Renewable Energy
Solar Energy
• Refers to radiant (light) energy produced by
the sun
• Can be harnessed using solar panels
• Solar panels capture & convert solar energy
into electrical energy
• PROS
- renewable, produces no pollution & used
efficiently for heating
• CONS
- expensive & only generated when the sun is
shining
Geothermal Energy
• Refers to thermal energy produced within
Earth
• Heats water underground & produces steam
• Drill holes into areas where steam is produced
• When steam shoots up, it turns turbines
which turn generators which convert the
geothermal energy into electricity
• PROS
- renewable & produces no pollution
• CONS
- improper drilling can release hazardous
materials & geothermal sites are likely to run
out of steam
Wind Energy
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Produced by moving air (wind)
Captured by wind turbines (aka windmills)
Causes the blades of the turbine to rotate
When the blades turn, wind energy is
converted to electricity
• PROS
- renewable & produces no pollution
• CONS
- not constant
- turbines are large, take up a lot of space &
are unattractive to some people
Biomass
• Organic matter from living or once living
organisms
• Includes decomposed remains & waste
produced by living things
• Can be burned & transformed into electricity
or used to make liquid fuel (ethanol) that is
used in place of other liquid fuels made from
fossil fuels (gas, diesel)
• PROS
- renewable & abundant biomass is available
• CONS
- when burned, CO2 is released
- processing is expensive
Hydroelectric Energy
• Produced by moving water
• Captured by turbines
• Moving water turns blades of turbines which
turns the generator to convert hydropower
into electricity
• PROS
- renewable
- produces no pollution
- electricity is constantly generated
• CONS
- Can be expensive to build & maintain a
hydroelectric power plant
- Environmental issues