Facts About Renewable Energy

You have probably seen so much media geared towards solar energy and you may be asking yourself, Aren’t there other forms of renewable energy? Why does only solar seem to get the spotlight? Here's why.

Transcript

2. WHY SOLAR? You have probably seen so much media geared towards solar energy and you may be asking yourself, Aren’t there other forms of renewable energy? Why does only solar seem to get the spotlight? Other forms of major renewable energy initiatives involve -Wind -Geothermal -Hydroelectric Let’s clear up why solar has all the hype and why you should look at solar for your home.
3. WIND Traditional windmills have been powered by wind for hundred of years. You have probably even seen all the wind turbines out in random areas all over the world, and for good reason. New wind power is currently one of the cheapest forms of large-scale electricity generation in the United States according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (Source: https://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/electricity_generation.cfm) So why then is wind not the best option for your home? This simply can be explained by the economy of scale. It typically costs about the same amount of money to install a gigantic windmill as it does a very large one. Do home-sized windmills exist? Of course they do: (http://www.amazon.com/DC-Residential-Controller-Agriculture- Installation/dp/B00PBT6ZKY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1461292504&sr=8- 5&keywords=Wind+Turbine&linkCode=sl1&tag=electrek- 20&linkId=c930873ae05346a6a715d0ddf4b409c1). The technology is very simple, but the problem lies in location and consistency. There just isn’t enough wind power that can generate the energy needed for the extent of homes that solar could cover.
4. GEOTHERMAL One prime example of geothermal technology being used on a massive scale is Iceland. Yes the country. Most of the country is situated on massive active volcanoes , which produces the perfect environment for geothermal energy production. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Iceland). Only downside for most of the world though is we are not sitting on top of active volcanoes. So if you live within a stone’s throw of an active volcano, go right ahead and get yourself a geothermal generator! You may be confused though because you have seen advertisements for home geothermal generators quite regularly. There a large difference between using the temperature of the ground a few feet down to heat or cool your house, and using thermal differentials to generate steam to run electric turbines. Some homeowners in the U.S. have become more efficient by installing geothermal-based heating and cooling, but there is no practical way to generate electricity at home with geothermal power in the same way that is readily available with solar power.
5. HYDROELECTRIC This source of renewable energy is simply not feasible for the regular residential residence. On large scale applications, a dam for instance, it is extremely efficient and beneficial. But all you have to do is simply ask yourself this question; Do I have a source of natural running water that runs through my property and that I own. If not, than hydroelectricity is not an option for your home.
6. SUMMARY As you can see there are various different means to generate clean energy, but only one works universally if you want it for your home. The sun shines everywhere in the world, which is why solar has the most benefits when powering your home. If you are interested in looking at the your energy efficiency to determine your potential for solar savings go to DownloadMyBill.com