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What Are The Best Renewable Energy Sources?
Author: Taylor Michael
I'm not sure that you can really say one type is 'the best' across the board. They all have their pros and cons. To some extent which type of energy source you choose will depend on where you live.
Another factor is how much electricity you want your energy source to generate. For the purpose of this article we're going to stick with solar and wind power.
These are probably two of the most common, cost effective forms of green energy for individual household use today. Technology will to continue to advance and make converting the energy from the sun and wind and then storing it for later use, even more efficient.
Even so both of these forms of energy are viable right now for household use.
You've no doubt seen solar panels on rooftops before. This is simply a way of gathering the energy of the sun where it can be converted into electricity and stored for later use.
Solar energy is great for certain parts of the country that get a lot of sunny days, but it still won't work at night so basically about 12 hours out of every day you won't be generating energy with solar panels.
Wind turbines can provide around 60% of your household needs daily with just one turbine. You can build your own for very little money and with no special skills.
Of course a wind turbine needs wind to generate electricity.
Both solar and wind power have their advantages and disadvantages. For many people combining both types of renewable energy sources is the best option. No matter which you choose the important thing is that you start using green sources of energy right now.
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All three have their advantages, but geothermal wins because it does not depend on the whims of the wind, and because it is available 24/7, rain or shine, night or day.
There is no single best source. What works best in one area may not work at all in another. Solar is great, but only works when the sun is out, wind can work 24/7 but many areas the winds are seasonal. geothermal only works in specific geographical areas and is impractical for individual use. The best is a combination of energy sources to ensure no interuption in service.
Depends on where it is you are moving. Windmills cost less than solar PV and generate plenty of power…if you have wind. Same for water wheels. You can get free heat from solar if you build your house with a trombe wall. The same, or a solar chimney can provide cooling. Good design can minimize the need for either. Builders will argue a diminishing return on thicker walls with more insulation, you have to decide how much “return” you want. Double the construction price of your house, you can virtually eliminate cooling and heating. You have to decide if the ROI is worthy of the investment.
Which implies an “alternative source of power” that is most overlooked: simple conservation. If your fridge is nearly 1/2 your electrical budget (a pretty good generalization), you can save a lot of energy by converting a deep freeze into a fridge. If most of the other half of your electric bill is hot water, install a 1GPM or 1.5GPM showerhead, turn your hot water heater down to 120F, wash your hands with cold water, buy a Marathon (or similar) water heater. Or build a solar water preheater (heating water from 90F to 120F costs a lot less than heating it from 40F).
Perhaps heating and cooling are your electric hogs? Get some caulking and caulk every wall seam around your house, both at the ceiling and floor. Use solar screens outside your windows in the summer and inside in the winter (!). Long eaves can also prevent solar heating in the summer, yet allow solar heating in the winter. Good landscape design can also help in this regard.
And then there is lighting and cooking and other smaller fry. Certainly look into CFLs. They’ll be required soon enough. Be sure that CFLs installed in the “hanging” orientation have adequate heat ventilation, as the heat they generate “pooling” in a fixture is the leading cause of early failure (it can easily cut their lifespan in half). Buy xmas LED light ropes and staple them around your house — you’ll be surprised how much light they put out, and the light is nicely apportioned, instead of a single big glaring, blinding lamp. And they are WAY cheaper than edison-base LED bulbs. If you are designing your house, consider replacing portions of your windows with insulated translucent panels. These provide softer diffuse light when sunlit, instead of pools of harsh direct light which comes through clear glass, and can be way more efficient than double- and triple-pane windows. AND they reflect inside light at nighttime, making whatever lighting you use more effective.
Okay, I went way beyond the scope of your question, sorry…but, hope this helps!
This answer is not as simple as which one is best… There are many factors that would largely be based on geographical Location. For instance it would not make much sense to install solar energy collection systems in areas that too far north because they simply do not get enough direct sunlight to be viable. Likewise placing a wind system in an area where sustained winds are rare would do no good. The other thing to consider is where are the consumers for the energy located in comparison to the locations of the energy system. Placing large wind farms in the Dakotas ( two of the states with the largest wind sources in the nation ) really doesn’t do the nation any good because you cannot transport the energy very far. The neighboring states is about all the further the benefit would reach. The same goes for placing large solar collection stations in Arizona or Nevada. You could power nearby cities but you really can only transfer the energy so far.
That is based on large scale energy collection systems. If you are interested in something residential then it is a different story.
Currently the best of the 3 options may surprise you… it is GeoThermal. But not geothermal energy production… merely usage. If you were to install a Ground-source heat-pump in your home you would save up to 70% on the energy you currently use. These systems are proven and have been around a long time. The price range is reasonable NOW unlike other options. Prices can range from $2500 + for install depending on the situation and if you need to tear-out an existing system. The land usage is underground so you just need space to have a crew come in and dig. The unit would pay for itself in savings within a few years. Total amount of energy that the system would save is much more than the amount it takes to put the system in place (thus giving it a smaller Carbon footprint). Even though this system does not produce energy it uses existing energy and greatly reduces the amount of energy that a residence requires.
Photoelectric solar panels are very inefficient and very expensive to produce. The amount of energy that it takes to produce a solar panel is actually MORE than the amount of energy that the panel will be able to produce within it’s lifetime. ( given an average lifespan of the panel and current technology ) While the panel may save YOU money and energy, it costs the enviroment more energy than it can recoupe.
A Wind system costs less in money and energy to produce than solar but still has some of the same draw backs. Both systems require battery banks and extra wiring systems before something could be used. Wind and sun are both non-consistent sources so days when the sun is weak or the wind is down you receive no benefit.
All three systems are currently only supplimentary at best. We don’t have the technology to use any single source by itself completely. Solar and Wind both require better energy storage techniques to suppliment days of low production. Geothermal heat/cooling systems still require another source of energy. Solar systems need to become much more efficient before they are truly viable except for providing power in very remote locations.
In terms of providing large scale benefits to the masses using industrial sized verions of these energy sources we need to find ways to transport energy over greater distances with better super-conductors or microwave technology or something new.
currently I would list the three sources in order of energy benefit in this order.
geothermal
Wind
Solar
Australia as a country-continent in a relatively hot climate, has various possibilities on renewable energy.
1. Solar Energy (as the country has hot and sunny climate)
2. Wind Energy
3. Tidel Energy (a lot of sea shore)
4. WVO, Waste Vegetable Oil (why throw the used oil, turn it into bio-diesel and drive)
Hope this helps.
Happy Green Energising!!!
What is the best green energy source available to Australians as a whole?
I’m having trouble deciding what is the best renewable energy source in Australia, considering cost, effectiveness, and cost of repair. Please help.
Australian based answers only.
What is the best renewable energy source?
For a country that has sun, wind and geothermal areas, and lots of it all, in which order should these resources be used as energy sources, considering cost of production, land use and amount of energy production
Please, just answer this if you really KNOW
Which renewable energy is the best source?
I have to write a report comparing and contrasting 3 types of renewable energy sources. One of my chosen ones is already geothermal, can you give me two more renewable energy sources that are considered the best ones? Because I have to choose which one is the best and explain why it is.
Thanks.
By the way if you can, make sure it’s a good source for CANADA.
Out of geothermal energy, wind energy & solar energy.. which is the best renewable energy source?
Which out of geothermal energy, wind energy & solar energy is the best renewable energy source? The best renewable source in Canada by the way. This is the wrong section, but a lot of people answer here so I thought I’d give it a shot, no rude answers please. Thanks in advance!
What is the best renewable energy source for a small home?
I’m moving out to a rural area where my friends say power is very expensive. I’m looking for some alternate sources of power. Some tips on how to make the house more energy efficient would also be very helpful.