renewable Energy Essay Example

Sustainability is an essential aspect in the world because it helps us avoid the depletion of the planet's natural resource, with the aim of maintaining ecological balance. Energy is another vital aspect of our lives because it is responsible for everything we do, that includes growth and development. Given nature and the role energy plays in our lives, there is a need for sustainable and renewable energy. In the past, the two terms have been used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. However, sustainable energy is a broad term that also includes the type of source of energy. That means that the promotion of renewable energy sources gives rise to sustainable energy.

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Sustainable or renewable energy should be natural replenished whose availability is long-term. In the modern age, technology should help in improving energy efficiency from sustainable energy sources. Renewable sources of energy provide energy that can meet the growing energy needs and demands of the current generation without compromising the demand for future generations. Some common examples include solar power, hydropower, wave, and tidal power, wind, and geothermal (Ellabban et al.). Looking at these examples, one can see that these sources have been in existence centuries before us and are here to stay. What makes these sources sustainable is the fact that they have a very little environmental impact, they are naturally replenished and are widely available.

In the past, man has turned to fossil fuels as one of the main sources of mass-energy. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they have made our lives easier and more straightforward, fossil fuels are continuously depleted. In addition, these sources of energy have led to some adverse effects on our environment in terms of climate change and global warming (Heidari, Negin, and Joshua). Because of these consequences, man has been forced to turn to alternative energy sources that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.

As the world moves towards embracing sustainable energy sources, different countries are investing a lot of their resources to develop solar farms, wind farms, dams along rivers and tidal stations. Unfortunately, renewable energy projects need a lot of capital, and unfortunately, the current projects produce a small amount of the total energy consumption in the world. Luckily, plans are underway to ensure that renewable energy plants are installed and installed as the world moves away from the use of unrenewable fossil fuels. The plans are also supported by the fact that fossil fuels are increasingly becoming scarce, their prices are rising, and they are also causing harmful effects on the environment. It is predicted that by 2020 the use of oil and coal energy could end with the introduction of renewable energy sources and natural gas (The Guardian).

Conclusion

It is also important to note that some sustainable energy sources such as nuclear energy are not renewable sources of energy. Therefore, when considering renewable energy sources, it is important to consider those sources that provide energy with high efficiency and are also clean during consumption especially during electricity production which happens to be the main end-product during energy production and conversion (Armaroli, Nicola, and Vincenzo).

Works Cited

"Electric Cars And Cheap Solar 'Could Halt Fossil Fuel Growth By 2020'". The Guardian, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/02/electric-cars-cheap-solar-power-halt-fossil-fuel-growth-2020. Accessed 9 Nov 2018.

Armaroli, Nicola, and Vincenzo Balzani. "Solar electricity and solar fuels: status and perspectives in the context of the energy transition." Chemistry-A European Journal 22.1 (2016): 32-57.

Armaroli, Nicola, and Vincenzo Balzani. "Towards an electricity-powered world." Energy & Environmental Science4.9 (2011): 3193-3222.

Ellabban, Omar, Haitham Abu-Rub, and Frede Blaabjerg. "Renewable energy resources: Current status, future prospects, and their enabling technology." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 39 (2014): 748-764.

Heidari, Negin, and Joshua M. Pearce. "A review of greenhouse gas emission liabilities as the value of renewable energy for mitigating lawsuits for climate change-related damages." Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 55 (2016): 899-908.